King's Gambit Declined: Falkbeer Countergambit
1.e4 e5 2.f4 d5
Falkbeer Countergambit
1.2.
What Is The Falkbeer Countergambit?
Meeting 2.f4 with 2...d5 refuses the pawn and hits e4 at once, so the centre opens while White's f-pawn is committed and the e1-h4 diagonal is loose. After 3.exd5, recapturing with 3...Qxd5 invites 4.Nc3 with tempo on your queen. Play 3...e4 instead. The whole variation hangs on that pawn: while it stands, White's knight is denied f3 and the kingside stays undeveloped.
White's answer is d3, chipping at the wedge, and every trade there favours the side holding the extra pawn on d5. So develop fast: Nf6, a bishop to c5 or f5, castle, and aim at f2 and the diagonal 2.f4 opened. Lose the e4 pawn without gaining time for it and you are simply a pawn down in an open position with no attack.
How Does Play Continue From Here?
| Move | Share | Games | |
|---|---|---|---|
| exd5 | 55% | 603 | |
| Nf3 | 26% | 287 | |
| fxe5 | 6% | 67 | |
| Nc3 | 5% | 55 |
The Named Lines Of The Falkbeer Countergambit
| Line | Moves |
|---|---|
| Hinrichsen Gambit | 1.e4 e5 2.f4 d5 3.d4 |
| Blackburne Attack | 1.e4 e5 2.f4 d5 3.Nf3 |
| Milner-Barry Variation | 1.e4 e5 2.f4 d5 3.Nc3 |
| Nimzowitsch-Marshall Countergambit | 1.e4 e5 2.f4 d5 3.exd5 c6 |
| Staunton Line | 1.e4 e5 2.f4 d5 3.exd5 e4 |
| Miles Gambit | 1.e4 e5 2.f4 d5 3.exd5 Bc5 |
| Modern Transfer | 1.e4 e5 2.f4 d5 3.exd5 exf4 |
| Charousek Gambit | 1.e4 e5 2.f4 d5 3.exd5 e4 4.d3 Nf6 5.dxe4 Nxe4 6.Qe2 |
| Anderssen Attack | 1.e4 e5 2.f4 d5 3.exd5 e4 4.Bb5+ |
| Pickler Gambit | 1.e4 e5 2.f4 d5 3.exd5 c6 4.dxc6 Bc5 |
| Charousek Gambit, Keres Variation | 1.e4 e5 2.f4 d5 3.exd5 e4 4.d3 Nf6 5.Nd2 |
| Charousek Gambit, Old Line | 1.e4 e5 2.f4 d5 3.exd5 e4 4.d3 Nf6 5.Qe2 |
| Rubinstein Variation | 1.e4 e5 2.f4 d5 3.exd5 e4 4.Nc3 Nf6 5.Qe2 |
| Charousek Gambit Accepted | 1.e4 e5 2.f4 d5 3.exd5 e4 4.d3 Nf6 5.dxe4 |
| Charousek Gambit, Morphy Defense | 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.f4 d5 4.exd5 e4 5.d3 Bb4 6.Bd2 e3 |
| Charousek Gambit, Main Line | 1.e4 e5 2.f4 d5 3.exd5 e4 4.d3 Nf6 5.dxe4 Nxe4 6.Nf3 Bc5 7.Qe2 Bf5 |
| Charousek Variation | 1.e4 e5 2.f4 d5 3.exd5 e4 4.d3 Nf6 5.dxe4 Nxe4 6.Qe2 Qxd5 7.Nd2 f5 8.g4 |
| Tarrasch Variation | 1.e4 e5 2.f4 d5 3.exd5 e4 4.d3 Nf6 5.dxe4 Nxe4 6.Nf3 Bc5 7.Qe2 Bf5 8.g4 O-O |
| Alapin Variation | 1.e4 e5 2.f4 d5 3.exd5 e4 4.d3 Nf6 5.dxe4 Nxe4 6.Nf3 Bc5 7.Qe2 Bf2+ 8.Kd1 Qxd5+ 9.Nfd2 |