Danish Gambit

Why the Danish Gambit is worth training

The Danish Gambit starts with 1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.c3. If Black takes everything with 3...dxc3 4.Bc4 cxb2 5.Bxb2, White is two pawns down but has two bishops aimed at Black's kingside. The bishop on c4 eyes f7, and the bishop on b2 sweeps the long diagonal toward g7.

Chessmate has a Danish Gambit course for White. It covers the main ways to accept the gambit, the one-pawn 4.Nxc3 fallback, and the ways Black can decline on move three.

The Schlechter Defense in the White sample line

In the White sample line, Black gives a pawn back with 5...d5. White takes with 6.Bxd5, and after 6...Nf6 7.Bxf7+ Kxf7 8.Qxd8 the queens come off. Black checks with 8...Bb4+, and White blocks with 9.Qd2.

After 9...Bxd2+ 10.Nxd2 Re8, the rook hits e4. 11.f3 keeps the pawn solid. Material is level, and White still has the bishop on b2 and an easy endgame to play. This is the line to know first, because many Black players reach for 5...d5 to stop the attack.

5...Nf6 6.e5: the ...Ne4 trick and the 7...dxc4 mistake

Against 5...Nf6, White pushes 6.e5 and attacks the knight. If Black jumps with 6...Ne4, White plays 7.Bxf7+ Kxf7 8.Qf3+. The check forks the king and the knight, so after 8...Ke8 9.Qxe4 White wins the knight back and Black has lost the right to castle.

If Black plays 6...d5 instead, White takes the knight with 7.exf6. Grabbing the bishop with 7...dxc4 is a mistake. After 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8 9.fxg7 Bxg7 10.Bxg7 Rg8 11.Bf6+, White has won back the material with check and is ahead in the endgame. The course points out that Black should answer 7.exf6 with ...Bb4+ instead.

The Copenhagen 5...Bb4+ and other accepted lines

In the Copenhagen Defense, Black checks with 5...Bb4+. White blocks with 6.Nc3 and plays 7.Qb3, which adds pressure on f7. After 7...Bxc3+ 8.Qxc3 O-O 9.Nf3 d6 10.O-O Nc6 11.Rad1, White is still two pawns down, but both bishops point at Black's king and the rook stands on the d-file against d6.

The course also covers quieter defenses. Against 5...d6, White develops with 6.Qb3 and Nd2, castles, and brings the rooks to e1 and c1. Against the Chigorin 5...Qe7, White plays 6.Nc3, Nge2, and castles before the knight lands on d4. If you prefer to give only one pawn, the course also shows the 4.Nxc3 fallback.

When Black declines the gambit

Black does not have to take the pawns. In the Sörensen Defense 3...d5, White plays 4.exd5 Qxd5 5.cxd4 and gets an isolated pawn on d4 with free development. After 5...Nc6 6.Nf3 Bg4 7.Be2 Bb4+ 8.Nc3 Bxf3 9.Bxf3 Qc4, White plays 10.Bxc6+ bxc6 11.Qe2+. Black's queenside pawns are split, and White invites a queen trade.

Against 3...d3, White recaptures with 4.Bxd3 and develops normally. Against 3...Qe7, White plays 4.cxd4 Qxe4+ 5.Be3 and later recaptures toward the center with the f-pawn so the rook gets the half-open f-file. Against the Svenonius 3...Ne7, White plays 4.Bd3, trades knights on d4, and castles with a comfortable position.

What to train first

Start with the Danish Gambit course for White.

• Learn the Schlechter sample line first, from 5...d5 through the queen trade to 11.f3.
• Then add 5...Nf6 6.e5 with the ...Ne4 trick and the 7...dxc4 mistake, followed by the Copenhagen 5...Bb4+.
• Finish with the declined lines, starting with the Sörensen 3...d5, since many players turn the gambit down.

The Danish Gambit rewards fast development and knowing where the two bishops point. Train the lines until you can tell when the attack is real and when it is time to trade into an endgame.