Today I will show you the right way to refute the Stafford Gambit in the Petrov’s Defense, which happens after the opening moves: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5…

Here, after White captures the pawn on e5, instead of trying to recapture the pawn back Black decides to opt for quick development with the move 3…Nc6…

Black sacrifices his central pawn, so that, after this exchange on c6, he is having a free game with his pieces ready to be brought into the game very quickly and to develop a rapid attack. 4. Nxc6 dxc6

This opening became widely popular in recent years – whether you are playing the gambit as Black or want to refute it as White, you will learn some interesting ideas and deadly tricks in this opening.

I recommend you watch the following video, where I show you the refutation of the Stafford Gambit. You can also continue reading this article, where you can see the refutation in detail. 🙂

Many videos and articles suggest you to play 5.d3, which can be hardly called a refutation as it is a very defensive move. The line that I will show you in this video lesson is 5. e5!, which is the right way to refute the Stafford Gambit.

It’s the most aggressive move White can play in this position. You don’t want to defend, you want to attack Black. 5. e5! is the refutation as in most common responses of the main line’s of Black, you are getting a decisive winning advantage. Now Black has two main options: 5…Ne4 and 5…Ng4. Let’s check both options!

Black Plays 5…Ne4

This is a tricky line. Now you have to avoid d3.

6. d4! Shutting down the g1-a7 diagonal, so that the black bishop can’t come out on c5 and create any threats. Now you can continue with Be3 or c3, with a rock-solid position in the center. Also d4 isolates the knight on e4 since the knight has only the g5-square to escape now. You can see the whole analysis of this line here.

Black Plays 5…Ng4

This is another tricky idea of Black, trying to combine the pressure on the e5 and f2-pawns.

6. d4! We’re still playing the same move, protecting the pawn on e5 and closing the g1-a7 diagonal. And here, once again, Black is in trouble. You are preparing to play h3 and kick the g4-knight away. Let’s check the full analysis of this line.

Stafford Gambit for White

This is a bonus line. After the following moves: 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nxe4 4. Nc3!?

This is a Stafford Gambit with the reverse colors and with additional tempo because you are playing White. And because you already have your bishop on c4, this position is better for White compared with the positions that we analyzed previously. And this line is one that you must consider. Let’s see briefly some lines.

As you can see, the line presented in this article is very good for White. In most of the positions, White is clearly winning just in a few moves! 5. e5! is my recommendation to refute this gambit because it’s an aggressive move that doesn’t let Black have an active game.

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