King's Gambit: the complete guide
1. e4 e5 2. f4
The queen of the romantic era: Anderssen's Immortal Game (1851) starts 1.e4 e5 2.f4. Sacrifice a pawn for the f-file and the initiative. Fischer wrote its 'refutation'; Spassky played it in a world championship anyway.
How it starts, move by move
- 1. e4e4 occupies the center.
- ... e5e5 occupies the center.
- 2. f4f4 strikes at the center.
Both sides plans
White's plan
Occupy the center, develop quickly, castle, then pick a wing.
Black's plan
Contest the center before White occupies all of it.
What is actually played
Real shares of the continuations after 1. e4 e5 2. f4, Lichess games by Elo band.
| Continuation | Elo 1400 | Elo 1600 | Elo 1800 | Elo 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2... exf4 | 45 % | 45 % | 45 % | 44 % |
| 2... d5 | 5 % | 9 % | 14 % | 21 % |
| 2... Nc6 | 23 % | 22 % | 19 % | 16 % |
| 2... Bc5 | 3 % | 3 % | 4 % | 6 % |
| 2... Nf6 | 2 % | 2 % | 2 % | 2 % |
The main variations
- King's GambitC301. e4 e5 2. f4
- King's Gambit AcceptedC331. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4
- King's Knight's GambitC341. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3
- King's Knight's GambitC341. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 g5
- King's Knight's GambitC371. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 g5 4. Bc4
- King's Knight's GambitC391. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 g5 4. h4
- Bishop's GambitC331. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Bc4
- Falkbeer CountergambitC311. e4 e5 2. f4 d5
- Kieseritzky GambitC391. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 g5 4. h4 g4
- Falkbeer Countergambit AcceptedC311. e4 e5 2. f4 d5 3. exd5
- Muzio Gambit, Wild Muzio GambitC371. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 g5 4. Bc4 g4
- Falkbeer Countergambit, Staunton LineC311. e4 e5 2. f4 d5 3. exd5 e4
Frequently asked questions
- What moves start the King's Gambit?
- The King's Gambit starts with 1. e4 e5 2. f4. Every move is explained in the interactive explorer.
- How many named variations does the King's Gambit have?
- 191 named variations, from the Lichess ECO database. The main ones are listed on this page; the full tree lives in the branch map.
- What is the most played continuation?
- Around 2000 Elo, the most frequent continuation is 2... exf4, played in 44% of games (Lichess data).
- How can I learn the King's Gambit for free?
- The explorer, free play, review cards and the essential ★1 course of the King's Gambit are free on OpeningMate. The ★2 to ★5 levels and per-variation courses are part of Premium.
Every move explained, never a dead end.
Learn the King's Gambit for free