King's Gambit Accepted

What is the King's Gambit Accepted?

King's Gambit Accepted is the position after 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4, where you take the pawn White offers. White wants to use the half-open f-file, build a centre with d4 and develop quickly, often aiming at your f7 square. You get an extra pawn and a choice: keep it with ...g5, or give it back to finish your development and strike in the centre with ...d5. The play is open and tactical. Accepting is the most principled reply to the King's Gambit, and with careful play Black is considered to be fine.

Main ideas and plans

After the main move 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 you choose a system. The Modern Defense with ...d5 returns the pawn for free development, with the Abbazia Defense, ...Nf6 after exd5, as a key line. The Fischer Defense with ...d6, recommended by Bobby Fischer, takes e5 from White's knight and prepares ...g5. The Cunningham Defense with ...Be7 threatens ...Bh4+, and the Schallopp Defense with ...Nf6 hits e4. The most combative choice is ...g5: after 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.h4 g4, Ne5 gives the Kieseritzky Gambit, where ...Nf6 (the Berlin Defense) and ...Bg7 (the Paulsen Defense) are the main replies, while Ng5 is the Allgaier Gambit, in which White sacrifices the knight on f7 after ...h6.

Against the Bishop's Gambit, 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Bc4, the classical answer is ...Qh4+, forcing the king to f1 and taking away castling, after which you often support the pawn with ...g5; calmer moves such as ...Nf6 or ...d5 are also good. In every system, remember that the f4 pawn restricts White's dark-squared bishop and controls e3 and g3, so keep it when it is safe to do so. Your weak points are f7 and the a2-g8 diagonal, so watch the bishop on c4 and knight jumps to e5 or g5. In the Allgaier, take the knight on f7 but develop quickly, because your king is exposed and White's attack with Bc4+, d4 or Nc3 comes fast.

Who is it for?

Knowing the accepted gambit is useful for anyone who answers 1.e4 with ...e5. You do not need every line: choose one system, for example the Modern Defense with ...d5 or the Fischer Defense with ...d6, and understand it well. The positions are sharp, and a single slow move or greedy pawn grab can leave your king in trouble; holding the pawn with ...g5 brings the most theory and the most danger. Learn your chosen system against Nf3 and a clear answer to the Bishop's Gambit first, and never lose sight of f7 and your development.