Elephant Gambit

The Elephant Gambit begins after the moves 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d5. It is a risky counter-attack, chosen by players who would rather open the centre at once than defend the e5-pawn, even at the cost of an objectively worse position.

  • For black
  • Tactical
  • Risky

Written by:

Eirik Aarnes
Eirik Aarnes

The Essentials

Early moves:
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d5
Colour:
Played by Black
Style:
Tactical, risky
Difficulty to learn:
Easy to moderate
Named after:
No one in particular. For most of its history the opening was simply called the Queen's Pawn Counter Gambit.
Trivia:
Why it is called the Elephant Gambit is somewhat of a mystery. Older German books even used the name for a joke line in which Black's king walks out on move two.
Variations:
Paulsen Countergambit. Maróczy Gambit. Wasp Variation.
Good for:

Best suited for rating

800-1800

30015002800

Why play the Elephant Gambit?

Because it answers 2. Nf3 with a punch instead of a defence.

After 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3, 2... d5 leaves the e5-pawn to its fate and hits back at e4. Black opens the centre on move two instead of holding it.

The price is a pawn, at least for a while. In return Black gets open lines, and in the main lines the material often comes back if Black keeps up the pressure.

White chooses the capture: 3. exd5 takes the d-pawn, 3. Nxe5 takes the e-pawn, and 3. d4 opens the centre instead. After 3. exd5, Black's main tries are the Paulsen Countergambit with 3... e4 and the Maróczy Gambit with 3... Bd6.

The cost is real. Objectively, Black is worse against both captures, and the pawn that ends up on e4 is often more of a target than a spearhead.

The reward is practical. White has to answer accurately from move three, and at club level the most natural replies often hand back the advantage or walk into a trap.

Try the Elephant Gambit yourself!

Play A Game

Why the Elephant Gambit is good with the:

Material first - After 3. exd5 White is a pawn ahead, and Black must spend moves to win it back.

Safety margin - With accurate play, White keeps a clear advantage against Black's main tries.

Open e-file - With the e-pawns gone, White's queen and rooks can aim down the e-file at Black's uncastled king.

Suited for - Practical players who are happy to take a pawn and develop sensibly.

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Strategy

White's and Black's plans in the two main structures.

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White's plan: win the e4-pawn

White hits the e4-pawn with d3, Nd2 and the queen, which pins it to Black's king on e8.

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Black's plan: the kingside majority

With the c4-knight far away, Black's kingside majority rolls forward with ...h6 and ...g5, while White plays on the queenside.

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Key squares and the e-file

The centre and f3, which a pawn on e4 takes from the knight, matter most, and the e-file opens between the kings.

Traps and tactics

Five traps every Elephant Gambit player should know.

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Themes

Kings on the e-file

The e-file opens while both kings are still in the centre, and whichever king is caught on it first often costs its side material.

Pawn or position

White has to choose early between keeping the extra pawn and returning it for a better structure, and each choice brings plans of its own.

The e4 wedge

A black pawn on e4 cramps White's minor pieces. While it holds, Black can attack, and once it falls, White usually keeps the upper hand.

Homework pays

At club level the natural replies often hand back White's advantage or walk into a trap, so a little preparation goes a long way.

History

The history of the Elephant Gambit, from its origins to modern play.

  1. 1690

    Swiss roots

    The move 2... d5 appears in Asperling's Traitté du jeu royal des echets, published in Lausanne.

  2. 1857

    Paulsen's choice

    Louis Paulsen plays 3... e4, the line that now carries his name, twice against Paul Morphy in New York.

  3. 1929

    Stung

    Erich Eliskases tries the line that later becomes the Wasp Variation against Lob by correspondence, and White wins.

  4. 1964

    The magician's answer

    Mikhail Tal meets the Paulsen Countergambit with 4. Qe2 against Anatoly Lutikov in Tallinn.

  5. 1988

    A new name

    A booklet by Jensen, Purser and Pape, Elephant Gambit, is credited with renaming the old Queen's Pawn Counter Gambit.

  6. 2020

    A book of its own

    Quality Chess publishes The Exhilarating Elephant Gambit by Michael Agermose Jensen and Jakob Aabling-Thomsen.

  7. 2020s

    Online stampede

    Engines give White a clear advantage, but the gambit thrives online, where most club players miss White's strongest reply.

Model Games

Games that show both sides of the Elephant Gambit.

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FAQ

The Elephant Gambit begins after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d5. Black ignores the attack on e5 and strikes at e4 at once, offering a pawn to open the centre.

It can be, as long as you accept the risk. The ideas are simple and the traps teach tactics, but against accurate play Black is worse from move three.

Not against best play. Engines give White a clear advantage after 3. exd5, and 3. Nxe5 also keeps White on top. In practice the gambit is far more dangerous, because the natural replies often go wrong.

Black opens the centre at once and plays for quick development and an attack on White's kingside, often with a pawn on e4 cramping White's pieces.

It begins 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d5 3. exd5 e4. Black pushes past the d5-pawn and kicks the knight, but after 4. Qe2 the pawn on e4 is pinned and often lost.

It begins 3. exd5 Bd6. Black guards e5 with the bishop and gives up the d-pawn for quick development, but White keeps the extra pawn with 4. d4.

Both are risky replies to 2. Nf3 in which Black strikes at once instead of defending e5. The Elephant hits e4 with the d-pawn, while the Latvian Gambit uses the f-pawn and opens a diagonal toward Black's own king.

There is no single best line. 3. exd5 is the greedy choice that usually keeps a pawn, 3. Nxe5 returns the material for a quieter game, and 3. d4 leads to an equal, open position.

Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Simon Williams, Mark Hebden, Pavel Skatchkov, Abdulla Gadimbayli, Bragi Thorfinnsson and Dmitry Morozov have all used it.

Choose the Philidor Defence if you want a solid position and are happy to defend e5 patiently. Choose the Elephant Gambit if you would rather open the centre at once and accept the risk that comes with it.