King's Gambit Accepted C33
C — Open games & French · Family: King's Gambit Accepted
1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4
The King's Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.f4, accepted with 2...exf4) is the most famous romantic attack of the 19th century: a pawn sacrificed to seize the center and open the f-file for the king's rook. Legends from Anderssen to Spassky won immortal games with it — and it remains the ultimate swashbuckling weapon.
The main line runs 3.Nf3 (preventing the ...Qh4+ check) with the King's Knight's Gambit against 3...g5 — including the famous Kieseritzky Gambit 4.h4 g4 5.Ne5 — the Bishop's Gambit 3.Bc4 and quieter central lines with an early d4. White gets open lines and attacking chances; Black gets the extra pawn and targets on White's weakened king. Modern engines rate it risky, but for initiative chess and practical scoring the King's Gambit still bites.
Play through the moves on the board above, explore the variations tree below — click any move of any branch — then test yourself against the engine from the position you picked.
- Position after 4 half-moves — White to move.
- Black holds a material edge worth 1 points.
- Family “King's Gambit Accepted” contains 137 recorded variation(s) here.
Variations tree of the King's Gambit Accepted family
Click any move to jump to that position; switch branches at any point with the alternative moves. Test your knowledge plays the shown position against the engine.
Variations of this family
Master games in this line
Classic games that followed this exact move order:
- Adolf Anderssen vs Lionel Kieseritzky (1851, 1-0, 23 moves)
Related openings
Nearby ECO codes in the C — Open games & French volume — compare the move orders: