King Pawn Openings: The King's Gambit

The King's Gambit begins with 1 P - K4, P - K4; 2 P - KB4. With White's offer of P - KB4, Black is given two options which is either to decline the sacrifice or accept it. The King's Gambit is one of the oldest chess openings that are around with records dating as early as the 17th century. Obviously, the two general variations of this opening will either be having the gambit accepted or declined.

What if Black accepts the gambit offered by White? If Black accepts the gambit then the reply should be 2 ... P x P. Obviously, given the opening lines of the King's gambit, White will stage an assault on Black's King's side. Another chip that is tossed into the whole pot is the fact that White will surely pull off a P - Q4 since the obvious threat of Black's Pawn on the K4 position is now gone. But before White is going to be able to pull that off the issue of an early check from Black through ... Q - R5ch must first be addressed.

As in the case of gambits, players can expect that White can build a strong center with the King's Gambit when the sacrifice is accepted. A sample continuation for this gambit (which eventually takes us into the Muzio Gambit) would be the following:

3 Kt - KB3, P - KKt4 4 B - B4, P - Kt5 5 O - O!, P x Kt 6 Q x P

Players can expect to find many variations and alternative lines of replies and moves for both White and Black. Such variations will include but not exclusive to lines going into the Muzio Gambit, Bishop's Gambit (i.e. doing a 3 B - B4), Paris Gambit, Eisenberg Gambit, Shurig Gambit (doing a 3 B - QKt5), and a host of other variations open to both players. A quick answer to which way should either player go is simply a matter of tactics one wishes to employ.

What if Black declines the gambit? If Black declines then among the many options, Black can go for a counter-gambit (i.e. a gambit that counters the other player's gambit), an example of that is the Falkbeer Counter Gambit (i.e. doing 2 ... P - Q4). Doing so gives Black a chance to attack in exchange for losing a piece.

The Falkbeer Counter Gambit is quite aggressive. It would take advantage of the weakness presented on White's King's side. But the classic way of declining a King's Gambit is to do a 2 ... B - QB5. Doing so will prevent White from castling on the King's side. Again, the choice of how to decline is a tactical one among the many options in this class of chess openings.