ECO C37 · King's Gambit Accepted

King's Gambit Accepted: McDonnell Gambit

1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 g5 4. Bc4 g4 5. Nc3

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

5… d6−1.09

Black is clearly better. Stockfish 18, depth 18.

Analyze this position

In the King's Gambit Accepted: McDonnell Gambit (C37), reached after 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 g5 4. Bc4 g4 5. Nc3, Stockfish 18 recommends 5… d6 for Black. Black is clearly better (−1.09).

Top engine moves

  1. −1.095… d6 6. O-O gxf3 7. Qxf3 Qf6 8. Kh1 Ne7 9. d4 Bh6 10. e5
  2. −1.075… gxf3 6. Qxf3 d6 7. O-O Qf6 8. d3 Ne7 9. Bxf4 Kd8 10. Qe2
  3. −0.955… Nc6 6. d4 gxf3 7. Qxf3 Qh4+ 8. g3 Nxd4 9. Qf2 Qf6 10. Bxf4

Frequently asked questions

What is the best move in the King's Gambit Accepted: McDonnell Gambit?
After 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 g5 4. Bc4 g4 5. Nc3, Stockfish 18 at depth 18 recommends 5… d6 for Black, continuing 6. O-O gxf3 7. Qxf3 Qf6 8. Kh1 Ne7 9. d4 Bh6 10. e5. Black is clearly better (−1.09). The next best moves are 5… gxf3 (−1.07) and 5… Nc6 (−0.95).
Is the King's Gambit Accepted: McDonnell Gambit a good opening?
Stockfish rates the position at −1.09: Black 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 King's Gambit Accepted: McDonnell Gambit?
C37. 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+).