The Boden-kieseritzky Gambit (in 7 Traps)

If you’ve got a penchant for tricky, trappy openings, you’ll be glad to get acquainted with the Boden-Kieseritzky Gambit. Known for its astonishing win rates at club level, it’s a chess gambit where Black must find one of two unlikely moves to avoid disaster.

Here, we take a look at seven of the traps that have given this rare gambit a cult following since the 1800s. At the end, we’ll also take a look at how 19th-century legend Paul Morphy's relentless pressure still beat opponents who knew how to avoid them!

What is the Boden-Kieseritzky Gambit?

The Boden-kieseritzky Gambit is a Romantic-era chess opening that was played with surprising regularity in the 1800s. Wielded by the likes of Morphy and Anderssen, as well as Boden and Kieseritzky, this terrifying, tactical opening perfectly suited the flamboyancy of 19th-century chess.

With the dawn of the modern era thorough analysis and prepared refutations deemed this gambit unworthy of chess at the highest level. Despite this, it has maintained a cult following among club players and boasts a staggering 62% win rate on online chess platform Lichess.org — one of the highest of any opening in chess!

Interestingly, the Boden-kieseritzky Gambit can be reached via two common move orders:

1) The Bishop’s Opening: 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nxe4 4. Nc3 Nxc3 5. dxc3

2) Petrov’s Defense: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Bc4 Nxe4 4. Nc3 Nxc3 5. dxc3

Either way, it leaves the board looking like this:

The Boden-kieseritzky Gambit in 7 Traps

Trap #1: Checkmate or a Rook?

Trap #1 is the one you'll have the pleasure of deploying again and again. It starts when Black plays 5...d6 to defend the e5 pawn. You respond with 6. Ng5, threatening a Fried Liver-style fork on f7.

Curiously, Black has no good way to properly defend—and it’s even worse than it looks. After 6...Be6 7. Bxe6 fxe6, you’ve got a surprise weapon. 8. Qf3! forks the f7 and b2 squares, while the knight also threatens a fork on f7. White demands an ultimatum: ‘Checkmate, or a rook?’

Full line: 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nxe4 4. Nc3 Nxc3 5. dxc3 d6 6. Ng5 Be6 7. Bxe6 fxe6 8. Qf3

Trap #2: A Knight for a Queen

After 5...d6, chess engines recommend 6. Ng5 as the best line. Interestingly, however, there’s an alternative that scores even better at club level. 6. Nxe5 may look like madness, but look what happens if Black captures your knight:

Now that the queens can see each other, capturing on f7 loses the queen. Black’s only other option, ...Ke7 offers no salvation since 8. Bg5+ wins the queen anyway!

Full line: 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nxe4 4. Nc3 Nxc3 5. dxc3 d6 6. Nxe5 dxe5 7. Bxf7+ Ke7 8. Bg5+ Kxf7 9. Qxd8

Of course, if Black doesn’t accept your knight sacrifice, then you’re threatening f7 again. Black can pin your knight with ...Qe7, but can’t prevent Bxf7. From here, castle quickly to get your rook onto the e-file for more terrifying attacks!

Trap #3: Destroy Black's Pawns in 9 Moves

Trap #3 may not be as dramatic as the first two traps, but it will still win you the game. 5...Nc6 is another common way for Black to save its e5 pawn, but again, a misguided one. Continue with 6. Ng5.

If Black tries to block the threat with 6...d5, continue with 7. Bxd5 Be6 8. Nxe6 fxe6. Now, instead of capturing again on e6, trade your bishop for Black’s queenside knight (9. Bxc6+ bxc6). Black’s desperate doubled-isolated pawns on the c- and e-files are now there for the taking.

Continue with 10. Qh5+, double attacking the e5 pawn. Regardless of their response, Black will lose kingside castling rights, and their position has become so precarious they might as well resign there and then!

Full line: 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nxe4 4. Nc3 Nxc3 5. dxc3 Nc6 6. Ng5 d5 7. Bxd5 Be6 8. Nxe6 fxe6 9. Bxc6+ bxc6 10. Qh5+ g6 11. Qxe5 Rg8 12. Qxe6+

Trap #4: Out of the Frying Pan and Into the Fire!

From time to time, you’ll meet an opponent who ignores their hanging e5 pawn and instead plays 5...Bc5. Perhaps they see the threat to f7 coming and decide to clear the way for kingside castling.

Instead of simply capturing in the center, however, you’ve got a better plan! Again, reply with 6. Ng5. After Black castles, what is White’s winning move this time?

Answer: 7. Qh5! forks h7 and f7. After 7...h6, continue with 8. Nxf7 Rxf7 9. Bxf7+. Now, if Black tries to hide the king in the corner, 10. Bxh6 delivers a devastating blow. In almost every line from here, White can force checkmate.

Full line: 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nxe4 4. Nc3 Nxc3 5. dxc3 Bc5 6. Ng5 O-O 7. Qh5 h6 8. Nxf7 Rxf7 9. Bxf7+ Kh8 10. Bxh6

Trap #5: Black Starts Well, Then Stumbles

According to chess engines,5...f6 is Black’s best answer to the Boden-Kieseritzky Gambit. This protects the e5 pawns and guards against 6. Ng5 in one move. But one good move doesn’t take Black out of the woods yet! f-pawns are dangerous to move in the opening, and you’re about to prove why.

First, however, you need to attend to king safety. Start by castling 6. O-O to guard against counterattacks. Now, your plan is to clear the f-file so you can pounce with that familiar motif: Qh5+. Usually, Black won’t notice the danger and will follow with something like 6...c6.

Now, go ahead and sacrifice your knight with 7. Nxe5. If Black captures back with 7...fxe5, 8. Qh5+ is dynamite:

If Black blocks the check with 8...g6, you double attack with 9. Qxe5+ to win the rook. If Black instead moves the king, amazingly, it’s mate in one! (8...Ke7 9. Qxe5#),

Full line: 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nxe4 4. Nc3 Nxc3 5. dxc3 f6 6. O-O c6 7. Nxe5 fxe5 8. Qh5+ g6 9. Qxe5+ Qe7 10. Qxh8

Trap #6: A Knight on the Rim (Isn’t Always Dim)

There’s a saying in chess, “A knight on the rim is dim”—reminding us that a knight on the edge of the board controls fewer squares than a knight placed in the center. In this case, however, a knight on h4 is a crafty maneuver.

Black has so far played solidly with 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Bc4 Nxe4 4. Nc3 Nxc3 5. dxc3 f6 6. O-O d6. The move 6...d6 sufficiently protects the e5 pawn to prevent ‘Trap #4’ — yet White has another ruse in mind. Starting with 7. Nh4: White’s odd-looking move prepares for 8. Qh5+. Can you see why this is dangerous?

Now, Black cannot block the check with its g-pawn since the h-pawn is pinned to the rook. Instead, Black must move its king and lose castling rights. Now, however, White still has a surprising trick to win the rook. 9. Ng6 leaves Black’s rook trapped!

White comes out of the trades only one point up in material, yet Black has lost castling rights and will enter the middlegame feeling shaken by White’s tactical prowess.

Full line: 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nxe4 4. Nc3 Nxc3 5. dxc3 f6 6. O-O d6 7. Nh4 c6 8. Qh5+ Kd7 9. Ng6 hxg6 10. Qxh8

Trap #7: Trade Queens, Grab a Rook for Free!

Black’s only other legitimate reply to the Boden-Kieseritzky Gambit is 5…c6, designed to support 6...d4 to block your light-squared bishop from attacking f7.

In response, capture Black’s e5 pawn. Now, Black is likely to follow with 6...d4, but you can safely ignore the pseudo-attack on your bishop. If Black fails to spot the danger and captures, trade queens. With Black’s king now on d8, 9. Nxf7+ double-attack wins Black’s rook.

Full line: 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nxe4 4. Nc3 Nxc3 5. dxc3 c6 6. Nxe5 d5 7. O-O dxc4 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. Nxf7+

The Boden-Kieseritzky Gambit or Morphy Gambit?

The Boden-Kieseritzky Gambit is so obscure that there is some debate over its origin and how it should be named.

Since Paul Morphy did occasionally play the opening, some have decided to name the opening after him. Most chess literature, however, refers to the opening as the Boden-Kieseritzky Gambit after two other romantic chess icons, Lionel Kieseritzky and Samuel Boden.

How Paul Morphy Played the Boden-Kieseritzky Gambit

In the Romantic era, most chess masters would have known how to dodge the major traps of the Boden-Kieseritzky Gambit. While many would argue that solid play leaves Black equal or slightly better, they will often struggle to castle, leaving the king exposed in the middle of the board.

It was for this reason that tactical assassins like Morphy continued to play the opening in confidence they could catch out the vulnerable king. In the example below (Morphy vs. Barnes, London 1858), Black’s king remains exposed on the open f-file. Can you find Morphy’s next two moves to win the game?

Answer: 27. Bxf7 and 28. Bc5. With masterful foresight, Morphy has shepherded his opponent’s queen onto d6 where it can be pinned to the exposed king. 27. Bxf7 clears the 5^th rank so that White’s queen can help the dark-squared bishop deliver the deed: 28. Bc5!

Conclusion

For unprepared opponents, the Boden-Kieseritzky Gambit truly is the stuff of nightmares. With an almost endless series of traps and tactical weapons, Black will struggle to emerge from the minefield unscathed.

If you enjoyed the ferocity of the Boden-Kieseritzky Gambit , you might also enjoy learning about other Romantic era chess openings such as the Muzio Gambit and Danish Gambit.

Related: Attack with the Boden-Kieseritzky-Morphy Gambit by FIDE Master Eric Schiller

meta: Discover the lethal Boden-Kieseritzky Gambit through seven crushing traps, and Paul Morphy’s devastating attacking masterpiece.