Stafford Gambit

1. e4White plays e4.
2. e5Black replies e5.
3. Nf3Nf3 attacks the e5 pawn.
4. Nf6Nf6 — so far this is just the Petrov Defense.
5. Nxe5White grabs the pawn on e5.
6. Nc6Nc6!? The Stafford. Black ignores the pawn entirely and offers the knight trade, betting everything on rapid development.
7. Nxc6White takes on c6 — the critical continuation, and the one that objectively refutes the gambit.
8. dxc6Black recaptures with the d-pawn. This is the whole point: the queen and the light-squared bishop both spring to life, and the d-file opens.
9. d3d3! The correct and modest reply. White props up e4 and refuses to be greedy.
10. Bc5Black develops Bc5, aiming at f2 — the square every Stafford trap revolves around.
11. Be2Be2! The key defensive move. The bishop covers g4 and h5, taking away Black's two main attacking squares before they can be used.
12. h5Black plays h5, still throwing pieces forward. But White is simply a clean pawn up with everything defended — Stockfish reads it at about +2.1, close to winning with careful play.

The most common way White goes wrong. 5.Nc3 is a perfectly natural developing move — and it loses. Because the knight no longer watches g4, Black plays ...Bc5 and ...Ng4, hitting f2 twice, and White's position collapses. Stockfish swings from about +2 to roughly -1.0 for White here: one natural move flips the whole game.

1. e4White plays e4.
2. e5Black plays e5.
3. Nf3Nf3 attacks e5.
4. Nf6Nf6, heading for the Petrov.
5. Nxe5White takes on e5.
6. Nc6Nc6! The Stafford Gambit.
7. Nxc6White takes on c6.
8. dxc6Black recaptures with the d-pawn, opening the d-file and freeing both queen and bishop.
9. Nc3Nc3?! The move that loses. It develops a piece and looks completely normal, but it stops covering the g4 square.
10. Bc5Black plays Bc5, pointing the bishop at f2.
11. d3d3 tries to shore up the centre, but the damage is already done.
12. Ng4Ng4! Now f2 is attacked twice and cannot be defended enough. Stockfish reads the position at about -1.0 for White — Black is simply better.

The greediest try and the worst. 5.e5 looks like it wins a piece by attacking the f6 knight, but it abandons the e4 square and opens lines towards White's own king. After 5...Ne4 the knight is untouchable and everything points at f2. The engine reads about -2.7 for White: from a winning position to a losing one in a single move.

1. e4White plays e4.
2. e5Black plays e5.
3. Nf3Nf3 hits e5.
4. Nf6Nf6.
5. Nxe5White captures on e5.
6. Nc6Nc6 — the gambit is on.
7. Nxc6White takes on c6.
8. dxc6dxc6 opens the d-file with tempo on the queen.
9. e5e5? The greedy push. It attacks the knight on f6 and looks strong, but it gives away the e4 square permanently.
10. Ne4Ne4! The knight lands on the dream square, eyeing f2 and d2, and it cannot be chased away comfortably.
11. d3d3 attacks the knight, but it is too late.
12. Bc5Bc5 adds a second attacker to f2 and Black's attack plays itself. Stockfish: about -2.7 for White.

The practical solution: decline the whole thing. Instead of capturing on c6, White simply retreats the knight to f3 and transposes into a normal Petrov-style position. White gives back the pawn but keeps a small, safe edge and avoids every trap in the opening. Stockfish reads about -0.3 here — a hair for Black, but a completely normal game with no tricks.

1. e4White plays e4.
2. e5Black plays e5.
3. Nf3Nf3 attacks e5.
4. Nf6Nf6, the Petrov move order.
5. Nxe5White captures on e5.
6. Nc6Nc6, offering the Stafford Gambit.
7. Nf3Nf3! Declining. White retreats rather than taking on c6 and steers into normal channels.
8. Nxe4Black recaptures the pawn on e4, restoring material equality.
9. d4d4 builds the centre.
10. d5d5 supports the knight on e4, exactly as in the Petrov main line.
11. Bd3Bd3 develops and challenges the black knight.
12. Bd6Bd6 develops toward the kingside. The position is balanced and completely normal — the engine reads about -0.3, and crucially there are no traps left to fall into.