Unleash Some Chaos With The Danish Gambit

The Danish Gambit was named after a 19th century chess master from Denmark named Martin Severin From. He played the sequence of moves now known as the “Danish Gambit” in a strong chess tournament held in Paris in 1867 - and thanks to From’s country of origin, the name stuck.

An interesting quirk about the Danish Gambit is that Martin Severin From actually finished equal last out of the 13 entrants in the tournament in question. In a way, this makes his achievement in immortalizing the Danish Gambit even more remarkable - it’s one thing to popularize an opening thanks to winning a tournament with it, but it’s another to do so when the player has performed poorly!

Despite this rather inauspicious start, the Danish Gambit gained in popularity in the late 19th century and early 20th century, especially among attack-minded chess masters. Today, it is no longer common among top players, but the Danish Gambit can still be used to good effect at club level.

In this article, we are going to explain the main ideas behind the Danish Gambit, so you can try it for yourself.

It all starts with: 1. e4 e5, 2. d4 exd4, 3. c3

The starting position of the Danish Gambit.

If Black accepts the gambit with 3. …dxc3, then White has two main ways to continue:

The “Single Gambit” with 4. Nxc3

Recapturing on c3 immediately sees White develop the queenside knight to its most natural square, and limits the material deficit to a single pawn. To be sure, White has a lead in development in this line, but the position is not terribly threatening for Black. Which brings us to the second option for White…

Related: FOXY OPENINGS - VOLUME 21 - Dashing Danish.

The “Double Gambit” with 4. Bc4, Bxb2, 5. Bxb2

This is the approach most in keeping with the spirit of the Danish Gambit, where White invites Black to capture yet another pawn on b2. If Black takes on the challenge, then White recaptures with Bxb2 and gets both bishops developed to threatening diagonals. This line is much more dangerous than the Single Gambit. Black’s material advantage is greater, but so too is their challenge in surviving White’s early onslaught.

Why Play The Danish Gambit?

The Danish Gambit suits a certain sort of chess player. A player who:

• Loves to attack
• Dislikes slow maneuvering and endgames
• Doesn’t find much satisfaction in drawn results

Especially in the Double Gambit line, White gains a tremendous amount of initiative in exchange for the sacrificed material. White is guaranteed to be on the attack early in the game!

Expect the Danish Gambit to go one of two ways: either White will use their extra activity to quickly destroy Black’s position, or Black will somehow manage to survive and then slowly win with their extra material. That’s the challenge. If that doesn’t faze you, then the Danish Gambit may be right up your alley!

Related: How Grandmasters Refute Gambits - EMPIRE CHESS.

It must be said: the computer’s evaluation of the Danish Gambit favors Black. But remember - you aren’t playing against a computer! As we all know, sometimes the computer’s evaluation can be misleading when it comes to how easy a position is for humans to play. Computers play flawlessly. Humans do not.

To illustrate this, Stockfish evaluates the Double Gambit position (after 5. Bxb2) as around -0.3 (slight advantage for Black), but the chess.com opening explorer reveals that human results significantly favor White.

Source: chess.com opening explorer

With game results favoring White by 55% vs. 30%, evidently, it is difficult for the player with the Black pieces to navigate the challenges posed by the Danish Gambit.

Another reason to play the Danish Gambit is because it is fun! Unless you are a professional chess player, remember that results do not matter so much. The real goal of chess should be to enjoy it - and it’s much more fun to attack than defend! The Danish Gambit gives White excellent chances of scoring a quick knockout, and even if the attack eventually fails, the game is bound to be interesting!

Danish Gambit: Thematic Tactics and Ideas

Like all openings, the Danish Gambit has thematic ideas which commonly appear. It is important to familiarize yourself with them in order to maximize your chances of spotting them and taking advantage of them in your own games. 

Related: Meeting the Gambits - Gambits after 1. e4.

Here are a few to get you started:

Tactics Involving A Qxd8

A trade of queens normally favors the side who is ahead in material. But under the right circumstances, White can welcome the queen trade and gain more material at the end.

In this position from Gara vs. Pesztericz, 2002 (with White to move), White has the strong temporary sacrifice: Nf6+!

After … gxf6, White initiates the queen trade with Qxd8+. Then, following …Kxd8, the White dark-squared bishop reveals its power along the long diagonal by forking the king and rook with Bxf6. With a decisive material advantage, White is winning.

Qb3, With A Threat Against f7 (And/Or b7)

The White light-squared bishop on c4 naturally points at f7. Keep your eye out for the possibility of intensifying this pressure with Qb3, especially when Black has no good way of defending it.

This position (with White to move) has occurred dozens of times in the database in games starting with the Danish Gambit. After Qb3, Black finds themself unable to adequately defend f7. Once this important defensive pawn drops, White enjoys a strong advantage - having restored material equality with superior piece activity and king safety.

The Qb3 idea can also, at times, be used to simultaneously attack f7 and b7, if Black’s light-squared bishop has left its starting square leaving b7 undefended.

Related: Chess Opening Workbook for Kids.

If Black Declines The Gambit

Black is not forced to take all the pawns that White offers. So, the Danish Gambit player must also be ready to face the possibility of Black playing something other than 3. …dxc3.

One popular way for Black to decline the gambit is 3. …d5 - the so-called “Sorensen Defense” - where the following position arises with White to move.

In this case, White should capture on d5 with 4. exd5, and will likely end up with an isolated queen's pawn position. 

One continuation could be 4. …Qxd5, 5. cxd4 Nf6 6. Nc3, as in Alekhine vs. Hermann, 1925. This forces White to play differently than when Black accepts the Danish Gambit, but isolated queen’s pawn positions are also well-known to give attacking chances due to the space advantage the d-pawn provides, so a dynamic game is still in store for the player with the White pieces!

Getting Started With The Danish Gambit

If you want to learn more there are several steps you should take to improve your Danish Gambit.

Related: The Complete Foxy Openings on E-DVD.

First, try the Danish Gambit in online blitz games. It’s one thing to learn the theory, but the best way to solidify your understanding of any opening is through practical experience. Playing with fast time controls will mean you can play a lot of games very quickly - so it won’t be long before you have several games of your own where you can see what Black typically does in reply to the Danish Gambit, and the style of middlegames that tend to result. Pretty soon, you will start to notice patterns and get a better feeling for which of the theoretical lines deserve the most attention in your study.

If you really want to learn the Danish Gambit properly, and perhaps even intend to use it in serious over-the-board games, then you should definitely explore the opening in greater detail. GM Nigel Davies has created this 70 minute video course, available for instant download from the USCF store.

This top-quality video course comes includes:

• Recommendations based on the Double Gambit (sacrificing two pawns, on c3 and b2)
• Recommendations based on the Single Gambit (with the standard c3 pawn sacrifice)
• What to do if Black declines the gambit

Summary: Is The Danish Gambit Right For You?

The Danish Gambit can be an excellent surprise weapon within your White opening repertoire if you:

• Like to take your opponent onto unfamiliar ground. Being a relatively uncommon opening, your opponent with the Black pieces is unlikely to have deep opening preparation against in the Danish Gambit. Both of you will be “playing chess” earlier, rather than showing how many moves each of you have memorized.
• Thrives with activity and initiative. The Danish Gambit gives White an extra activity boost, in addition to their natural first-mover advantage. After sacrificing the material, it is incumbent upon the Danish Gambit player to make this dynamic advantage count. You should be tactically sharp and enjoy complications early in the game. Playing slowly is out of the question!
• Are less concerned about “objectively best” openings. If you want the computer’s top choice, then the Danish Gambit isn’t it. Instead, you should believe in the notion that it is easier to attack than defend. You should also be ready to embrace the fact that you might lose a few games along the journey - but still have fun while doing so!

Does that sound like the sort of chess player you are? 

If so, then unleash some chaos with the Danish Gambit today!