King's Gambit Accepted

ECO C33-C39intermediate

1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 is the honest reply to the King's Gambit: take the pawn and make White prove the compensation. What White gets is immediate — the f-file opens toward Black's king, the centre is White's to build with d4, and every piece comes out with tempo. What Black gets is a pawn and the harder job of giving it back at the right moment. The main line runs 3.Nf3 g5, defending the extra pawn with another one, and from there the game is a race between White's development and Black's material.

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Main line

1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.Bc4 Bg7 5.O-O

Diagram shows the position after 6 half-moves of the main line. On SpeakChess you can drill this line move by move — the trainer plays the other side and corrects you instantly, then spaced repetition schedules each variation so you review it right before you would forget it.

Move by move

The first 9 moves of the main line, explained one at a time. Every move of every variation is annotated like this inside the trainer — this page shows the opening moves so you can judge the explanations before signing up.

1.e4 We start by pushing the king's pawn out to e4, a light square right in the middle. This bold opening grabs space and opens lanes so our pieces can join the fun soon. A great first step!
1...e5 Black answers by marching the pawn to e5, a dark square in the center. Now both sides stand toe to toe in the middle. It is a fair, fighting reply that keeps things balanced and exciting.
2.f4 Now the f-pawn jumps to f4, a dark square, offering it up in the famous King's Gambit. We give a little to gain lots of action and open the board. Brave players love this daring choice!
2...exf4 Black grabs the offered pawn, capturing on f4, a dark square. The pawn that did the work now sits there, a free snack. We will not cry over it, because in return we get a fast, open game to chase after.
3.Nf3 Out comes the knight to f3, a light square, jumping into the game. Developing a piece early is smart, getting it off the back row and ready to help. Knights love being active, and this one is happy here.
3...g5 Black pushes the pawn to g5, a dark square, trying to hold on to that extra pawn. It builds a little wall on the kingside. A daring idea, but it loosens things up around the black king too.
4.Bc4 The light-squared bishop slides out to c4, a light square, aiming across the board. Developing the bishop like this points it toward the enemy side. Now another piece is awake and ready to play its part.
4...Bg7 Black's dark-squared bishop goes to g7, a dark square, settling on a long diagonal. This is a cozy, strong home for the bishop, watching the center from the side. A neat developing move.
5.O-O Time for safety! White castles kingside, and the king tucks into g1 while the rook hops over to f1. Castling shelters your king and brings a rook closer to the action. Always a wise plan.

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Win rates by rating

Results from real online games, measured after the line shown in each row. Most opening sites show one aggregate number — how an opening scores depends heavily on who is playing it.

Rating	Games	White wins	Draws	Black wins	Position after
400-600	114	55.3%	3.5%	41.2%	1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3
600-800	276	55.1%	1.8%	43.1%	1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.Bc4
800-1000	28	42.9%	3.6%	53.6%	1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.Bc4 Bg7 5.O-O
1000-1200	41	53.7%	0%	46.3%	1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.Bc4 Bg7
1200-1400	669	51%	1.9%	47.1%	1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.Bc4 Bg7 5.O-O
1400-1600	2,283	47.2%	1.9%	50.9%	1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.Bc4 Bg7 5.O-O
1600-1800	737	45.3%	2.3%	52.4%	1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.Bc4 Bg7 5.O-O
1800-2000	1,363	43.9%	2.3%	53.8%	1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.Bc4 Bg7 5.O-O
2000-2200	776	41.6%	3.2%	55.2%	1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.Bc4 Bg7 5.O-O
2200-2400	149	47%	3.4%	49.7%	1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.Bc4 Bg7 5.O-O

Most played continuations (1400-1600 rating)

After 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.Bc4 Bg7 5.O-O:

h6 — played 41% of the time (White wins 42.2%, draws 1.7%, Black wins 56.1%)
d6 — played 31.3% of the time (White wins 47.1%, draws 2%, Black wins 51%)
Nc6 — played 10.1% of the time (White wins 47.4%, draws 1.7%, Black wins 50.9%)

Frequently asked questions

Is the King's Gambit Accepted still sound?

Sound enough that Black must know what he is doing, which is the practical standard that matters. Engines give Black a small edge with accurate play, but the lines where that edge appears are narrow and sharp, and a defender who improvises usually ends up mated rather than a pawn up. At club level the gambit scores well for exactly that reason.

Should Black try to hold on to the extra pawn?

Early yes, permanently no. ...g5 defends f4 and is the main line precisely because it fights for the pawn, but the pawn is a means, not the goal — it drags White's pieces into awkward squares and buys time to develop. Clinging to it after White has castled and opened the f-file is how Black loses these games.

What is the most dangerous line for Black to face?

The Muzio, where White sacrifices the knight on f3 outright to blast open the position while Black's kingside is still a pawn chain and nothing else. It is objectively dubious and enormously effective, because the defence requires finding several only-moves in a row with no development to fall back on.