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Guide to Chess Gambits (Part 2)
How many different gambits are there? Part 2 covers everything except 1.e4 e5 and 1...e6.


Gambit! The following table shows the second part of our list of gambits. It's sorted by

  1. ECO code, then by
  2. Moves
Part 2 of this table covers openings that have an ECO code starting with the letters 'A', 'B', 'D', or 'E'. A table covering ECO code 'C' is in Guide to Chess Gambits (Part 1).

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If you know your openings, you're probably wondering what the Queen's Gambit (ECO D06) is doing in the list. After all, it's not a true gambit because Black can't try to keep the Pawn (to find out why not, see the link box at the bottom of this article).

It's in our list for two reasons. First, it has the word gambit in its name. Second, it's not the only so-called gambit where Black is unable to hold the Pawn. The Staunton Gambit (ECO A82) is another example where Black should return the material as quickly as possible.

Gambit Name ECO Moves OCC
Ware Gambit A00 1.a4 e5 2.a5 d5 3.e3 f5 4.a6 4
Tartakower (Fischer) Gambit [Polish] A00 1.b4 e5 2.Bb2 f6 3.e4  
Dada Gambit A00 1.g3 e5 2.Bg2 d5 3.b4  
Paris Gambit A00 1.Nh3 d5 2.f3 e5 3.e4 f5 1325
Amar Gambit A00 1.Nh3 d5 2.g3 e5 3.f4 1326
From Gambit A02 1.f4 e5 1316
Swiss Gambit A02 1.f4 f5 2.e4 1317
Wagner Gambit A02 1.f4 f5 2.e4 fxe4 3.Nc3  
Williams Gambit A03 1.f4 d5 2.e4 1315
Lisitsin Gambit A04 1.Nf3 f5 2.e4 1303
Tennison (Lemberg) Gambit A06 1.Nf3 d5 2.e4 {also 1.e4 d5 2.Nf3} 605
Reti (Landstrasse) Gambit A09 1.Nf3 d5 2.c4  
Jaenisch Gambit A10 1.c4 b5 10
Bellon Gambit A22 1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Nf3 e4 4.Ng5 b5 28
Charlick Gambit A40 1.d4 e5 241
Englund Gambit A40 1.d4 e5 2.dxe5 Nc6 3.Nf3 Qe7 4.Qd5 f6 5.exf6 Nxf6 242
Zilbermints Gambit A43 1.d4 c5 2.b4  
Wagner Gambit A46 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.Bg5 c5 4.e4 433
Budapest Gambit A51 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 290
Balogh Gambit A52 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ng4 4.e4 d6 295
Benko Gambit (Benoni Counter Gambit) A57 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5 279
Krejcik Gambit A80 1.d4 f5 2.g4 274
Staunton Gambit A82 1.d4 f5 2.e4 258
Lasker Gambit (4...c6) A83 1.d4 f5 2.e4 fxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 c6 5.f3 263
Lasker Gambit (4...g6) A83 1.d4 f5 2.e4 fxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 g6 5.f3 264
Marshall Gambit [Scandinavian] B01 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Nf6 601
Kotrc-Mieses Gambit B01 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5 4.b4 596
Alekhine Gambit [Alekhine Defense] B02 1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.c4 Nb6 4.d4 d6 5.Nf3 Bg4 6.Be2 dxe5 7.Nxe5 1259
Alekhine Gambit [Caro Kann] B15 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nf6 5.Bd3 579
Wing Gambit [Sicilian] B20 1.e4 c5 2.b4 445
Smith-Morra Gambit B21 1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 457
Andreaschek Gambit B21 1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.Nf3 e5 4.c3 458
Rubinstein Counter Gambit B29 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.e5 Nd5 4.Nc3 e6 5.Nxd5 exd5 6.d4 Nc6 562
Morra Gambit B32 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.c3 465
Wing Gambit Deferred [Sicilian 2...e6] B40 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.b4  
Sicilian Gambit B45 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Be2 Bb4 7.O-O 559
Wing Gambit Deferred [Sicilian 2...d6] B50 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.b4 498
Bronstein Gambit B52 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Bd7 4.Bxd7+ Qxd7 5.O-O Nc6 6.c3 Nf6 7.d4 501
Zollner Gambit B73 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be2 Bg7 7.Be3 Nc6 8.O-O O-O 9.f4 Qb6 10.e5 532
Steinitz Counter Gambit D00 1.d4 d5 2.Bf4 c5 232
Blackmar Gambit D00 1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.f3 222
Blackmar-Diemer Gambit D00 1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3 55
Queens Gambit D06 1.d4 d5 2.c4 59
Chigorin Defense (Queen's Gambit) D07 1.d4 d5 2.c4 Nc6 109
Albin Counter Gambit D08 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 110
Winawer Counter Gambit D10 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 e5 80
Slav Gambit D15 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.e4 97
Tolusch-Geller Gambit D15 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.e4 b5 6.e5 98
Alekhine Defense [Queens Gambit] D22 1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.Nf3 a6 4.e3 99
Marshall Gambit [Semi-Slav] D31 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c6 4.e4 dxe4 5.Nxe4 Bb4+ 6.Bd2 135
Von Hennig-Schara Gambit (Hennig-Schara Gambit, Schara Hennig Counter Gambit) D32 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c5 4.cxd5 cxd4 119
Tarrasch Gambit D32 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c5 4.cxd5 exd5 5.dxc5 d4 6.Na4 b5 120
Marshall Gambit [QGD Tarrasch] D32 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c5 4.cxd5 exd5 5.e4 121
Anti-Meran Gambit D44 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 c6 5.Bg5 153
Gruenfeld Gambit D83 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Bf4 Bg7 5.e3 O-O 389
Catalan Queens Gambit E00 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3 212
Blumenfeld Gambit (Counter Gambit) E10 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 e6 4.Nf3 b5 353
Danube Gambit E60 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.d5 b5 413

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 1)
 Related Resources
• Queen's Gambit Accepted
• Chess Bibliography
 Join the Discussion (offsite)
• Gambits