ECO C40 · Elephant Gambit

Elephant Gambit: Maróczy Gambit

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d5 3. exd5 Bd6

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White to move. The arrow shows Stockfish’s best move.
Best move

4. d4+0.97

White is clearly better. Stockfish 18, depth 18.

Analyze this position

In the Elephant Gambit: Maróczy Gambit (C40), reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d5 3. exd5 Bd6, Stockfish 18 recommends 4. d4 for White. White is clearly better (+0.97).

Top engine moves

  1. +0.974. d4 e4 5. Nfd2 Nf6 6. c4 O-O 7. Nc3 Bb4 8. Be2 c6
  2. +0.774. c4 e4 5. Nd4 Nf6 6. d3 O-O 7. Nc3 Bg4 8. Qc2 exd3
  3. +0.744. Nc3 Nf6 5. Bb5+ c6 6. dxc6 Nxc6 7. d4 e4 8. Ne5 O-O

Frequently asked questions

What is the best move in the Elephant Gambit: Maróczy Gambit?
After 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d5 3. exd5 Bd6, Stockfish 18 at depth 18 recommends 4. d4 for White, continuing e4 5. Nfd2 Nf6 6. c4 O-O 7. Nc3 Bb4 8. Be2 c6. White is clearly better (+0.97). The next best moves are 4. c4 (+0.77) and 4. Nc3 (+0.74).
Is the Elephant Gambit: Maróczy Gambit a good opening?
Stockfish rates the position at +0.97: White is clearly better. That is a large edge for an opening position, so check the engine lines before playing it from the other side.
What is the ECO code of the Elephant Gambit: Maróczy Gambit?
C40. ECO codes classify chess openings from A00 to E99; C is the volume for open games and the French Defense.

Opening names from the Lichess opening book (CC0). Pieces by Colin M.L. Burnett (GPLv2+).