1. e4 e5
2. f4

The King’s Gambit is the premier opening of the aggressive, romantic style of chess that dominated in the 19th century. For centuries, it was a popular opening, culminating in the days of players like Adolf Anderssen, for whom chess was all about making brilliant attacks against the opponent’s king, and less about strategic principles or defensive play.

With 2. f4, white sacrifices a pawn and hopes to achieve several things in return. First of all, if black accepts the gambit, black’s e-pawn will be deflected from the centre, allowing white to push their queen’s pawn to d4 and achieve an imposing pawn centre. Second, it opens up the f-file, so that if white can place the king’s rook there, it will have a potential avenue to attack on the kingside. In conjunction with placing the king’s bishop on c4 and moving the king’s knight to f3 and then to g5 (common motifs in king’s pawn openings), the plan is to attack black’s weak point on f7, a square defended only by the king.

If black accepts the gambit (and what swashbuckling, romantic player could ever refuse a gambit?) with 2. exf4, sharp tactical play ensues. Black must weather a strong attack, but also has counterattacking chances, for instance with the move Qh4+ often a possibility. If black can survive the attack and trade off some pieces, their extra pawn will give them an advantage in the endgame.

The King’s Gambit began to decline in popularity in the late 19th century, as defensive principles came to be better understood and the romantic age of chess waned. After World War II, a few adventurous grandmasters revived the opening, notably David Bronstein and World Champion Boris Spassky. It is rarely (but not never) seen in top-level chess today, but many an amateur, including your humble header writer, has had a great deal of fun with it.