The King's Gambit is a chess opening that begins with the moves:
- 1. e4 e5
- 2. f4
White offers a pawn to divert the Black e-pawn so as to build a strong centre with d2–d4. Theory has shown that in order for Black to maintain the gambit pawn, he may well be forced to weaken his kingside.
The King's Gambit is one of the oldest documented openings, as it was examined by the 17th century Italian chess player Giulio Polerio. It is also in an older book by Luis Ramírez de Lucena.
The King's Gambit is infrequently seen at master level today, as Black can obtain a reasonable position by returning the extra pawn to consolidate. There are two main branches, depending on whether or not Black plays 2...exf4: the King's Gambit Accepted (KGA) and the King's Gambit Declined (KGD).
Read more about King's Gambit: History, Variations, King's Gambit Accepted, Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings
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