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Guide to Chess Gambits (Part 1)
How many different gambits are there? Part 1 covers 1.e4 e5 and 1...e6.

Gambit! Gambits are the schizophrenics of the chess openings. Most players love to play through a finished game that starts as a gambit, but few players dare to play gambits themselves.

Gambits lead to attacking games that avoid the calculated buildup preceding a classic attack. Can the gambiteer justify the material disadvantage? Can the opponent overcome the positional disadvantage that comes with grabbing the gambit sacrifice?

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How many different gambits are there? We started a forum thread (see Join the Discussion in the link box at the bottom of this article) to answer this question. We posted our intermediate results as we gathered gambits from various sources and eventually discovered well over 100.

The following table shows the first part of our consolidated results. It's sorted by

  1. ECO code, then by
  2. Moves
Part 1 of this table covers openings that have an ECO code starting with the letter 'C'. A table with the other ECO codes is in Guide to Chess Gambits (Part 2).

Gambit Name ECO Moves OCC
Milner-Barry Gambit C02 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6 6.Bd3 cxd4 7.cxd4 Bd7 8.Nc3 Nxd4 9.Nxd4 Qxd4 1241
Nimzowitsch Gambit C02 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.Qg4 1243
Danish Gambit C21 1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.c3 660
Wing Gambit [Bishops Opening] C23 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.b4 640
McDonnell Double Gambit C23 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.b4 Bxb4 4.f4 641
Four Pawns Gambit C23 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.b4 Bxb4 4.f4 exf4 5.Nf3 Be7 6.d4 Bh4+ 7.g3 fxg3 8.O-O gxh2+ 9.Kh1 642
Jerome Gambit [Bishops Opening] C23 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.Bxf7+ Kxf7  
Lewis Counter Gambit C23 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.c3 d5 644
Petroff Gambit C23 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.Nf3 d6 4.c3 Qe7 5.d4 648
Lopez Gambit C23 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.Qe2 Nf6 4.d3 Nc6 5.c3 Ne7 6.f4 647
Calabrian Counter Gambit C23 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 f5 651
Ponziani Gambit C24 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.d4 654
Urusov (Ponziani) Gambit C24 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nf3 655
Greco Gambit C24 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.f4 Nxe4 658
Fyfe Gambit C25 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.d4 611
Vienna Gambit C25 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 613
Steinitz Gambit C25 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 exf4 4.d4 614
Hamppe-Muzio Gambit C25 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 exf4 4.Nf3 g5 5.Bc4 g4 6.O-O 619
Pierce Gambit C25 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 exf4 4.Nf3 g5 5.d4 g4 6.Bc4  
Hamppe-Allgaier Gambit C25 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 exf4 4.Nf3 g5 5.h4 g4 6.Ng5 622
Adams Gambit C27 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bc4 Nxe4 4.Qh5 Nd6 5.Bb3 Nc6 6.d4 626
Vienna Gambit C29 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.f4  
Kings Gambit C30 1.e4 e5 2.f4 1070
Falkbeer Counter Gambit C31 1.e4 e5 2.f4 d5 1078
Morphy Gambit C31 1.e4 e5 2.f4 d5 3.exd5 e4 4.Nc3 Nf6 5.d3 Bb4 1082
Charousek Gambit C32 1.e4 e5 2.f4 d5 3.exd5 e4 4.d3 Nf6 5.dxe4 Nxe4 6.Qe2 1086
Bishop's Gambit C33 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Bc4 1093
Bryan (Kieseritzky) Counter Gambit C33 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Bc4 b5 1094
Lopez-Gianutio Counter Gambit C33 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Bc4 f5 1100
Bryan Counter Gambit C33 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Bc4 Qh4+ 4.Kf1 b5 1105
Tartakower (Lesser Bishop's) Gambit [Kings Gambit] C33 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Be2 1114
Villemson Gambit C33 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.d4 1113
Stamma Gambit C33 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.h4 1176
Keres Gambit C33 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nc3 1092
Carrera (Basman) Gambit C33 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Qe2 1115
Breyer Gambit C33 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Qf3 1175
Gianutio Counter Gambit C34 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 f5 1124
Cunningham Gambit C35 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 Be7 1121
Bertin (Three Pawns) Gambit C35 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 Be7 4.Bc4 Bh4+ 5.g3 fxg3 6.O-O gxh2+ 7.Kh1 1122
Polerio Gambit C37 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.Bc4 1123
Wild Muzio Gambit C37 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.Bc4 g4 5.Bxf7+ 1136
Ghulam Khassim Gambit C37 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.Bc4 g4 5.d4 1130
McDonnell Gambit C37 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.Bc4 g4 5.Nc3 1129
Salvio Gambit C37 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.Bc4 g4 5.Ne5 1131
Muzio Gambit C37 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.Bc4 g4 5.O-O 1138
Double Muzio Gambit C37 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.Bc4 g4 5.O-O gxf3 6.Qxf3 Qf6 7.e5 Qxe5 8.Bxf7+ 1144
Rosentreter Gambit C37 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.d4 g4 1149
Sorensen Gambit C37 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.d4 g4 5.Ne5 1150
Quaade Gambit C37 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.Nc3 1128
Philidor Gambit C38 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.Bc4 Bg7 5.h4 1145
Greco (Calabrian) Gambit C38 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.Bc4 Bg7 5.h4 h6 6.d4 d6 7.Nc3 c6 8.hxg5 hxg5 9.Rxh8 Bxh8 10.Ne5 1146
Hanstein Gambit C38 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.Bc4 Bg7 5.O-O 1148
Kieseritzky Gambit C39 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.h4 g4 5.Ne5 1151
Rice Gambit C39 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.h4 g4 5.Ne5 Nf6 6.Bc4 d5 7.exd5 Bd6 8.O-O 1161
Allgaier Gambit C39 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.h4 g4 5.Ng5 1166
Blackburne Gambit C39 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.h4 g4 5.Ng5 h6 6.Nxf7 Kxf7 7.Nc3 1168
Queen's Pawn Counter Gambit (Elephant Gambit, Maroczy Gambit) C40 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d5 1014
Latvian Gambit (Greco Counter Gambit) C40 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 f5 1044
Corkscrew Counter Gambit C40 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 f5 3.Nxe5 Nf6 4.Bc4 fxe4 5.Nf7 Qe7 6.Nxh8 d5 1048
Lopez Counter Gambit C41 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bc4 f5 1017
Philidor Counter Gambit C41 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 f5 1030
Locock Gambit C41 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nf6 4.Ng5 h6 5.Nxf7 1042
Boden-Kieseritzky Gambit C42 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bc4 Nxe4 4.Nc3 Nxc3 5.dxc3 f6 1055
Cochrane Gambit C42 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nxf7 1068
Urusov Gambit C43 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 1058
Ponziani Counter Gambit C44 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.c3 f5 823
Relfsson Gambit C44 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bb5 971
Scotch Gambit C44 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 974
Goring Gambit C44 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.c3 972
Chicago Gambit C44 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nxe5 Nxe5 4.d4 1012
Belgrade Gambit C47 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.d4 exd4 5.Nd5 861
Schultze-Mueller Gambit C47 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nxe5 863
Jerome Gambit [Giuoco Piano] C50 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 930
Rousseau Gambit C50 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 f5 939
Blackburne Shilling Gambit C50 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 935
Evans Gambit C51 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 867
Evans Counter Gambit C51 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 d5 904
Boden-Kieseritzky Gambit C55 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Nxe4 5.O-O 942
Two Knights' Gambit C58 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Na5  
Schliemann (Jaenisch) Gambit C63 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 f5 784
Alapin Gambit C68 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.O-O Bg4 6.h3 h5 764
Harksen Gambit C80 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Nxe4 6.d4 b5 7.Bb3 d5 8.c4 711
Basque Gambit C84 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.d4 exd4 7.e5 Ne4 8.c3 736
Marshall Gambit [Ruy Lopez] C89 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 O-O 8.c3 d5 754

The last column in the table ('OCC') refers to a numeric code assigned to the opening by the The Oxford Companion to Chess, an excellent reference on chess and its history. You can find out more about the book in our Chess Bibliography (see the link box again).

Good gambiting!

 More of this Feature
• Gambits (Part 2)
 Related Resources
• Chess Bibliography
 Join the Discussion (offsite)
• Gambits