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Zukertort Opening: Speelsmet Gambit – Fight Back After 1.Nf3 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.e3
Welcome to the Zukertort Opening: Speelsmet Gambit. After 1.Nf3 c5 2.d4 cxd4, White offers a pawn with 3.e3 — a tricky surprise designed to take your opponent out of their regular Sicilian lines. You are playing White, and the engine gives this position -0.90, which is a clear edge for Black. That means you are definitely worse right now. But don't panic: you are giving up material for activity, and the statistics from over 35,000 games show that White still scores 43.9% wins. The key is knowing exactly which reply to hope for — and which to avoid.
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The Speelsmet Gambit is about one thing: rapid development. By sacrificing the d-pawn, you hope to get your pieces out quickly while Black spends a tempo recapturing. After 3.e3, Black's best move is dxe3, accepting the pawn. You then play 4.Bxe3, and the game continues with Nf6 and c4. At that point you have a lively position with the bishop pair and central influence, even if the engine still favours Black slightly. Your compensation comes from activity, not material — you want open lines for your bishops and a quick castle.
The Critical Moment: What Black Should (and Should Not) Do
The database of 35,829 games shows five common replies for Black, and they are not all equal. The engine's best move is dxe3 — taking the pawn immediately. This has been played 27,259 times and scores a solid 43.2% for White. Since the position is already slightly worse for you, a 43.2% result is actually about what you would expect. But here is the thing: three of Black's alternatives — Nc6, d5, and Nf6 — are all classified as mistakes. Each of them loses roughly another pawn's worth of advantage for Black. If your opponent plays one of those, you go from being clearly worse to having much more counterplay.
Punishing Black's Mistakes
Let's look at those mistakes one by one. Nc6 (3,902 games, White scores 46.2%) loses about 1.1 pawns according to the engine — Black was better off taking the pawn. d5 (1,364 games, White scores 41.1%) and Nf6 (1,106 games, White scores 46.5%) each lose roughly 1.2 pawns. That means if Black tries to develop instead of capturing, you gain real compensation. Your task is simple: if Black does not play dxe3, react actively. Keep your development flowing, challenge the centre, and make Black regret not taking the offered pawn. The higher White win percentage in those lines (up to 46.5% against Nf6) tells you that your practical chances improve noticeably.
What the Numbers Say About Your Chances
Across all 35,829 games, White wins 43.9%, draws happen 3.2% of the time, and Black wins 53.0%. So yes, statistically you are the underdog in this gambit — but not by a huge margin. The Speelsmet Gambit is a practical weapon, especially in rapid and blitz games where Black may not know the best reply. If your opponent does know to play dxe3, you still have a playable middlegame with the bishop pair and active pieces. If they play one of the three mistakes — Nc6, d5, or Nf6 — your winning chances jump noticeably. That is exactly the kind of risk-reward trade-off that makes this gambit fun to try.
Results across 35,829 Lichess games
| Most-played continuation | Games | White wins |
|---|---|---|
| dxe3 | 27,259 | 43.2% |
| Nc6 | 3,902 | 46.2% |
| d5 | 1,364 | 41.1% |
| Nf6 | 1,106 | 46.5% |
| e6 | 715 | 47.4% |
| d6 | 436 | 45.6% |
Frequently asked questions
Is the Speelsmet Gambit a good opening for beginners?
It can be, because the ideas are straightforward: sacrifice a pawn for quick development and active pieces. However, you should know that the engine evaluates the position as -0.90, meaning Black is clearly better if they play accurately. Beginners can still have fun with it, especially if their opponent does not know the best response.
What happens if Black does not take the pawn on d4?
If Black plays Nc6, d5, or Nf6 instead of dxe3, the engine considers each of those a mistake. Those moves lose about 1.1 to 1.2 pawns of advantage for Black. White's practical results improve in those lines — for example, White scores 46.5% against Nf6 compared to 43.2% against the best reply dxe3.
How should White continue after Black plays dxe3?
You recapture with the bishop: 4.Bxe3. From there the engine suggests Nf6 and c4 as the natural continuation. You aim to build a strong centre with your c-pawn, develop your other pieces quickly, and castle. The position remains lively with the bishop pair providing compensation for the pawn.
What is White's win rate in the Speelsmet Gambit?
Across 35,829 games, White wins 43.9%, draws 3.2%, and Black wins 53.0%. So White wins a little under half the time. The gambit is a practical try that works especially well when Black is unfamiliar with the position or makes one of the known mistakes.