King's Gambit
The King's Gambit is a chess opening characterised by very lively and aggresive play which is the case for most gambits. It has been very popular in the 19th century, the era of romatic chess, where attacking chess was at his peak. Nowdays it is rarely seen in top level because due to theory advancements it now offers little more than a sharp starting position for the middlegame. White's purpose of sacrificing his f pawn is to open lines for his pieces and weaken black's center, thus creating ideal circumstances for an attack. Indeed, in this opening white attacks very early in the game, unlike most other chess openings. If black does not take the pawn, white will still have some open lines but play will be calmer. Another important point to note about the King's Gambit is that white, by moving his f pawn, weakens his king's defence severely and this more or less forces him to start an attack. Passivity will quickly result into a losing position.