Stafford gambit

noun

A chess opening deriving from the Petrov Defence (1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6) after which black gives up its king's pawn and plays the queen's knight to the C file (3. Nxe5 Nc6), especially when followed by (4. Nxc6 dxc6).

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Meanings

nounStafford gambit (plural Stafford gambits)

plural Stafford gambits

  1. A chess opening deriving from the Petrov Defence (1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6) after which black gives up its king's pawn and plays the queen's knight to the C file (3. Nxe5 Nc6), especially when followed by (4. Nxc6 dxc6).

Origin

Named after Joseph C. Stafford who famously won a correspondence game with this opening in 1950.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Stafford gambit. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Stafford%20gambit

MLA

“Stafford gambit.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Stafford%20gambit. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Stafford gambit,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Stafford%20gambit.

Source: Stafford gambit on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.