Openings
- Chess Atlas Subsections
- VOL. I • Chess HistoryFrom Chaturanga to Neural Engines
- VOL. II • Classic ChessPieces, Notation & Rules
- VOL. III • Legendary PlayersPantheon of Chess Immortals
- VOL. IV • Great GamesInteractive game studies
- VOL. V • OpeningsOriginal CAISSORA Opening Articles
- VOL. VI • Tactics & StrategyForks, Pins & Board Geometry
Danish Gambit
Two pawns for two bishops on open diagonals
- Gambits
- Sharp play
- Open centre
After 1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.c3 White gives up not one pawn but two, on c3 and b2. In return White gets quick development and two bishops aimed at Black's kingside. It is a real gambit, and the threats are real. But accurate defence returns the material and takes the sting out, so the opening is rarely seen today.
5…d5
Moves
(10 plies • 5 moves)- 1–5moves
- 1.
- 2.
- 3.
- 4.
- 5.
Defining move
3.c3 — a second pawn on the table
The move that turns a centre opening into a gambit
Instead of 3.Qxd4, White offers the c3 pawn and then the b2 pawn. If Black takes both, White brings the bishops out to c4 and b2 at once. They aim at f7 and the kingside while Black is still undeveloped.
Tabiya
Schlechter's Defence: Black gives a pawn back
White has given two pawns and developed two bishops. Black answered 5…d5, a pawn that hits the c4 bishop and opens the way for development. If White takes on d5, one pawn comes back, but the attack loses most of its strength. Black keeps an extra pawn and the simpler game, and many regard the position as equal or slightly better for Black.
White’s plan
- Develop fast: Bc4 and Bxb2, with the queen on d1 or e2.
- Aim the bishops at f7 and at Black's kingside.
- Create threats before Black finishes developing.
Black’s plan
- Accept the gambit and give the material back at the right moment with …d5.
- Develop the pieces and keep the bishops from hitting f7 and the long diagonal.
- Use the extra pawn and the queenside majority in the endgame.
History
The name goes back to the Dane Martin Severin From, who played it at Paris in 1867. But the Swede Hans Lindehn had been playing it since the 1850s, which is why the opening is also called the Northern Gambit.
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