Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...e5/2. d4/2...exd4/3. c3/3...dxc3

Danish Gambit Accepted
a b c d e f g h
8a8 black rookb8 black knightc8 black bishopd8 black queene8 black kingf8 black bishopg8 black knighth8 black rook8
7a7 black pawnb7 black pawnc7 black pawnd7 black pawne7 black kingf7 black pawng7 black pawnh7 black pawn7
6a6 black kingb6 black kingc6 black kingd6 black kinge6 black kingf6 black kingg6 black kingh6 black king6
5a5 black kingb5 black kingc5 black kingd5 black kinge5 black kingf5 black kingg5 black kingh5 black king5
4a4 black kingb4 black kingc4 black kingd4 black kinge4 white pawnf4 black kingg4 black kingh4 black king4
3a3 black kingb3 black kingc3 black pawnd3 black kinge3 black kingf3 black kingg3 black kingh3 black king3
2a2 white pawnb2 white pawnc2 black kingd2 black kinge2 black kingf2 white pawng2 white pawnh2 white pawn2
1a1 white rookb1 white knightc1 white bishopd1 white queene1 white kingf1 white bishopg1 white knighth1 white rook1
a b c d e f g h
Position in Forsyth-Edwards Notation (FEN)
Moves: 1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. c3 dxc3
Responses:

Danish Gambit Accepted

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The Danish Gambit Accepted is popular among club players, but not so popular at the highest level. That is because, it is easy for black to fall into one of the many traps on this line, but if black knows what to do, white can get no more than equality out of the opening.

White has two main options from this position:

4. Bc4 - Double Danish Gambit
4. Nxc3 - Single Danish Gambit

Although it may have been known earlier, Danish player Severin From essayed the gambit in an 1867 Paris tournament and he is usually given credit for the opening. The Danish gambit was popular with masters of the attack including Alexander Alekhine, Frank Marshall, Joseph Henry Blackburne, and Jacques Mieses, but as Black's defenses improved it lost favor in the 1920s. Today it is rarely played in top-level chess.

White will sacrifice one or two pawns for the sake of rapid development and attack. With care, Black can accept one or both pawns safely, or simply decline the gambit altogether.

Theory table

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1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. c3 dxc3

4 5 6
Bc4
cxb2
Bxb2
d5
Bxd5
Nf6
=
Nxc3
Nc6
Bc4
Bb4
Nf3
d6
=

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References

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