Fun and Games With the King's Gambit
One of the oldest openings in chess, many consider the King’s Gambit to be a relic of the 19th century. It just so happens, however, that the venomous chess openings of the Romantic era remain some of the most formidable among amateur players—often outcompeting modern, positional openings by a long shot!
To this day, the King’s Gambit remains one of the most thrilling openings in chess. It also boasts a supreme win rate against beginner and intermediate players.
In this article, we’ll show you how to play the King’s Gambit like the Romantic greats like Kieseritzky, Anderssen, and Morphy. We’ll also share a resilient counterattack to refute the King’s Gambit should you ever face it with the Black pieces.
The King’s Gambit—A Rich History and a Recent Decline
The King’s Gambit (1. e4 e5 2. f4) has one of the richest histories of any opening in chess. It was among the first to be systematically analyzed and perfectly suited the open, tactical style that characterized chess from the 16th to the 19th centuries.
During the Romantic era, world greats like Adolf Anderssen (1818–1879) and Lionel Kieseritzky (1806–1853) made the King’s Gambit their signature opening. Prioritizing dazzling attacks over material safety, these two quintessential Romantic titans famously fought out the Immortal Game in 1851—the epitome of King’s Gambit chess!
By the late 19th century, more scientific, positional ideas began to supersede Romantic-style play. Stronger defenses were developed, and aggressive King’s Pawn openings like the King’s Gambit were increasingly considered outdated at the Grandmaster level.
In the 20th century, the King’s Gambit enjoyed a mini revival with Boris Spassky defeating David Bronstein and Bobby Fischer with it in 1960. Today, the King’s Gambit is only occasionally seen at the master level, usually reserved purely as a surprise weapon in blitz and bullet games.
At the club level, however, the King’s Gambit has retained a strong cult following, and rightly so. Statistics from online chess platforms have revealed that at the amateur level, it remains as deadly as ever!
The King’s Gambit Statistics—Brilliant for Amateur Players!
Although the King’s Gambit is not as popular as it used to be, statistics of online games prove that it’s still one of the strongest openings for White at the amateur level—especially for beginner and intermediate players.
The statistics below are taken from millions of rapid and classical games played on lichess.org. Players were rated between 1000 and 1800 Elo.
Incredibly, 2.f4— the King’s Gambit, turns out to be White’s most successful second move by far! This makes it all the more surprising that it’s only seen in the 4% of games that the statistics show.
Interestingly, the Lichess database also reveals that beyond 1800 Elo, the statistics become less convincing. Since advanced players are more likely to know the best defenses to refute the King’s Gambit, its efficacy dwindles against stronger opponents who’ve done their homework.
The King’s Gambit Accepted
Not surprisingly for a 300-year-old opening, the King’s Gambit has a rich repertoire of variations. Because the opening is played so rarely these days, however, most intermediate opponents are unfamiliar with them!
Objectively, Black’s best response to the King’s Gambit is to accept it (2...exf4). This is the most common response in both grandmaster and amateur games. To prevent the potentially disastrous Qh4+ that can follow, you should reply immediately with 3. Nf3. That leaves the board looking like this:
Now, Black has a dilemma—how to hang on to its awkward f4 pawn? Unless it defends it, White can simply follow up with 4. d4 and capture it with its light-squared bishop. Hence the King’s Gambit main line: 3...g5.
The King’s Gambit Main Line – The Kieseritzky Gambit
In the King’s Gambit Main Line, Black defends its outward-lying pawn with 3...g5. It also threatens to push the g-pawn another square to attack White’s knight. So how should White answer?
The Kieseritzky Gambit, which is the most popular continuation at both the amateur and master levels, follows: 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 g5 4. h4 g4 5. Ne5, leaving the board looking like this:
Notice how White is now attacking g4 with both its queen and knight. Black’s only way to defend the pawn is by playing 5...h5. It’s a common, but weak move. White is threatening 6. Bc4, threatening a fork on f7, and leaving Black with no convenient way to defend it.
The Best Way to Play the King’s Gambit as Black
Instead, a powerful counter for Black is 5...Nf6. This doesn’t defend the g4 pawn but instead counterattacks e4. Objectively, this move puts Black in an equal position and is one of the reasons that the King’s Gambit has fallen out of favor at high levels. Luckily, most intermediate players never find it!
Your best chance now is to ignore the threat and play 6. Bc4, threatening the f7 fork that we discussed already. In the following moves, remember that a quick attack will often be more advantageous than winning the pawn back.
This is the quintessence of the King’s Gambit: tactical opportunities over material gain!
How to Play the King’s Gambit Like Paul Morphy – The Allgaier Gambit
The 19th Century chess legend and unofficial world champion Paul Morphy was renowned for his romantic flair, and he certainly didn’t hold back on it when playing the King’s Gambit! The following is a match he played blindfolded against fellow chess prodigy Eugene Rousseau in 1849.
In this game, Morphy chose to play the Allgaier Gambit, a razor-sharp variation that risks everything for an all-out assault on the enemy king. It may be considered unsound at the grandmaster level, but it still works brilliantly at the amateur level, especially in blitz and bullet games!
The Allgaier Gambit, begins with the King’s Gambit Main Line: 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 g5 4. h4 g4. But instead of playing 5. Ne5, White allows the opponent to trap the knight with 5. Ng5. Why? 6. Nxf7 is coming to land Black’s king in a various precarious position!
1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 g5 4. h4 g4 5. Ng5 h6 6. Nxf7 Kxf7
The yellow arrows show all of White’s possible ways to continue developing and attacking. All of them score very highly at shorter time controls!
The move Paul Morphy chose when playing against Rousseau was 7. Qxg4, capturing one pawn and threatening to capture a second with a check. The lines that follow could vary wildly from game to game, but Morphy’s match just goes to show the endless tactical opportunities that this gambit offers up!
1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 g5 4. h4 g4 5. Ng5 h6 6. Nxf7 Kxf7 7. Qxg4 Qf6 8. Bc4+ Ke7 9. Nc3 c6 10. e5 Qxe5+ 11. Kd1 Kd8 12. Re1 Qc5 13. Bxg8 d5
Can you spot Morphy's brilliant next move?
Notice how, with a checkmate on move 13, Black still hasn’t developed any pieces except the queen. Morphy’s attack was so relentless, it never gave Rousseau a chance to develop. Meanwhile, Morphy developed, while attacking, a trademark of this style of play!
Answer: 14. Re8+ was Morphy's brilliant sacrifice to achieve checkmate. The game followed: 14...Kxe8 15. Qxc8+ Ke7 16. Nxd5+ Kd6 17. Qc7#
If Black Fails to Defend Its Pawn Advantage
While the King’s Gambit Main Line is a strong choice for Black, many amateur opponents have never learned it. Ill-prepared opponents will often play the King’s Gambit much like the Queen’s Gambit Accepted and allow you to have your pawn back without a fight.
Whether Black plays 3…Nc6, 3…d6, or any other passive move, you simply open up your light-squared bishop with 4. d4 and snap up the free pawn on the following move. This lands you with a perfect center, strong development, and equal material.
By continuing with Bc4 and castling kingside, you also threaten an attack on f7 as you move into the middlegame. You’re in good stead! Just watch out for dangerous checks to your king on the dark-squared diagonal. Sometimes, it pays to nudge him out of harm's way on h1 if you have a tempo to spare!
The King’s Gambit Declined—Beware ...Qh4+!
Inevitably, some opponents will decline to capture your f4 pawn and continue with development. Whether they play 2...Nc6, ...d6, or ...Bc5 (the Classical Variation), you need to remember one thing: Don’t capture the e5 pawn! Why not? Take a look:
Did you spot it? Black can follow with Qh4+ before landing a nasty fork from e4. As with other variations in the King’s Gambit, it’s essential to keep a knight posted on f3 to avert disaster. Remain wary of cunning opponents who may try to lure your knight away from this square while the threat of Qh4+ remains!
On the other hand, if you can grab Black’s e5 pawn without the risk—don’t hesitate! This way you may end up ahead on material as well as with a strong attack. In most variations, posting your light-squared bishop on c4, clearing the f-file, and aiming to attack f7 will serve you well.
Our Verdict - Long Live the King's Gambit!
Despite being deemed outdated at the grandmaster level, the King’s Gambit remains a lethal weapon in the arsenal of amateur players. Statistics reveal it scores especially well against opponents below 1800 Elo who are less likely to know the best ways to refute it.
With lines that score brilliantly in bullet games as well as at longer time controls, the King’s Gambit deserves to be played far more widely by attacking players who love the excitement of open, tactical play.
If you have enjoyed learning about the King's Gambit, you may also like to learn about the deadly Vienna Gambit! By playing 2. Nc3 before 3. f4, White enters similar territory but with an extra knight to enhance the attack.