Countergambit
A countergambit is a reply in which the defender answers a gambit, or an early attack, with a pawn offer of their own instead of simply accepting or declining, aiming to turn the initiative around.
Instead of reacting passively, the defender sets a counter threat by offering a pawn. The idea is to take the initiative away from the attacker, so that both sides are playing with open lines and the first player no longer controls the tempo.
A countergambit is a committed choice. The position usually becomes sharp quickly, and both players have to calculate concrete lines from an early stage. The risk is that if the counter offer is not sound, the defender simply falls behind in material and development.
The clearest examples answer a gambit directly. Against the Queen's Gambit, 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 is the Albin Countergambit, and against the King's Gambit, 1.e4 e5 2.f4 d5 is the Falkbeer Countergambit; in both, Black leaves the offered pawn alone and gives up a central pawn of their own. The word is also used more loosely for gambits played by Black, such as the Latvian Gambit, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 f5, which answers an ordinary developing move rather than a gambit.
As a practical matter, countergambits reward preparation more than most openings. Do not choose one only because it looks aggressive. Learn the main replies the opponent can make, especially the quiet ones that decline the offer, because those decide whether the idea works. A typical mistake is to play the first moves from memory and then drift without a plan once the opponent leaves the expected path.
A neighboring idea is Declined gambit. A declined gambit is a line in which the opponent refuses the offered pawn and instead develops a piece or makes a counter move, so material stays level and the game goes on with normal play.
Opening ideas such as "Countergambit" are easier to keep when they are tested on your own games, which is what a first lesson with George Li begins with.
Related terms
A gambit is an opening offer of material, nearly always a pawn, that the offering side makes on purpose in return for time, open lines or central control, betting that activity will matter more than the missing pawn.
A declined gambit is a line in which the opponent refuses the offered pawn and instead develops a piece or makes a counter move, so material stays level and the game goes on with normal play.
Initiative is being the side that makes the threats and sets the pace of play, so the opponent spends their moves answering instead of pursuing their own plans.
Opening preparation is the work done before a game to know your chosen lines well, including studying your own repertoire and checking the likely choices of a specific opponent.
Guides that go further
Most popular chess openings and win rates
The most played openings, how often White wins, and how the numbers change with rating, computed from public games.
What to decide first, the questions to ask, what a first lesson should show and the red flags to avoid.
A game review, a read on your level and a written study plan from George Li.
Want to spot this in your own games?
A first lesson starts with your games: George reviews them and builds a study plan around what he finds.