My Favourite Gambit vs. 1.e4

Introduction

Dear chess friends,

Would you like to know my favourite gambit vs. 1.e4?

It may not be what you expect...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2yufAfN-XI

Other Gambits vs. 1.e4

I can tell you that it is not:

- The Stafford Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 Nc6);
- The Elephant Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d5);
- The Latvian Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 f5);
...as these are too unsound and too easy for advanced players to refute.

It's also not the Marshall Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0-0 8.c3 d5). Even though it has a very good theoretical reputation, there are two problems with this gambit:

1. It's fully worked out, meaning White can make a draw just by remembering a lot of theory;
2. You won't get it on the board much, as White has so many ways to avoid it (from the move 8 Anti-Marshalls like 8.h3/8.a4/8.d3/8.d4, to the Italian/Scotch/4 Knights, among others).

My Three Main Criteria For A Gambit's Effectiveness

For me, there are three main criteria when determining the effectiveness of a gambit:

1. How well it scores in practice;
2. How likely we are to get it on the board;
3. How objectively sound the gambit is.

Looking at some of the earlier options, the Stafford Gambit, Elephant Gambit and Latvian Gambit are all quite easy to get on the board (as they occur in the first 3 moves), and they even score reasonably below 1400 to 1600. But they are completely unsound, and the refutations are also quite easy for White to remember and apply, with White just playing natural moves.

My Favourite Gambit vs. 1.e4, Revealed

Let's see my favourite gambit vs. 1.e4, the Portuguese Scandinavian:

Now let's run it against my three criteria:

1. In my database of just over 6.2 billion games, Black already has a plus score of 51% after 2...Nf6. This surges to 55% for Black after 3.d4 Bg4 (52% win rate). That's already a good percentage score for a White opening, but for a Black opening, it's incredible and speaks to the strength of the Portuguese Scandinavian as a practical weapon.

2. We play it on move 3, with 1.e4, 2.exd5 and 3.d4 all being the most common moves by White. So we are very likely to get it on the board. Technically, our gambit even begins with 2...Nf6, as White could technically hang on to the pawn with 3.c4.

3. Unfortunately, the Portuguese Scandinavian is not 100% sound, with Stockfish 17 giving a +0.58 advantage to White at depth 63. However, that's still a lot better than other gambits vs. 1.e4 (with the exception of the Marshall), and +0.58 is only a slight advantage for White, making the Portuguese Scandinavian just as playable as Black's other approaches in the Scandinavian.

I talk a lot about the Portuguese Scandinavian in my latest video, sharing my passion for this gambit and why I believe it can be a super effective weapon against your usual opponents:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2yufAfN-XI

Conclusion & Next Steps

This was a long video, and intentionally so - it's important for me to fit in as much value as I can into one video, knowing that viewers will have more time to view it before my next content.

What allows me to keep providing such value to the chess world is the small percentage of readers/viewers who love the value I provide for free, find it helpful, and decide that the right next step to simplify and accelerate their chess improvement is to invest in one (or more) of my chess courses.

Of all the courses I've created, I'm most proud of my course 'Play The Strongest Scandinavian In 2025' , and I hope that both my love of the Scandinavian and my mastery of the opening and arising middlegames shined through for you in this post and video.

I've come a long way since I released this first opening course in 2020, and I'm super excited to share my 2025 updates of the best ways to play the Scandinavian as Black with you. This post was just a teaser - I share a lot more on how to play the Portuguese Scandinavian (along with some other approaches) in the full course.

95+% of the messages I receive are spam, so if you have questions about the course or need support, the best way to reach me is illingworthchess@gmail.com.

If you are interested in 'Play The Strongest Scandinavian In 2025', I recommend getting in soon, because the price will go up on March 12, 2025. You can find out the details of what's in the course (and how it will help you improve your chess as well as giving you a lifetime weapon vs. 1.e4 you're confident in) here.