Chess opening · ECO C34
King's Gambit Accepted: King's Knight's Gambit
After 3.Nf3, White has covered h4 and is ready to play d4 and win back the f4 pawn. The decision is Black's. Holding the pawn with ...g5 leads to sharp kingside fights where White often sacrifices more. Calmer moves like ...d6, ...d5 and ...Be7 let Black develop first and decide later what to do with the extra pawn.
- Rank by weighted share
- #56 of 159
- Material
- Black +1
Key moves
1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3
- 3. Nf3The knight stops ...Qh4+ and eyes e5 and g5. It also prepares quick castling, which matters because the f-file is already half-open for White's rook.
Holding the pawn with 3...g5
The g-pawn defends f4 and threatens ...g4 to chase the f3 knight. White can undermine it with 4.h4, and after 4...g4 5.Ne5 the knight sits in the center while Black's kingside pawns are stretched far forward.
Another reply is 4.Bc4 g4 5.O-O, the Muzio Gambit, where White ignores the attack on f3 and gives the knight for an open f-file and a big lead in development.
Developing first with 3...d6 or 3...Be7
The move 3...d6 takes e5 away from the knight, so a later ...g5 cannot be met by Ne5. The bishop move 3...Be7 prepares ...Bh4+, a check that can cost White the right to castle.
Black can also play 3...d5, giving back the pawn to free the c8 bishop and open lines before White's attack builds up.
The Kieseritzky setup
3... g5 4. h4 g4 5. Ne5 Nf6
White's h-pawn breaks up the g5 support, and the knight jumps to e5 rather than retreat. Black develops toward e4 and d5, hitting White's center while the f4 pawn still sits on the c1 bishop's diagonal.
Top replies by rating
The g5 push rises with rating: it leads from 1600 up, and its margin is widest at 2000 and up. Below 1600, d6 takes the top spot in two bands.
| Rating | Top | Second | Third |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 1200 | Nf6 21% | Be7 12% | Nc6 12% |
| 1200–1399 | d6 18% | Nc6 13% | g5 12% |
| 1400–1599 | d6 18% | g5 17% | Nc6 12% |
| 1600–1799 | g5 23% | Be7 18% | d6 16% |
| 1800–1999 | g5 28% | d6 19% | Be7 16% |
| 2000 and up | g5 51% | d5 15% | Be7 12% |
Related openings
Try it on the board. The first coached game and three analyses are free.