Bishop to c4: other replies
4.Bc4
8 lines
Danish Gambit for White
For White1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.c3
25 lines
Danish Gambit for White: White gives up one or two pawns to develop faster and aim the pieces at the pawn on f7 and Black's king. The gambit accepted and declined, and traps for Black.
Variations
Each card holds all the lines of one variation.
Both pawns accepted
4...cxb2
6 lines
Gambit declined
3...Nc6, 3...d5
2 lines
Taking back with the knight
4.Nxc3
9 lines
The idea of the opening
The Danish Gambit starts with 1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.c3. White gives up a pawn, or even two, but in return the pieces get into play faster and aim at the pawn on f7 and Black's king.
If Black takes both pawns — 3...dxc3 4.Bc4 cxb2 5.Bxb2 — the bishop on c4 eyes f7, and the bishop on b2 eyes g7 from the long diagonal. It is dangerous for Black's bishop to leave f8: the pawn on g7 is left undefended. Instead of 4.Bc4, White can take back with the knight, 4.Nxc3, and give up only one pawn.
White's plans
- Bishops on c4 and b2: attacks on f7 and g7
- Queen on b3 behind the bishop on c4 — pressure on f7
- Castle and put a rook on a file without pawns
Black's plans
- Cover f7: queen to e7 or bishop to e6
- Don't move the bishop off f8 without need
- Counterattack with the pawn to d5
Main systems
The branches where the game starts. Each one is a separate variation in the trainer.
Both pawns accepted 4...cxb2
Black takes the second pawn too. The course covers the check 5...Bb4+, the Classical Defense 5...Nf6, the calm 5...d6 and the traps: the bishop on c5 leaves the pawn on g7 undefended or itself falls to a queen double attack.
In the trainer · 6 lines
Bishop to c4: other replies 4.Bc4
Black doesn't take on b2. After 4...Nc6 5.Nf3 we get the Göring Gambit, and after 4...Nf6 5.Nxc3 the Bardeleben Variation. The moves 4...d6, 4...Bb4 and 4...Qe7 lead to traps: mate on f7, the queen on d5 against the bishop on a5, a pin on the e-file.
In the trainer · 8 lines
Taking back with the knight 4.Nxc3
White gives up one pawn and develops quickly: bishop to c4, knight to f3, queen to b3. The course covers the main line against 5...d6, the Bardeleben Variation and Black's mistakes: castling against the knight on g5 ends in mate, and the queen on e7 shuts in the bishop on f8.
In the trainer · 9 lines
Gambit declined 3...Nc6, 3...d5
Against 3...Nc6 White takes the pawn back, 4.cxd4, and gets a pawn center. The Sörensen Defense 3...d5 is what masters play more often; in the Capablanca Variation the queen move 9...Qc4 stops White from castling, and after the queen trade the position is equal.
In the trainer · 2 lines
Typical mistakes and traps
Traps from these positions — why the natural move is a mistake and how to defend.
Bishop retreats to a5
Danish Gambit
The bishop steps away from the pawn to a5 — and the queen on d5 threatens mate on f7 and attacks the bishop.
In the trainer
More opponent mistakes in the lines
- Bishop to c5 and the g7 pawn
- Queen double attack from d5
- The early h6
- Castling against the knight on g5
How the lines were chosen
The lines are chosen from statistics of real games between amateur players of all levels. The set covers the opponent's most common replies and typical mistakes — moves after which, according to a chess engine, their position gets noticeably worse. A mistake is included only if a noticeable share of games reaches it. Traps are lines where your move provokes the mistake.
FAQ
How do you play the Danish Gambit as White?
After 3.c3 and the capture 3...dxc3, develop the bishop: 4.Bc4 — it eyes f7. If Black takes on b2 too, recapture with the bishop 5.Bxb2: it lands on the long diagonal. Next come the knight to f3, castling and the queen to b3 behind the bishop on c4.
How many pawns does White give up?
One or two. After 4.Bc4 cxb2 5.Bxb2 — two, for good. If White takes back with the knight, 4.Nxc3, only one pawn is given up; White is also a pawn down in the Göring Gambit 4...Nc6 5.Nf3.
Can I train for free?
Yes: five lines are free — Black's mistake 4...Bb4 5.bxc3 Ba5, the main line 4...cxb2 5.Bxb2 Bb4+, the gambit declined 3...Nc6, declining the second pawn 4...Nc6 and the Sörensen Defense 3...d5. The other lines are in PRO.