Answers.Body: <p>Sure, for example the Halloween Gambit. This is not a sound gambit at top levels of play, but if White plays it, Black must accept. The alternatives are even worse.</p>
  <pre><code>[FEN &quot;&quot;]
  1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nxe5 Nxe5 (4... Nxe4 5. Qh5 g6?? 6. Nxc6 wins) 5. d4 (5...Nc6 6. d5 Ne5 7. f4 Ng6 8. e5 Ng8) (5...Ng6 6. e5 Ng8 7. Bc4)
  </code></pre>
  <p>Black's best move is 4...Nxe5. Every other move except 4...Nxe4 gives away a pawn for nothing, and 4...Nxe4 allows White a dangerous initiative after 5. Qh5.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2021-12-21T11:39:21.260Z
Answers.Text: What do you mean by after 5. Qh5?
Answers.UserDisplayName: Toby Mak
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Answers.Text: Also, Stockfish ranks the position -2.0 with careful play: Black can retreat 5. ... Ng6 and still be up [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween_Gambit).
Answers.UserDisplayName: Toby Mak
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Answers.Text: @TobyMak I don't understand your question. Are you looking for lines after 5. Qh5? Also, the Halloween Gambit is not sound in high level play, hence the -2 eval from Stockfish.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Allure
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Answers.Text: The edit makes it much clearer now.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Toby Mak
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Answers.CreationDate: 2021-12-22T16:57:35.813Z
Answers.Text: What reason would black have to do anything other than Nxe5? I can't see how this gambit is worthwhile to do for white at all.
Answers.UserDisplayName: TKoL
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Answers.Text: @TKoL It's not. Just an example for this question.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Rushabh Mehta
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Answers.Text: As Don Thousand writes, this is not a good gambit at high levels of play (at low levels it is very dangerous since defending is not easy). But if White plays it, Black must accept - declining is even worse.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Allure
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Answers.Text: @allure that's what I'm trying to understand. How is it dangerous? Doesn't white just lose a knight?
Answers.UserDisplayName: TKoL
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Answers.Text: @TKoL after 4...Nxe5 White plays 5. d4, kicking Black's knights around. Black can easily be forced to play ...Ng8, e.g. after 4...Nxe5 5.d4 Nc6 6.d5 Ne5 7.f4 Ng6 8.e5 Ng8, giving White a massive development advantage. See e.g. https://timkr.home.xs4all.nl/tour/breeze.htm
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Answers.Body: <p>Some gambits whose best response is to accept.</p>
  <p>1 e4 c5 <strong>2 d4 cxd4</strong> 4 c3: Sicilian Defence, Smith-Morra Gambit</p>
  <p>1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 <strong>e5 3 dxe5</strong> Ng4 4 Bf4 Nc6 5 Nf3 Bb4+ 6 Nbd2 Qe7: Budapest Gambit</p>
  <p>1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 g6? <strong>4 d4 exd4</strong> 5 Bg5: Ruy Lopez, Fianchetto Variation</p>
  <p>1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Nf6 <strong>4 d4 exd4</strong> 5 0-0: Italian Opening, Two Knights Defence</p>
  <p>Does it count as a gambit if the gambited unit is captured but not immediately after it is moved? (You could argue that the gambiting player gambits a unit by not defending it.) If this counts:</p>
  <p>1 e4 <strong>e5</strong> 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 <strong>Nxe5</strong> d6 4 Nf3 Nxe4 5 d4 : Petrov Defence</p>
  <p><strong>1 e4 e5</strong> 2 Nc3 Nf6 3 f4 d5 <strong>4 fxe5 Nxe4</strong> 5 Nf3: Vienna Gambit Declined</p>
  <p>1 d4 Nf6 <strong>2 c4</strong> e6 3 g3 d5 4 Bg2 <strong>dxc4</strong> 5 Nf3 Be7 6 0-0 0-0: Catalan Opening</p>
  <p>I don't count captures where the capturer is immediately recaptured, because these are termed exchanges rather than gambits. But the question &quot;should I start this exchange?&quot; is just as valid as &quot;should I accept this gambit?&quot;.</p>
  <p>You might count the Danish Gambit</p>
  <p>1 e4 e5 2 d4 exd4 3 c3</p>
  <p>on the basis that White <em>gambited</em> wPd4. However, Black might well have expected an <em>exchange</em> on d4; the mainline is the Centre Gambit 3 Qxd4.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
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Answers.Text: Oh, so _that's_ what the Center Game's mainline is!
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Body: <p>Are there any gambit lines in which declining the gambit is a blunder or at least can be considered a misplay?</p>
  
Tags: <opening><gambits><blunder>
Title: Opening positions where declining a gambit is a blunder
ThreadText: # Opening positions where declining a gambit is a blunder
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2021-12-21)
  
  Are there any gambit lines in which declining the gambit is a blunder or at least can be considered a misplay?
  
  **Tags:** opening, gambits, blunder
  
  
  ---
  
  ## 2 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_1 on 2021-12-21. Score: 15
  
  Sure, for example the Halloween Gambit. This is not a sound gambit at top levels of play, but if White plays it, Black must accept. The alternatives are even worse.
  
  ```
  [FEN ""]
  1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nxe5 Nxe5 (4... Nxe4 5. Qh5 g6?? 6. Nxc6 wins) 5. d4 (5...Nc6 6. d5 Ne5 7. f4 Ng6 8. e5 Ng8) (5...Ng6 6. e5 Ng8 7. Bc4)
  
  ```
  
  Black's best move is 4...Nxe5. Every other move except 4...Nxe4 gives away a pawn for nothing, and 4...Nxe4 allows White a dangerous initiative after 5. Qh5.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_2**: What do you mean by after 5. Qh5?  
  > **username_2**: Also, Stockfish ranks the position -2.0 with careful play: Black can retreat 5. ... Ng6 and still be up [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween_Gambit).  
  > **username_1**: @username_2 I don't understand your question. Are you looking for lines after 5. Qh5? Also, the Halloween Gambit is not sound in high level play, hence the -2 eval from Stockfish.  
  > **username_2**: The edit makes it much clearer now.  
  > **username_3**: What reason would black have to do anything other than Nxe5? I can't see how this gambit is worthwhile to do for white at all.  
  > **username_4**: @username_3 It's not. Just an example for this question.  
  > **username_1**: As Don Thousand writes, this is not a good gambit at high levels of play (at low levels it is very dangerous since defending is not easy). But if White plays it, Black must accept - declining is even worse.  
  > **username_3**: @username_1 that's what I'm trying to understand. How is it dangerous? Doesn't white just lose a knight?  
  > **username_1**: @username_3 after 4...Nxe5 White plays 5. d4, kicking Black's knights around. Black can easily be forced to play ...Ng8, e.g. after 4...Nxe5 5.d4 Nc6 6.d5 Ne5 7.f4 Ng6 8.e5 Ng8, giving White a massive development advantage. See e.g. https://timkr.home.xs4all.nl/tour/breeze.htm  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_5 on 2021-12-21. Score: 11
  
  Some gambits whose best response is to accept.
  
  1 e4 c5 **2 d4 cxd4** 4 c3: Sicilian Defence, Smith-Morra Gambit
  
  1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 **e5 3 dxe5** Ng4 4 Bf4 Nc6 5 Nf3 Bb4+ 6 Nbd2 Qe7: Budapest Gambit
  
  1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 g6? **4 d4 exd4** 5 Bg5: Ruy Lopez, Fianchetto Variation
  
  1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Nf6 **4 d4 exd4** 5 0-0: Italian Opening, Two Knights Defence
  
  Does it count as a gambit if the gambited unit is captured but not immediately after it is moved? (You could argue that the gambiting player gambits a unit by not defending it.) If this counts:
  
  1 e4 **e5** 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 **Nxe5** d6 4 Nf3 Nxe4 5 d4 : Petrov Defence
  
  **1 e4 e5** 2 Nc3 Nf6 3 f4 d5 **4 fxe5 Nxe4** 5 Nf3: Vienna Gambit Declined
  
  1 d4 Nf6 **2 c4** e6 3 g3 d5 4 Bg2 **dxc4** 5 Nf3 Be7 6 0-0 0-0: Catalan Opening
  
  I don't count captures where the capturer is immediately recaptured, because these are termed exchanges rather than gambits. But the question "should I start this exchange?" is just as valid as "should I accept this gambit?".
  
  You might count the Danish Gambit
  
  1 e4 e5 2 d4 exd4 3 c3
  
  on the basis that White *gambited* wPd4. However, Black might well have expected an *exchange* on d4; the mainline is the Centre Gambit 3 Qxd4.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_6**: Oh, so _that's_ what the Center Game's mainline is!  
  
  ---
  
  