Chess lessons › Chess openings
The Danish Gambit and the Centre Game
Give pawns for development or take back with the queen, and learn when Black’s ...d5 frees the game.
The idea
Give pawns for fast development, or take back on d4 with the queen.
- Take back with the queen, Qxd4, and you have the Centre Game.
- Or offer a second pawn with c3, the Danish Gambit, to develop fast.
- Black can free the game with d5 and give a pawn back.
In a game: When Black takes your d-pawn early, you can take back with the queen or play c3.
How the lesson begins
After 1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 you can take back at once with 3.Qxd4, the Centre Game, or offer a second pawn with 3.c3, the Danish Gambit.
Among players rated 1200 to 1599 on Lichess, 3.Qxd4 is the most played move here, yet White scores 49% with it and 56% with 3.c3. Among players rated 1600 and above, 3.c3 is the most played.
- 3. c3
Find the move
Black takes both pawns with 3...dxc3 4.Bc4 cxb2. Lichess calls the position after 3...dxc3 the Danish Gambit Accepted. Now the pawn on b2 attacks your rook on a1 and your bishop on c1. Find the best move.
A hint
Take back with a piece that has not moved yet.
Show the answer
5. Bxb2
5.Bxb2 saves both pieces and develops the bishop. You are two pawns down, but your bishops on c4 and b2 point at f7 and g7, and Black has not moved a single piece. Jacques Mieses beat Frank Marshall with this gambit in 1902.
In numbers
How often it is played
| Rating | Value |
|---|---|
| Under 800 | 11 |
| 800 to 1199 | 14 |
| 1200 to 1599 | 10 |
| 1600 to 1999 | 5.6 |
| 2000 and up | 2.2 |
How the games ended
White won 50%, 4% were drawn and Black won 47%, over 15,162 games that start this way, in a sample of rated Lichess games from 2026.