The Anderssen Gambit: How to Punish White's Early Aggression as Black

After 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4, White develops a bishop to an active diagonal, threatening the classic weak f7-square. The Anderssen Gambit (2...b5) is Black's immediate, uncompromising response: you offer a pawn to chase the bishop and grab central space with ...c6. White can accept with 3.Bxb5, and after 3...c6 you are Black, having surrendered a pawn but gained a lead in development and a solid foothold in the centre. The idea is simple: your c6-pawn attacks the bishop, your d5-square is now ripe for a future ...d5 break, and your queenside pieces can come out quickly. White has to decide where to put the bishop, and as you will see, most choices are inaccurate.

Stockfish's top choice is Ba4, retreating the bishop to the corner of the board. This avoids further harassment while keeping an eye on the queenside. The engine then recommends Ba4 Nf6 d3 Na6 — White intends to develop solidly and hold onto the extra pawn. This is the toughest line for you, and the engine's +1.32 reflects that White keeps a clear advantage here. In practice, though, Ba4 is played only 2,680 times out of over 25,000 games — a small minority of White players. Most club players prefer a flashier square — and that is where your winning chances jump.

By far the most common move is Bc4 (20,467 games — the vast majority of White's choices). It looks natural: the bishop returns to its starting square, still eyeing f7. But the engine calls Bc4 an inaccuracy that loses roughly 0.7 pawns of White's advantage. Black now gets ...d5 for free — the central break you dreamed of — and your position quickly becomes active. Next is Bd3 (647 games), also an inaccuracy losing about 0.9 pawns — the bishop blocks the d-pawn and is clumsily placed. Bf1 (76 games) is a third inaccuracy, losing about 0.7 pawns, and retreats all the way home. The only two moves that avoid the 'inaccuracy' tag are Ba4 and, surprisingly, Bxc6 (25 games) — though Bxc6 sees White score just 36.0%, so it's hardly dangerous for you. The takeaway: if White plays anything other than Ba4, you are already in good practical shape.

When White plays 4.Bc4, your counter is simple and powerful: aim for ...d5 immediately. With the pawn on c6 supporting a centre push, you can challenge White's central control and open lines for your pieces. Meanwhile, your queenside bishop will have a clear diagonal on b7 or a6, and your knight can come to f6 with tempo against the e4-pawn. The statistics back this up: Black wins 42.5% overall from the starting position, but after Bc4 — the most popular choice by far — your practical chances climb even further because White has let slip the engine's precise path. The drill below will let you practise the critical moments after Bc4 and the other lesser moves, so you know exactly how to seize the initiative whenever White obliges.