Learn the Evans Gambit

C51-C52 · a repertoire for white · 4 chapters · 24 annotated lines

"The gentleman's gambit — a pawn for a raging initiative"

The Evans Gambit (4.b4!) is the classic romantic weapon inside the Italian Game: White offers a wing pawn to build a monster center with c3+d4 and open lines against f7 before Black finishes developing. It was Kasparov's surprise weapon and remains fully sound — every line here is engine-checked. You learn the main accepted lines, the punishment for greedy pawn-grabbing, and clean plans against every way of declining.

What's inside

• Chapter 1: The Gambit Accepted — 5...Ba5
  Lines: Study 1: Main Line — 7...Nge7 8.Ng5!, Study 2: The Compromised Defense — 7...dxc3?, Study 8: 7...Nf6?! — 8.Ba3! and the e5 Clamp, Study 9: 7...d6 — 8.Qb3! and the e6 Wedge
• Chapter 2: The Retreats — 5...Bc5 and 5...Be7
  Lines: Study 3: 5...Bc5 6.d4 — the 7...Bb6 Tabiya, Study 4: 5...Bc5 6.d4 — the 7...Bb4+ Check, Study 5: 5...Be7 — the Quiet Retreat, Study 10: 5...Bc5 — the 8...Nxd4?? Trap, Study 11: 5...Bd6?! — the Bishop in the Way, Study 12: 5...Be7 with 6...exd4 — 7.Qb3!
• Chapter 3: The Gambit Declined
  Lines: Study 6: Declined with 4...Bb6, Study 7: 4...Nxb4? — the Wrong Capture, Study 13: Declined with 5...a5 — the b5 Squeeze, Study 14: 4...d5?! — the Center Counter, Study 15: 4...Nxb4 — the Honest 6...exd4
• Chapter 4: The Sturdy ...d6 Hold
  Lines: Study 16: 6...d6 7.Qb3! — Lasker's Idea Defused, Study 17: 8...dxe5 — Trading into the Better Endgame

Free sample: the main line, move by move

• 1. e4 — 1.e4 — stake a claim in the center.
• 1... e5 — 1...e5.
• 2. Nf3 — 2.Nf3 — develop and attack e5.
• 2... Nc6 — 2...Nc6.
• 3. Bc4 — 3.Bc4 — the Italian bishop, aimed at f7.
• 3... Bc5 — 3...Bc5 — the Giuoco Piano. Now comes the surprise.
• 4. b4 — 4.b4!? — the Evans Gambit! White offers a wing pawn to deflect the bishop and gain two full tempi for c3 and d4.
• 4... Bxb4 — 4...Bxb4 — accepting is Black's most principled reply.
• 5. c3 — 5.c3 — the first tempo: the bishop is hit and White prepares d4, building the dream center.
• 5... Ba5 — 5...Ba5 — the main retreat, keeping the pin option on the a5-e1 diagonal.
• 6. d4 — 6.d4 — the second tempo: White erects the full pawn center that Black conceded with 4...Bxb4.
• 6... exd4 — 6...exd4 — Black grabs a second pawn, the critical test.
• 7. O-O — 7.O-O! — don't rush to recapture. King safety first — the d4 pawn isn't going anywhere, and every White piece is about to join the attack.
• 7... Nge7 — 7...Nge7 — the modern defense: Black develops and plans ...d5 to give the pawn back and free his game.
• 8. Ng5 — 8.Ng5! — forget the d4 pawn for one more move. The knight joins the c4 bishop against f7, and there is no ...Nf6 to cover it: Black's knight already went to e7. In club games this is the single most productive move in the whole course.
• 8... d5 — 8...d5! — the critical defense: block the bishop's diagonal and open a flight square. (The natural 8...O-O walks into 9.Qh5! — that is Drill 4.)
• 9. Nxf7 — 9.Nxf7! — the follow-through. The knight goes for the king rather than the pawn count; everything from here is forced.
• 9... Kxf7 — 9...Kxf7 — the only move. Anything else (9...Qd7, 9...dxc4) simply drops material to the knight sitting on f7.
• 10. exd5 — 10.exd5 — the pawn re-opens the a2-g8 diagonal behind it and hits the c6 knight. Again the only move that keeps White's compensation.
• 10... Ne5 — 10...Ne5 — Black's best: the knight steps out of the pin-line and blocks the diagonal.
• 11. Bb3 — 11.Bb3 — retreat and reload. The bishop now stares at the king on f7 through the d5 pawn — remember that pawn, it is about to move.
• 11... dxc3 — 11...dxc3 — Black cashes the extra pawn, which is exactly what invites the point of the whole line.
• 12. d6+ — 12.d6+! — the discovered check: the pawn steps out of the way, the b3 bishop hits f7 — and on d6 the pawn attacks the e7 knight into the bargain.
• 12... Ke8 — 12...Ke8 — the king steps off the diagonal. The knight on e7 cannot be saved.
• 13. dxe7 — 13.dxe7 — the knight comes back, and there is a second point: with the d-file now clear, the d1 queen is staring straight at her counterpart on d8.
• 13... Qxd1 — 13...Qxd1 — forced, or Black simply loses the queen.
• 14. Rxd1 — 14.Rxd1 — the dust settles. Piece for piece it is dead level; on pawns Black is one up, but the c3 straggler drops to Nxc3 and the wedge on e7 keeps the black king and rooks tangled up. Engines call the whole sequence balanced — and Black had to find four only-moves in a row to get here.

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