For White· 6 lines

King's Gambit - King's Gambit Declined & Sidelines (2...d6, Bc5, Nf6, Qh4+)

Position after 8. Nc3

Main line

The chapter's main line, with the comments from the course.

1. e4 e5 2. f4
Black takes the center, so we offer up our f-pawn for quick development and kingside pressure.
2... d6
Black's fourth most popular reply leads us into specialized territory where we have a big knowledge edge.
3. d3
The computer revolution changed everything here, 3.d3 scores +0.3 while the old 3.Bc4 drops to -0.4, yet only 2% of players know this.
3... exf4
Not terrible for Black but makes our life easy with an obvious follow-up.
4. Bxf4
We got the pawn back with tempo, mission accomplished.
4... Nf6 5. Nf3
Natural development, though Be2 and Nc3 both work here too.
5... Be7 6. Be2
We prioritize the light-squared bishop after d3 since it's a bit cramped.
6... O-O 7. c4
Same system as before, c4 makes it tough for Black to free up with d5.
7... Nc6 8. Nc3

The free lines of this chapter, each one trainable move by move.

Main Line
1. e4 e5 2. f4 d6 3. d3 exf4 4. Bxf4 Nf6 5. Nf3 Be7 6. Be2 O-O 7. c4 Nc6 8. Nc3
2...Bc5
1. e4 e5 2. f4 Bc5 3. Nf3 d6 4. Nc3 Nc6 5. Bc4 Bg4 6. h3 Bxf3 7. Qxf3 Nd4 8. Qg4 Nxc2+ 9. Kd1
2...Nf6
1. e4 e5 2. f4 Nf6 3. fxe5 Nxe4 4. Nf3 d5 5. d3 Nc5 6. d4 Ne4 7. Bd3 Bg4 8. O-O c5 9. Nbd2
2...Qh4+
1. e4 e5 2. f4 Qh4+ 3. g3 Qe7 4. d3 exf4 5. Bxf4 d5 6. Nc3
3...Nc6
1. e4 e5 2. f4 d6 3. d3 Nc6 4. Nf3 Bg4 5. Be2 Nf6 6. c3 Be7 7. O-O O-O 8. fxe5 dxe5 9. Kh1 Qd7 10. Be3
3...Nf6
1. e4 e5 2. f4 d6 3. d3 Nf6 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. Be2 Be7 6. O-O O-O 7. Kh1 Bg4 8. Nc3 Bxf3 9. Bxf3

The trainer plays the opponent's moves and waits for yours, line by line. Free to start.