Open games & French

King's Gambit

1.e4 e5 2.f4

The King's Gambit starts with 1.e4 e5 2.f4 and is catalogued under ECO C30, in the open games & french half of the book. The catalog indexes 1 line inside it, grouped into 1 named variation, and the position after those moves has 10 playable continuations to walk from here.

Opening repertoire map

Root edges show how often each move is played around your Elo. Use the arrow on a position to reveal the next replies.

Current position
King's Gambit Accepted: King's Knight's Gambit
Popularity by Elo
Share of Lichess blitz, rapid, and classical games that continued with each move.
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Current setup

Move ideas

  1. 1.e4

    Claims the center with a pawn and opens lines for the queen and king’s bishop.

    Idea: Build quick development and make early castling possible.

  2. 1…e5

    Meets White’s center directly and opens lines for Black’s queen and bishop.

    Idea: Fight for equal central space in a balanced, open position.

  3. 2.f4

    Advances the f-pawn to gain kingside space and control new squares.

    Idea: Create useful wing space while keeping the central structure flexible.

  4. 2…exf4

    Captures the pawn on f4 and changes the local pawn or piece balance.

    Idea: Open lines in the kingside and reshape the center for the next phase.

  5. 3.Nf3

    Develops the knight to f3, bringing it into the game.

    Idea: Improve piece coordination and clear the back rank for castling and the rooks.

Book continuations

Waiting for Lichess game popularity.

10 moves
g5King's Gambit Accepted: King's Knight's Gambit65 named lines · King's Gambit Accepted: Greco Gambit · King's Gambit Accepted: Kotov GambitAdvances the g-pawn to gain kingside space and control new squares.Idea: Prepare a fianchetto or discourage the opponent’s expansion on that wing.d6King's Gambit Accepted: Fischer Defense4 named lines · King's Gambit Accepted: Greco Gambit · King's Gambit Accepted: Fischer Defense, Schulder GambitAdvances to d6 to claim central space and control nearby key squares.Idea: Give the pieces room to develop behind a durable central foothold.Be7King's Gambit Accepted: Cunningham Defense3 named lines · King's Gambit Accepted: Cunningham Defense, Bertin Gambit · King's Gambit Accepted: Cunningham Defense, McCormick DefenseDevelops the bishop to e7, bringing it into the game.Idea: Improve piece coordination and clear the back rank for castling and the rooks.d5King's Gambit Accepted: Modern Defense3 named lines · King's Gambit Accepted: Abbazia Defense · King's Gambit Accepted: Abbazia Defense, Main LineAdvances to d5 to claim central space and control nearby key squares.Idea: Give the pieces room to develop behind a durable central foothold.Nc6King's Gambit Accepted: MacLeod Defense3 named lines · King's Gambit Accepted: Blachly Gambit · Vienna Gambit, with Max Lange Defense: Hamppe-Allgaier Gambit, Thorold VariationDevelops the knight to c6, bringing it into the game.Idea: Improve piece coordination and clear the back rank for castling and the rooks.h6King's Gambit Accepted: Becker Defense2 named lines · King's Gambit Accepted: Philidor Gambit, Schultz VariationAdvances the h-pawn to gain kingside edge space and control new squares.Idea: Create useful wing space while keeping the central structure flexible.Nf6King's Gambit Accepted: Schallopp Defense2 named lines · King's Gambit Accepted: Schallopp Defense, Tashkent AttackDevelops the knight to f6, bringing it into the game.Idea: Improve piece coordination and clear the back rank for castling and the rooks.f5King's Gambit Accepted: Gianutio Countergambit1 named lineAdvances the f-pawn to gain kingside space and control new squares.Idea: Create useful wing space while keeping the central structure flexible.h5King's Gambit Accepted: Wagenbach Defense1 named lineAdvances the h-pawn to gain kingside edge space and control new squares.Idea: Create useful wing space while keeping the central structure flexible.Ne7King's Gambit Accepted: Bonsch-Osmolovsky Variation1 named lineDevelops the knight to e7, bringing it into the game.Idea: Improve piece coordination and clear the back rank for castling and the rooks.

Named variations

Each line below is an indexed entry under King's Gambit. Open one to load it on the board and keep exploring from that position.

Openings from the same volume

ECO groups openings by the structures they lead to, so these families tend to share plans with the King's Gambit.