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Train this openingAbout this opening
White offers a pawn to drag your e5 pawn to f4, open the file toward your king, and take the center with d4. exf4 is the most played reply here and it is the honest answer, because declining hands White the center for nothing. Note the score before you take, though: White does very well here, which reflects how sharp the resulting positions are rather than the soundness of the gambit. If you take, the practical problem is that you must give the pawn back at the right moment instead of clinging to it. d5 is the classical counter, striking in the center rather than holding material.
- Take with exf4 and be ready to return the pawn later.
- Counter in the center with d5 rather than holding the pawn.
- Develop quickly and castle before White opens the file.
- Avoid grabbing more material while your king sits in the middle.
- Pawn: f4, the extra pawn you should not cling to
- Pawn: d5, the freeing counter in the center
- Bishop: e7 or g7, covering the dark squares near your king
- Knight: f6, hitting e4 and covering d5
- King: castled short as early as you can manage
Sharp and open, with White attacking down the half-open file. Returning the extra pawn to finish development is usually the move that turns the game in your favor.