Gambit

Every gambit is a wager about time. The gambit player hands over a pawn and in exchange hopes to finish development first, open a file or diagonal toward the enemy king, or occupy the center with pawns. If those gains are used quickly, the missing pawn hardly matters; if the game slows down, it usually does.

Gambits cover a wide range. At one end are sharp tries like the Danish Gambit, where White may give two pawns for a burst of piece activity. At the other end are positional gambits such as the Benko Gambit, in which Black gives a queenside pawn for long-lasting pressure on the open a- and b-files, often well into the endgame. Some gambits are fully trusted by strong players; others survive mainly because they set problems that are easy to get wrong.

The player facing a gambit has three broad options: take the pawn and defend accurately, take it and give it back at a moment of their choosing, or decline it and develop normally. None is right in every case, and the separate entries on accepted and declined gambits look at each.

For the gambit player, the typical mistake is a slow move that lets the opponent catch up in development. For the defender, it is greed: grabbing a second pawn while the king is still in the center.

Also worth reading is Accepted gambit. An accepted gambit is a line in which the opponent takes the pawn that was offered, so the gambit player starts a pawn down and must justify it with development, activity or pressure.

Also worth reading is Catalan setup. The Catalan setup is a White formation with pawns on d4 and c4 and a fianchettoed bishop on g2, putting long-term pressure on Black's center and the queenside along the long diagonal.

Also worth reading is 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.

Opening ideas such as "Gambit" 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

• Accepted gambit

  An accepted gambit is a line in which the opponent takes the pawn that was offered, so the gambit player starts a pawn down and must justify it with development, activity or pressure.

• 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.

• 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.

• Compensation

  Compensation is whatever a side holds in place of missing material: faster development, an exposed enemy king, strong squares, a ruined pawn structure or other trumps that balance an extra pawn or piece on the other side.

• Initiative

  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.

Openings where it occurs

• Englund gambit

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.

• How to choose a chess coach

  What to decide first, the questions to ask, what a first lesson should show and the red flags to avoid.

• The first lesson

  A game review, a read on your level and a written study plan from George Li.