The Evans Gambit arises in the Italian Game: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4!? White sacrifices a pawn to deflect the bishop with tempo and seize the centre. All the main branches are gathered here: the Accepted with its main system and the Compromised Defence, the bishop's return to c5, the Declined, and the central counter-strike. At each branching point, choose which line to play.
The dimmed moves are the rest of the main line, and the dots mark branching points. Click any move to jump to that position.
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The starting position. Choose your moves - at a branching point several continuations are available.
The Evans Gambit arises in the Italian Game: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4!? With b4 White offers a pawn to deflect Black's bishop and build a powerful pawn centre with tempo. The opening was invented by the Welsh sea captain William Evans in the 1820s.
The main idea is to get, for one pawn, a lead in development, a strong centre (c3 and d4) and a quick attack against f7 and down the central files. One of the most brilliant attacking gambits of the romantic era.
Garry Kasparov loved the Evans Gambit, using it to spectacular effect at the top level in the 1990s and bringing it back into fashion. It suits anyone willing to risk a pawn for the initiative.
Most often Black accepts the sacrifice: 4...Bxb4 5.c3, and the bishop retreats. The main system is 5...Ba5, keeping the pin; there is also 5...Bc5, returning, and the modest 5...Be7. After 6.d4 White has a strong centre and the initiative for the pawn.
The greediest line is the Compromised Defence 6...exd4 7.0-0 dxc3 8.Qb3: Black takes a second pawn and walks into a ferocious attack. You can also decline the gambit altogether with 4...Bb6, keeping the bishop and a quiet position.
The Evans Gambit is romantic chess in miniature: with 4.b4 White gives up a pawn to gain a tempo and build a centre. After 4...Bxb4 5.c3 the bishop is hit again, and d2-d4 follows - leaving White with a huge pawn centre and full development.
The game then follows a single script: 0-0, Ba3 or Qb3 with pressure on f7, a rook to d1, and the d4-d5 or e4-e5 break when it comes. The initiative is worth a pawn exactly as long as Black has not finished developing - so tempi matter more than material.
Practical advice: do not try to win the pawn back. The moment White starts returning it, the whole point of the gambit disappears and the extra move b4 remains a queenside weakness.
The first rule is not to be greedy. In this opening you cannot both hold the extra pawn and develop: White opens lines first. The working method is to give the pawn back at a convenient moment and finish developing calmly with a level game.
The most reliable route is 5...Be7 instead of the critical 5...Ba5. The bishop leaves the active diagonal, but it is no longer hit with tempo by Qb3 and Ba3, and White has no convenient targets. After 6.d4 Na5 Black trades the c4 bishop and relieves the pressure on f7.
There is a completely quiet option too - the gambit declined with 4...Bb6. Black does not take the pawn, the position stays closed, and White's extra move b4 weakens the queenside more than it helps.
The typical set-ups this opening leads to - learn them, and the plan follows by itself.
For the pawn White has the strong c3-d4-e4 centre, a bishop on c4 and a lead in development. This position is exactly what the gambit is played for.
Black does not take the pawn but steps the bishop back to b6. White carries on with a4 and plays on the queenside, cramping the opponent without sacrificing anything.
These are the main named variations. Click any one of them and it loads straight onto the board above, where you can play it out move by move. The trainer itself holds more lines than this: it also covers main-line continuations and transpositions that have no name of their own.
What to avoid, and what catches an unprepared opponent.
After 4...Bxb4 5.c3 Ba5 6.d4 exd4 7.0-0, the greedy 7...dxc3?! is exactly what White is waiting for: 8.Qb3 hits f7 and b7 and every white piece joins the attack. Black has plenty of material, but defending such a position over the board is nearly impossible.
A standard gambit motif: the queen on b3 joins the c4 bishop against f7 while also hitting the b7 pawn. Black cannot develop on autopilot - every move has to be checked against Bxf7+ and Qxb7.
After the decline 4...Bb6, White plays 5.a4 with the idea of a4-a5, taking squares away from the bishop. Black must answer 5...a6 or 5...a5 in time, or the b6 bishop risks running out of moves.
Traps in other openings - the 12 most common opening traps.
For the b-pawn White gets an important tempo (Black's bishop is deflected), a quick grab of the centre with c3 and d4, and a dangerous attack on f7. The classic gambit trade of material for initiative.
The Welsh sea captain William Davies Evans, around 1827. The opening quickly became a formidable weapon of the romantic era, and in the 1990s Garry Kasparov revived it in style.
The Compromised Defence (7...dxc3 8.Qb3) is objectively playable but extremely dangerous: one inaccurate move and White's attack becomes decisive. In practice many prefer to give the pawn back and develop calmly.
Yes, 4...Bb6 (the Evans Gambit Declined) is perfectly sound: Black keeps the bishop and a solid position, conceding only a little space. A reliable choice against gambit aggression.
Want the tactics that decide these positions? Start with the 12 most common opening traps and tactics for beginners. If you are just starting out, read the rules of chess and how to set up the board.
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