Chess Openings: Danish Gambit

The Danish Gambit is one of the most aggressive openings you can play and it focuses on sacrificing material for rapid development and a huge spacial advantage. Here we discuss the key concepts to know when playing this opening.
Make sure to check out more great chess content at: www.thechesswebsite.com
Chess Software used in the video can be found at www.chesscentral.com and www.chessok.com

[@danacook9468]

Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached our cruising altitude now so feel free to move about the cabin

[@nahlmao6558]

However you wish we might add

[@iamsenjey]

Accurate presentation lol

[@DavidPierzchanowski-sn3lb]

Holy cow

[@chesswebsite]

Glad you enjoyed. This is honestly one of my favorite openings in any blitz game because if you play it often and know the theory behind the opening and know the common lines, you can do really really well against an opponent that doesn't have the time to calculate out how to defend correctly against the super aggressive style of the danish gambit.

[@denrekescu4326]

Why not bishop to e6?

[@bricktamland7953]

it that that bad for normal game ( not blitz ) ?

[@heavymetal1ization]

for some reason the one time i learn a new opening is when everybody just stops playing pawn e5

[@thechesshelper3277]

Thanks for the video! I am now in LOVE with this gambit!

[@skionen1781]

+The Chess Helper me too. I'm trying to learn a new opening every week

[@idisplaypace2411]

@@skionen1781 no point to that

[@chesswebsite]

I def will. Thanks for the feedback. Sadly right now youtube won't let me put up longer than 10 minute videos so I am not able to go over as much as I would like to but I definitely make a follow up video.

[@jplay9710]

Very tightly timed then, I was wondering why it ended as abruptly as it did but that makes a lot of sense.

[@posh0610]

You tube fascists,La Luca continua!

[@kayamo]

Perfect opening for me! I hope to put this to use someday! btw, your videos are super helpful as I try to memorize all the openings. I really appreciate what you are doing for all of us.

[@szy_k]

did you use it

[@Fruitjoke]

At 7:37 , the black Queen should have taken the pawn on g2. This would have prevented the kingside castling. Great Vid!! 5/5

[@lfakerson7703]

When your trying to play the cpu to practice but it never does the right thing lol

[@w.8424]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@aridojikatochiri9120]

When I e4 it e6

[@mlad5274]

@@aridojikatochiri9120 lol yeah it you move e4 it moves h6... computer logic

[@kuyadong6791]

That's why Gothamchess said that playing with computer is boring because it always play the perfect game. You cannot enjoy the beauty of any gambits, such as this one, because it goes beyond the regular human mind can calculate. I even tried some gambits against a computer set in a "practice mode" yet it replied some stupid moves i didn't expect. Now the gambit is totally ruined. 🤣🤣🤣

[@mike62mcmanus]

I put headphones on to hear you and when a commercial comes on I am nearly deafened. Not something I can lay back and listen too...

[@ChesscomGames]

nice video. i think the danish gambit might be a little too crazy but definitely fun to play in blitz games. thanks for the post!

[@almscurium]

? The danish is one of the most sound gambits out there... More solid than even the king’s gambit...

[@nightcorequeen1074]

@@almscurium Bro the comment was 9 years old back then it was different

[@mikes1984]

@@nightcorequeen1074 why does it matter if the comment was 9 years old? This gambit has been studied since the middle 1800s. The idea stems from a famous correspondence game London-Edinburgh, 1824

[@Lunaii2]

@@mikes1984 chess engines

[@slayer_hazard8993]

@@Lunaii2 so? humans are different then engines

[@locutusdborg126]

There needs to be a Danish Gambit part two, wherein you explain declined lines, and some variations. Thanks.

[@GuitarSlinger2112]

"Could you post a second video explaining declined lines and variations?" ^fixed that for you ;)

[@wailshudar]

@@GuitarSlinger2112 there Gambit is not that studied.

[@crypastesomemore8348]

King Mango you didn’t fix anything

[@duxd1452]

@@crypastesomemore8348 You don't see how the original post was badly written?

[@gwentarinokripperinolkjdsf683]

@@TheKing29102 There needs to be and "you need to make" are completely different statements. one is rude the other is not

[@GuitarSlinger2112]

One of my favorite blitz openings!

[@chesswebsite]

hey pharah, i eventually am going to redo some of the first videos that i did that don't have the best sound. The newer videos have much better sound. For now though I have a lot of new videos I am looking to do and won't be able to put newer versions of the old videos right now.

[@joejitsu034]

I just used this for the first time & won in about 12/13 moves. I love it thank you!!!

[@FaceManBDSC]

I played the half danish gambit (1:20 KxC3) a few times and pretty much liked it. Right now im playing this danish gambit in an online game and it seems to work out so far... But not a lot players go along with the line, most of the time they decline at least the second pawn and start to develope, so that it becomes a totally different situation. --> Great videos, bytheway... i subscribed ;)

[@chesswebsite]

sorry about that. This was one of my very first videos on youtube, over 6 months ago. Since then I have upgraded my mic and the volume in the latest videos are much higher. Sorry that this old one was a little hard to hear, but thanks for checking it out. Let me know if the newer ones are more to your liking.

[@Causeimthejoker]

4:00 Shouldn't you put the Queen on a4 so it's a check and you can take the bishop right after, without losing the horse?

[@jelmervantveer1345]

Knight c6

[@Causeimthejoker]

Fair enough

[@chesswebsite]

I would simply develop my knight to d2 if he moves his queen in front of his king. Some people would develop to c3 which is fine as well but I like to keep the diagonals open early for my bishops and I can bring queen into the action and apply lots of pressure.

[@UserNameThatNooneHas]

Thanks for the lesson! :) I'd enjoy some more discussion about variations to the main line instead of just showing it twice.

[@kmani7654321]

hi, thanks for your videos. Danish and Traxler helps me a lot & i enjoyed a lot..

[@InvntdXNEWROMAN]

loving these videos but the audio is very low. bump up your audio when your editing the videos.

[@josephhiggins4880]

part of the vibe

[@ACLJavi]

@zDerpster Since watching this video, I have started using it quite often. For the most part, my opponents usually accept the gambit and I generally have a very good game. In a recent game I played, I could tell my opponent was not sure what to do at all. Here it is: 1. e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Bc4 h6 5.Qb3 d5 6.Bxd5 cxb2 7.Bxb2 Nc6 8.Bxf7+ Ke7 9.Ba3+ Kd7 10.Qe6# It just kind of seems like he gave up towards the end.

[@saxplaya07]

I’m not even that experienced but when I saw this it was so awesome I laughed out loud literally. I really like this one

[@dariodesansebastian]

Me too, mate. At the beginning I was like wtf is he doing? After I saw what he'd done I was laughing out loud

[@dev_willis]

Audio is almost too low to hear.

[@xdragon2k]

@Jasonk305economic there is a subtle trap in that line. If Qxg2, Rook can go g1 protected by the Nf3 attacking the queen. If black take the undefended knight or steps away to h3, Bc3 can just go to g7 forking the king and rook defended by the rook in the now open g file. And if the QxNf3 earlier, there is now check by bishop and the queen is undefended attacked by white Queen as well. Black King has to move and it will lose its queen and rook in 2 moves.

[@AlloSlain]

The reason is that black can respond to the check with knight to c6, which simultaneously protects the bishop on b4 from being taken. This has allowed black to develop a minor piece, whilst also not achieving any significant positioning. By moving to b3, the queen backs up the bishop on c4 for a potential attack to f7. This would lead to the powerful configuration you can see at 04:47.

[@michenji]

7:37 why does the black queen move to g4 instead of taking tha pawn on g2?

[@noobsgt8077]

Aw srry for being late i think its cause black wants his queen to be active and if he takes g2 then white can just put his king on e2 and then the queen would not have any good moves except stayng on g2 or moving back to g4

[@dilandseptav8861]

@@noobsgt8077 dude he was askin for 6 years 😆

[@bartolome26]

@@noobsgt8077 not Ke2. White can just attack the Q with Rg1. If QxN then black loses the Q with Bxg7+

[@MrChrisdube]

@@dilandseptav8861 better late than never? Besides, I had the same question.

[@toutingthomas]

Same!!

[@mod77777]

The sound/ volume sucks

[@ambarprasetyo3849]

Indeed

[@chessplayer7479]

You're right when I use chromecast I need to volume my tv to 100 but it's still too low.

[@chessplayer7479]

Everyone know that the content is great and also amazin'.

[@TheBlurayHacker]

its a ten year old video dude

[@chessplayer7479]

Yeah, gaskin we know we are not too stupid to not recognize that.

[@MetalScull]

@andyroo2540 The answer is Rg1. Black has to leave his quenn from vertical g line and then white has enormous pressure in g7 square as a result h2 becomes even more important

[@motegrate]

@andyroo2540 Someone else explained this but they weren't clear with their annotations. If the queen takes the pawn on g2, white's rook goes g1, protected by the knight. If Black's queen then takes the knight on f3, white can take the pawn on g7 with his black-squared bishop, checking the king and opening up the 3-file to capture black's queen with his own.

[@Blakwolf144]

Thanks , I saw that and I 😅 was trying to figure that part out because it was not explained in this video

[@slugworth28]

Ive opened with this move a couple of times recently, I always tried to play aggressively, so when I saw this in action I had to add it to my repertoire, and its paid off many times.

[@dzhibrish]

very interesting start

[@itsd0nk]

Great Vids! I was thinking for future vids you post that it would be nice if you could get your mouse pointer bigger or, even better, get a custom pointer like a nice hand or something like a lot of chess programs have built in. Thanks for the vids!

[@lfakerson7703]

The 2009 audio really do be suffering lol

[@elperro3683]

At the 3:47 mark he tells us that Black’s best move is pawn to d6; I disagree. Black’s best move is knight to f6. Next, if White plays queen to b3, Black’s best move is queen to e7. It provides protection to black’s bishop and places additional pressure on White’s e4 pawn

[@Philosupremum]

Why didn't black capture the pawn on g2 at 7:38?

[@mikezinj]

good question

[@joshuavila5557]

+Philosupremum after queen takes g2 ..... Rg1 followed by Bxg7+ ..... its either queenless or rookless

[@Philosupremum]

+Joshua Vila Oh yeah, thanks. Didn't notice that, I feel dumb.

[@heatherf.9593]

That's what I was thinking but then I saw the discovered attack

[@spanfoods]

after rook to g1, the queen can take the knight at f3

[@ChrishanSilva]

@ICarnag3I If after 3.c3, say Black does 3...Nc6 / Bc5 / c5... to defend the pawn and develop, White can easily re-capture 4.cxd4 and remain in equal material.

[@AlexanderWeixelbaumer]

1:34 Black usually is cautious and doesn't take b2, but rather develop the knight or bring the queen out. You then won't get the juicy diagonal.

[@ryanlewis7633]

Wow. Learned how to play the danish gambit and I went from like 750 to 880 in a day. I know I’m gonna have to learn more openings eventually but damn this is too fun at my level.

[@SeedsofJoy]

@daemonowner If Qxd2 then Bxd2? or Kxd2? It would be wiser at 7:36 for queen to take pawn on G2.

[@ACLJavi]

I've been experimenting with this opening and for the most part, I've had a lot of success. But I noticed that most players dont play 5...Bb4+. In the games that I've played they prefer to play either d6 or Nf6.

[@adamleckius2253]

I think I'm going to go ahead and give this a try

[@StartAndReplay]

No, it can be defended by playing the black knight from b8 to c6. It is also possible, instead of playing Queen d1-d3, to sacrifice bishop C4-F7 and afterwards fork with the Queen on B3.

[@ruellan2003]

great video, well done! peter ruellan

[@vasu_goel]

Is the main motive of move Nf5 (9:20) to prevent the move Qb4+ which will result in losing the queen

[@wearegeek]

Indeed, you're right. I didn't thought of the fact that B-G7+ not only puts black in check, but also attacks the Queen.

[@chesswebsite]

There are three parts to chess. The opening, middle and end game. Many people will argue which is the most important. I personally feel that the end game is the most important. So many games can be won or lost despite the material advantage based on end game skill. It is definitely important to understand opening theory but as long as you are familiar with openings and why certain moves are made, I would focus more on middle and end game as most of your games will be won and lost there.

[@gganticgary]

At the beginning what if black moves his knight or plays smth else instead of taking more of your pawns? just bail on the original plan and develop or continue going danish? thx

[@jsberson]

Also, 2.d2-d4 is not a sacrifice, because White can recapture with the Queen. The gambit (the more appropriate term than sacrifice) happens when White plays 3.c2-c3.

[@sakamadafaka1]

You are right, there's a really good reason -black responds with knight c6

[@chesswebsite]

@gamegenius4 yeah the older comments touched on it but after Rg1! (like you said) black is in a lot of trouble. It's true that white can't castle but he no longer needs to, as he can easily win the game. Qxg2 is a horrible move for black.

[@georgechang7224]

I agree mark

[@TheMrSteinway]

oh wow i actually used to play this gambit a lot and i forgot it for a while

[@nickkarz4114]

Please answer what would black do if queen check b4 at 9:30? If black blocks with queen then sac bishop check on g7...only option for black is e1...then white rook e8 goodbye queen!

[@jordymuus3845]

At 9:19 isn't Qb4+ a better move for white?

[@ethans-clips]

chess talk's danish gambit video has more detail. check it out

[@spmSLL]

Sounds like you're getting traps mixed up with gambits. A trap will sacrifice material for a guaranteed advantage usually either through checkmate or through winning back even more material. A gambit on the other hand is simply a gamble. You are putting yourself at a disadvantage in one aspect of play (in this case the loss of material) in exchange for an advantage in another aspect of play (in this case a lead in development.) It is hard to say who is in the lead after this gambit is played

[@anishnehete]

Ikr

[@JMChessVids]

Hi Kevin Nice video, but only covers the ideal variations for white - black can get a slightly better game in the following line: 1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Bc4 cxb2 5.Bxb2 d5 6.Bxd5 Nf6 7.Bxf7+ Kxf7 8.Qxd8 Bb4+ 9.Qd2 Bxd2+ Nxd2 Re8 Of course I do wheel out the Danish OTB on occasion, but this line put me off ever trying it in CC again.

[@berndschoneck8805]

The automatically generated subtitle tells 2:10: "All of black's pieces are on his back rank, have not moved. He has no PEACE beyond the seventh rank" - That is actually true, when playing with Black and facing the Danish Gambit :-))

[@ACLJavi]

Milos7200, if black plays 1...Nh6 (which is what I assume you meant), white can simply continue 2. Bxg7 attacking both knight and rook. After play might continue 2...Rg8 3.Bxh6 Rxg2 then we're right back where the video is (Bxf7+). So that's actually a worse move because white gains positional and material advantages.

[@moseshsu9885]

In the game you analyzed, after the white knight moves o F3 to threaten the black queen, what should be done if the queen went to E3 to check the king?

[@wiselonewolfkol512]

i love all gambits!!!

[@yaellramirez69]

I love this opening omg!!!

[@DoctaHobo]

Dude. You are really good at explaining this shit

[@crossoverbjj4199]

Black seems to have a devastating attack after 4.Bc4 Bb4! I cannot resolve this response by black right at the beginning of the gambit. I'd appreciate any insight on this, I feel like I must be missing something!

[@jonathancastro1135]

Love your videos please make them louder

[@TheDonmannu]

what is the best move for white after 1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. c3 dxc3 4. Bc4 cxb2 5. Bxb2 Bb4 6. Nc3 Nh6 ....? any suggestion please?

[@Johnmuzzademon]

I'm also a real amateur. I would do what you suggest. the only reason i can think is that you've already sacreficed your pawns to get a powerful attack ging, you'd gain a bishop, but perhaps the suggested moves pose alot more problems for black. i mean with the queens and bishops in tandem like that your going to destroy the whole right side of blacks board and black's king will be in more danger. that's just my thought though, i might be very wrong lol.

[@zealeau]

Very helpful video ! THANKS !!! :) i used that gambit several times and won ;)

[@yistackness]

@yistackness oops! didn't notice there'd be a trapped rook otherwise! scratch that last comment, lol

[@0ople]

@andyroo2540 After ...Qxg2, Rg1 Queen cannot take the knight because Bxg7+ winning the queen. so black must move his queen to h3, whereby not only giving up a defender of the g7 pawn, but also giving white's rook an attack line.

[@davidsonnbichler4319]

i'd say after queeng2, white takes his rook to g1, queen is forced to back up in an akward position and after that the white bishop from c3 to g7, checking the king and then taking the rook on h8. if black desides to take the knight with the queen after white played g1, white will just check with bishop and then have a free queen

[@WatchLearnSee]

@gracchusBE Sir, congragulations. You have managed to reply to yourself. I guess you won the argument.

[@SteveThePster]

What can white do in response to 6... Nc6? I love playing Danish gambit but never know how to respond to that - how do you get rid of black's b4 bishop?

[@giacmon85]

Why is black not castling in this video? After exchange of bishop I would develop knight and then castle. What am I missing?

[@Darkblaze10k]

which would be your favorite openings?

[@Hedgehogs4Me]

As well as what eazye951 said, you also don't have the attack on f7 as a follow-up. The queen at a4 starts looking a little bit silly in an opening where you're sacrificing material to gain an advantage in development, because it's not very well developed, and all it's doing is taking a knight out of the game, which isn't the best deal you could be getting (9 points vs 3).

[@LondonQuiTran]

Why not White Queen a4 check and take Black bishop on b4? Is this so that the Queen can position to c3 faster?

[@SketchyAussie]

There's probably a really good reason for this that I'm not seeing; I'm a real amateur with chess.. but at 04:15, why not put the queen on A4 instead of B3? It puts the king in check, and white can take the bishop on B4 without losing the knight on C3.

[@MrChrisdube]

On the demonstration game at about 7:35, why couldn't Black play Qxg2?

[@ChrishanSilva]

5...d5!! had not been discussed, which is the black's best line in Danish Gambit. It is not only giving back a pawn, but opening ways to develop pieces as white...

[@Mattress1000]

Because black will simply play Knight to C6 blocking the check while also protecting the Bishop on B4 and white will now no longer be doubled up on the diagonal rank which is the whole point of the opening and where the power for it comes from...well at least that's how I see it...

[@quinnskoog7153]

can someone explain to me what makes f7 such a weakness for black?

[@Shiv-jw5jk]

3:54, Qa4 instead of Qb3 is a better move, fork a check and the bishop, gaining a free piece.

[@thehomefront1905]

love your videos

[@Wordhaven]

New to learning this stuff but... why doesn't black move Queen to g2 instead of g4?

[@shazbots]

Is there anyway this video will be re-uploaded with better audio?

[@rohan589]

Could you please illustrate why at 3:52, black moves the pawn to d6 instead of d5 which would be a better move according to me.

[@Holawood]

At 4:50 why doesn't the pawn on D6 move to D5 to attack the bishop?

[@balanceseeker]

I've played the Danish off and on for awhile. What I see most often is not 6... d6 but 6... Qh4 threatening the e pawn. That is really difficult to answer without losing some of White's develomental advantage. Qd3 is the most logical response, but then one never gets that Q to b3. Check it out sometime.

[@GreatImperium]

@andyroo2540 because it would free up the h rook for a king side attack and take away a defender for the g7 pon. Qxg2, Rg2, (if Qxf3, then Bxg7 check and black losses its queen) (if Qh3 then the rook has the g file under its control and alot of kingside attacks become possible.)

[@frankungerer1638]

Hey so in the game example you used, when black moves his queen to G5 why doesnt he follow up with queen to G2? That would prevent white from castling and would eye down the rook.

[@yanrivers]

Thanks for this video lesson on the Danish Gambit, but what's with the extremely low volume??!!! ..can hardly hear you!

[@Hunterhoneypackglazer1]

2:50 why move the knight to c3 instead of d2? i feel this would relinquish the bishops path

[@meistergumunryong7277]

Minute 8:35why not Bishop back to d5? would defend the E pawn and attack b7 :D nice Video its my most played opening

[@sarbasov]

1:22 What to do if black moves Bf4? If white then takes bxc3, then he fails his plan to place his bishop to diagonal, he has minus one pawn, and he has bad pawn structure. Attacking Bxf7 is also not the best idea, because they interchange bishops, which is also more useful for blacks.

[@furrio92]

Isn't a better move from the black Queen at 07:32 to capture pawn at g2, preventing white castle on queen-side?

[@charlieabbot3649]

Good stuff!

[@djcarpola]

@3:50, if Black does d6, why shouldn't white put Q on a4 (instead of b3) so it can check and take the bishop?

[@TheDonmannu]

For black....instead of Bb4 (at 2:45), c6 isn't better?