As White
King's Gambit
The King's Gambit is a chess opening for White that starts with 1.e4 e5 2.f4.
Very aggressive: a pawn is given on move 2 to dominate the centre and open the f-file.
Reviewed on November 6, 2026 · Prepared by Josep Serrano Ballestero
Basic · Elo 400 – 600
Opponent's mistake · 5...Bb4+
1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e5 Ne4 5.d3 Bb4+ 6.c3 Nxc3 7.bxc3 Bxc3+ 8.Nxc3
Opponent's mistake · 6...Nxc4
1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e5 Nd5 5.c4 Nb6 6.d4 Nxc4 7.Bxc4
Opponent's mistake · 3...Nf6
1.e4 e5 2.f4 Nc6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 exf4 5.d4
MacLeod Defense · 4.Bc4 Bc5
1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.Bc4 Bc5 5.d4 Bb6 6.Bxf4
Schallopp Defense · 4.e5 Nd5
1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e5 Nd5 5.c4 Nb6 6.d4 d6 7.exd6
MacLeod Defense · 4.Bc4 h6
1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.Bc4 h6 5.d4 Nf6 6.Qe2
Schallopp Defense · 4.e5 Ne4
1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e5 Ne4 5.d3 Nc5 6.Bxf4 d6 7.exd6
Schallopp Defense · 4.e5 Ng4
1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e5 Ng4 5.d4 d6 6.Bxf4
2.f4 d6
1.e4 e5 2.f4 d6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 Nc6 5.Bb5
Queen's Knight Defense
1.e4 e5 2.f4 Nc6 3.Nf3 d6 4.Bc4 Bg4 5.O-O Nf6 6.d3
Intermediate · Elo 1000 – 1200
Opponent's mistake · 5...Bb4+
1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e5 Ne4 5.d3 Bb4+ 6.c3 Nxc3 7.bxc3 Bxc3+ 8.Nxc3
Opponent's mistake · 3...Nf6
1.e4 e5 2.f4 Nc6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 d6 5.Bb5
Queen's Knight Defense · 5.O-O Nd4
1.e4 e5 2.f4 Nc6 3.Nf3 d6 4.Bc4 Bg4 5.O-O Nd4 6.Bxf7+ Kxf7 7.Ng5+
2.f4 d6
1.e4 e5 2.f4 d6 3.Nf3 Bg4 4.Bc4 Bxf3 5.Qxf3 Nf6 6.fxe5
MacLeod Defense · 4.Bc4 h6
1.e4 e5 2.f4 Nc6 3.Nf3 exf4 4.Bc4 h6 5.d4 d6 6.Bxf4
MacLeod Defense · 4.Bc4 Bc5
1.e4 e5 2.f4 Nc6 3.Nf3 exf4 4.Bc4 Bc5 5.d4 Bb6 6.Bxf4 d6 7.c3
King's Knight's Gambit
1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.Bc4 d6 5.O-O Bg4 6.d4
Muzio Gambit, Sarratt Defense
1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.Bc4 g4 5.O-O gxf3 6.Qxf3 Qf6 7.d3
Queen's Knight Defense · 5.O-O Nf6
1.e4 e5 2.f4 Nc6 3.Nf3 d6 4.Bc4 Bg4 5.O-O Nf6 6.d3 Nd4 7.fxe5
Queen's Knight Defense · 4.Bc4 h6
1.e4 e5 2.f4 Nc6 3.Nf3 d6 4.Bc4 h6 5.O-O Nf6 6.d3 Be7 7.fxe5
Advanced · Elo 1200 – 1400
Opponent's mistake · 7...Qf6
1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.h4 g4 5.Ne5 h5 6.Bc4 Nh6 7.d4 Qf6 8.Nc3 c6 9.Ne2 d6 10.Bxf4 dxe5 11.Bxe5 Qg6 12.Bxh8
MacLeod Defense · 4.Bc4 Bc5
1.e4 e5 2.f4 Nc6 3.Nf3 exf4 4.Bc4 Bc5 5.d4 Bb6 6.Bxf4 d6 7.c3
Fischer Defense
1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 d6 4.Bc4 h6 5.d4 g5 6.O-O Bg7 7.Nc3 Ne7 8.g3
Falkbeer Countergambit, Staunton Line · 4.d3 exd3
1.e4 e5 2.f4 d5 3.exd5 e4 4.d3 exd3 5.Bxd3 Nf6 6.Nf3 Bc5 7.Qe2+ Qe7 8.Nc3
Falkbeer Countergambit, Staunton Line · 4.d3 Qxd5
1.e4 e5 2.f4 d5 3.exd5 e4 4.d3 Qxd5 5.Nc3 Bb4 6.Bd2 Bxc3 7.Bxc3 Nf6 8.dxe4
Abbazia Defense
1.e4 e5 2.f4 d5 3.exd5 exf4 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.c4 c6 6.dxc6 Nxc6 7.d4 Bb4+ 8.Nc3
Falkbeer Countergambit, Staunton Line · 4.d3 Nf6
1.e4 e5 2.f4 d5 3.exd5 e4 4.d3 Nf6 5.dxe4 Nxe4 6.Nf3 Bc5 7.Qe2 Qe7 8.Be3
Queen's Knight Defense · 3.Nf3 Bc5
1.e4 e5 2.f4 Nc6 3.Nf3 Bc5 4.Bc4 d6 5.c3 Bg4 6.h3 Bxf3 7.Qxf3 Nf6 8.Bb3
Queen's Knight Defense · 4.Bc4 Be7
1.e4 e5 2.f4 Nc6 3.Nf3 d6 4.Bc4 Be7 5.O-O Nf6 6.d3 O-O 7.fxe5 dxe5 8.Kh1
MacLeod Defense · 4.Bc4 d6
1.e4 e5 2.f4 Nc6 3.Nf3 exf4 4.Bc4 d6 5.d4 g5 6.O-O
Queen's Knight Defense · 4.Bc4 Bg4
1.e4 e5 2.f4 Nc6 3.Nf3 d6 4.Bc4 Bg4 5.O-O Nf6 6.d3 Be7 7.h3
Frequently asked questions
Is the King's Gambit good for beginners?
Yes. On OpeningCraft you learn it in these levels: Basic (Elo 400 – 600), Intermediate (Elo 1000 – 1200), Advanced (Elo 1200 – 1400). It suits players who like attacks, gambits and open positions.
What traps are there in the King's Gambit?
OpeningCraft teaches 5 traps and opponent mistakes in this opening, for example: Opponent's mistake (5...Bb4+); Opponent's mistake (6...Nxc4); Opponent's mistake (3...Nf6).
How many lines of the King's Gambit do you need to learn?
OpeningCraft teaches 29, in blocks of 5. They come from real Lichess games at each rating band, and the traps and opponent mistakes most common at your level come first.