Learn the Danish Gambit

C21 · a repertoire for white · 5 chapters · 20 annotated lines

"Two pawns for the two deadliest bishops in chess"

The Danish Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.c3!?) is the romantic era distilled: White gives up to two pawns to plant bishops on c4 and b2 — a pair of lasers crossing on f7 and g7 — and attacks from move five. This course teaches the full-acceptance attack (including a queen-trap miniature that punishes routine defense), the famous Bxf7+/Qb3 tricks, the honest Schlechter equalizer, and a queen-winning zwischenzug against the popular 3...d5 decline.

What's inside

• Chapter 1: Accepted — Two Pawns for the Bishops
  Lines: Study 1: The Miniature — Routine Defense Gets Crushed, Study 2: The ...Bg4 Pin — Met by the Qb3 Battery, Study 3: The Greedy Queen — 5...Qg5?! and the g2 Poison, Study 4: The Schlechter Defense 5...d5! — the Honest Line
• Chapter 2: The Decline — 3...d5
  Lines: Study 5: 3...d5 and the 9.Bxc6+! Zwischenzug
• Chapter 3: Accepted — Black's Other Defenses
  Lines: Study 6: 5...Nf6 — Met by 6.e5! and the Bxf7+ Fork, Study 7: 5...Qe7 — the e4 Attack Met by 6.Nc3!, Study 8: 5...Nc6 — Development Met by the e5 Break Again
• Chapter 4: Partial Acceptance — One Pawn Only
  Lines: Study 9: 4...Nf6 5.Nxc3 — the Half Danish Main Line, Study 10: The 7...Nxe4?? Trap — a Whole Piece, Study 11: 4...d6 — the Qb3 Battery at Full Power
• Chapter 5: Declines & Move-Two Dodges
  Lines: Study 12: 3...d3 — Take and Enjoy the Free Game, Study 13: 3...Qe7 — the Counterattack on e4, Study 14: 2...Nc6 — the Dodge That Skips exd4, Study 15: 2...d6 — the Queen-Trade Endgame That Isn't Equal

Free sample: the main line, move by move

• 1. e4 — 1.e4 — the open game.
• 1... e5 — 1...e5.
• 2. d4 — 2.d4 — strike at once.
• 2... exd4 — 2...exd4.
• 3. c3 — 3.c3!? — the Danish Gambit: a second pawn on the table. White wants open diagonals more than material.
• 3... dxc3 — 3...dxc3 — accepted.
• 4. Bc4 — 4.Bc4! — and here is the Danish difference: don't recapture — offer a THIRD pawn. The bishop takes the f7 diagonal first; material is a detail.
• 4... cxb2 — 4...cxb2 — full acceptance, munching into b2.
• 5. Bxb2 — 5.Bxb2 — the firing squad assembles: Bc4 rakes f7, Bb2 rakes g7, and every open line belongs to White. Two pawns is the entry fee.
• 5... Bb4+ — 5...Bb4+ — a natural check to trade pieces and calm things down.
• 6. Nc3 — 6.Nc3 — block with development; the knight is happy to be 'pinned' — it's really a shield.
• 6... Nf6 — 6...Nf6 — hitting e4, still all natural moves.
• 7. Ne2 — 7.Ne2 — the key developing move: it covers c3 twice, keeps the f-file free for the rook, and invites Black to 'win' the e4 pawn...
• 7... Nxe4 — 7...Nxe4?! — a third pawn! Black is winning on the abacus and losing on the board.
• 8. O-O — 8.O-O! — coolest move in the position: the king slips to safety while THREE Black pieces sit undeveloped. The threat is Nxe4 followed by mayhem on the pinned f- and g-squares.
• 8... Nxc3 — 8...Nxc3 — trading down, hoping to castle out of trouble.
• 9. Nxc3 — 9.Nxc3 — recapture toward the center. The b4 bishop is now the last defender of Black's dark squares.
• 9... Bxc3 — 9...Bxc3 — trading it off... which hands White's b2 bishop the whole long diagonal.
• 10. Bxc3 — 10.Bxc3 — look at this bishop: it sees g7, and g7 sees nothing but trouble. Black must not castle...
• 10... O-O — 10...O-O?? — but castling is the most natural move in chess. The engine's verdict on this position: winning for White. Watch.
• 11. Qg4 — 11.Qg4! — the queen joins with a mate threat on g7 (the c3 bishop backs her up). Black's only real defenses weaken the king fatally — 11...Qf6 12.Bxf6 just wins the queen for the bishop.
• 11... g6 — 11...g6 — blocking the mate... and opening the h8-a1 diagonal's final door.
• 12. Qd4 — 12.Qd4! — the quiet killer: mate is re-threatened on g7, and count Black's defenses: 12...f6 is ILLEGAL — the f7 pawn is pinned by the c4 bishop! 12...Qf6 loses the queen to 13.Bxf6 (nothing can recapture — the g6 pawn doesn't reach f6). Black must give up decisive material. Two sacrificed pawns, one routine defensive setup, total collapse — the Danish dream in twelve moves.

Learn the Danish Gambit — start your 7-day free trial →