All Chess Positions Open the map

C30Opening

King's Gambit

1. e4 e5 2. f4

a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1

Black to move

Legal moves
30
Games in the next 4 moves
781,509
Different positions among them
257,597
Named lines from here
188

See it on the mapOn the opening map

The great gambit of the Romantic era: White gives the f-pawn to open the f-file and build a centre. Boris Spassky beat Bobby Fischer with it in 1960, and Fischer answered with an article titled “A Bust to the King’s Gambit”.

It is reached after 3 moves: 1. e4 e5 2. f4.

Black is to move and has 30 legal moves. Over the next four moves — two for each side — the game can branch into 781,509 different games. Those games reach 257,597 different positions: most positions can be reached in more than one way, 3 on average.

The Lichess opening list names 188 further lines after this position, such as King's Gambit Accepted (2... exf4) and King's Gambit Declined, Falkbeer Countergambit (2... d5).

The same moves can be played in 2 different legal orders that all reach this position. For example 1. f4 e5 2. e4, which starts as the Bird Opening.

Map of every game of the next four moves after the King's Gambit
Every game of the next four moves from this position, as the map draws it. Each ring is one more move; the outer ring holds all 781,509 games.

Move by move

  1. 1. e4King's Pawn Game
  2. 1... e5King's Pawn Game
  3. 2. f4King's Gambit

Named lines from here

Famous games through this position

The Immortal GameAnderssen, London 1851, move 2Anderssen gives up both rooks, a bishop and his queen, then mates with the minor pieces he has left.

Related openings

FEN

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