Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...e5/2. f4/2...exf4/3. Nf3/3...g5/4. h4

King's Knight Gambit

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8									8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

Common moves:
4...g4 - only move

Black's g-pawn is attacked, and the only move that saves it is 4...g4.

• 4...f6? simply loses the pawn to 5.Nxg5! since 5...fxg5 6.Qh5+ Ke7 7.Qxg5+ Nf6 8.e5 leads to an advantage for White.
• 4...h6?! also loses the pawn, 5.hxg5 hxg5 permits 6.Rxh8. Black has no better option but to allow 5...Bg7 6.gxh6 Rxh6 7.Rxh6 Bxh6.
• 4...gxh4? leaves Black with a poor pawn structure, including doubled isolated pawns on f4, h4, f7 and h7. White doesn't have to capture them right away, often instead playing 5.d4.
• 4...Bh6 or 4...Be7 followed by 5.hxg5 Bxg5 6.d4! allows White to win the f-pawn back with the move g3 while remaining ahead in development.

Black does have one accurate alternative move to 4...g4, which is to counterattack in the center with 4...d5, although the move is rarely seen in practice. The line often continues with the exchange 5.Nxg5 h6 6.Nh3 dxe4.

For explanation of theory tables, see theory table and for notation, see algebraic notation..

1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4. h4

When contributing to this Wikibook, please follow the Conventions for organization.

Wikipedia has related information at King's Gambit

• Fundamental Chess Openings (2009). Paul van der Sterren. ISBN 1-906454-13-2.