All chess openings

Romantic gambit openings

Openings that hand over a pawn — sometimes two — for development, open lines and the initiative. The King's Gambit, Evans and Danish come from the nineteenth century, when chess was played for the attack rather than for the half point, and they still win games because the defender has to find accurate moves while the attacker only has to keep coming.

4 openings

• King's Gambit Accepted (C39) — The romantic era in one move — a pawn for the centre, the f-file and a fight
• King's Gambit Declined (C30) — Refuse the pawn, aim the bishop at f2, and let White's own gambit backfire
• Evans Gambit (C52) — One pawn to deflect a bishop and build the biggest centre in chess
• Danish Gambit (C21) — Two pawns for two monster bishops raking the whole board