Stafford Gambit | The Refutation

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Stafford Gambit | The Refutation

Course 18 episodes
(48 min)
Creators GM Avetik Grigoryan

Out of all the Abracadabra Gambits you may face the Stafford Gambit is objectively the worst yet practically the best

Heavily popularized by streamers and YouTubers such as Eric Rosen, the Stafford Gambit is full of tricks and traps that make it very dangerous for White to face if they’re unprepared.

From the opening, (1. e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5, Nc6?!) Black gambits a pawn in order to open up their Bishops and Queen, with the idea of starting an aggressive attack...

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The good news? If White knows how to play correctly then Black ends up in a completely lost position. And luckily for you this is exactly what you’ll learn from this course.

While there are a few ways that the Stafford Gambit can be refuted we found that the easiest way is simply to accept the Gambit and follow it up with the move 5.d3. As Black typically places their Bishop on c5, the move 5.d3 helps to win tempos and gain the center after the impending c3 and d4!

Not only do you end up with an extra pawn but strategically you have a completely winning position – without having to memorize many moves.

Below are some of the positions from the course:

Stafford GambitStafford GambitStafford GambitStafford GambitStafford GambitStafford GambitStafford GambitStafford Gambit

Ready to see the move-by-move refutation of the Stafford Gambit?

Let's dive in!

Additional reading: You may also find it useful to read our introductory article about the Stafford Gambit, which explains the history behind it, traps, ideas, and alternative refutations.

What you'll learn

  • How to get an advantage against the Stafford Gambit, move-by-move.
  • A simple slogan that will help you remember the refutation of this gambit.
  • The main ideas of the Stafford gambit.
  • The dangerous traps you need to avoid.
  • The 3 major downsides of the Stafford Gambit.
  • Model games that'll show you how to play with White in this opening.
  • Alternative refutations of this gambit and more.

Course Content

  • 18
    Episodes
  • 1
    Attachments
  • 48 min
Are you sure?

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5

Students give this course an average of 5 out of 5 stars.

Mary Mackay-James
Mary Mackay-James
GM Avetik, this course has been excellent for me... just faced my first Stafford Gambit and I won : ) It was personal, so thank you thank you!!
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Hehe :) Thank you, Mary! You learn the refutation once, and then win many more games against Stafford :) Best of luck!
S ARUN KUMAR
S ARUN KUMAR
THANK YOU COACH! GOD BLESS!!
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thanks!!!
Tianlu SHEN
Tianlu SHEN
Very instructive.
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Sorry, Eric :)
Naman Khandelwal
Naman Khandelwal
Wow! What a course. Earlier I was not able to refute this gambit, but this refutation is simply too much for Stafford Gambit. Thank you Chessmood for such a wonderful course!
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Yep :) Thanks too, Naman!
silly cate
silly cate
Stafford players hate this man for teaching this one simple trick!
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Yep! They often sabotage me and ask to delete this course :)
Ayaan Phutane
Ayaan Phutane
very good course
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Sorry, Eric? :)
Ayaan Phutane
Ayaan Phutane
super duper
Tom Nicholson
Tom Nicholson
Another fantastic course, thanks Chessmood :-D!!!
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ChessMood
Thanks, too! :)
Miro Ok
Miro Ok
Great course, why is there no quizzes in this one? I love quizzes :)
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Here it is! :) https://prnt.sc/C8t8EVlm6IwQ
Miro Ok
Miro Ok
Thanks, so it is in overall course instead of per chapter, I was confused coming from the other course that had the other way around! Thanks again, course is really cool :)
Alan Marcuse
Alan Marcuse
Logical, easy to remember - no short castle, no checkmate :) -, nice Model Games - still great!
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Hehe :) Thanks, Alan!
Triston Li
Triston Li
Very helpful course! It helps me deal with Eric Rosen viewers especially! 😂
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Hehe :) I still don't understand how Eric Rosen's viewers haven't hacked our site yet, hehe :) Jokes aside, Eric is great, and Stafford Gambit is very practical and dangerous, if you don't know how to play against it.
Giorgos Kechagias
Giorgos Kechagias
Indradhanush M
Indradhanush M
Great explanation sir, Thank you very much.
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ChessMood
You're welcome, and thank you too!
Katya Klyachko
Katya Klyachko
i think the course is great it really helped me in some tournaments.I used to lose to it all the time and now i win almost all my games against it
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ChessMood
"now i win almost all my games against it" This was our goal!
Katya Klyachko
Katya Klyachko
i loved the course and started winning all my Stafford games as white and a lot in tournoumants
Mario Lacunza
Mario Lacunza
Excellent! graet explanation! thanks!
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ChessMood
Thanks!
Jonathan Evans
Jonathan Evans
I think it is good. I look forward to facing it in the future.
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ChessMood
Thanks!
Olaf Mueller-Michaels
Olaf Mueller-Michaels
Prasanth T
Prasanth T
Artyom Manukyan
Artyom Manukyan
Nad Petre
Nad Petre
Excellent explanations, clear and concise lines.
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ChessMood
Thanks, Nad!
Vrej Arshakyan
Vrej Arshakyan
Mateo Jackson
Mateo Jackson
Shahinur Haque
Shahinur Haque
I was just waiting for this as because in my last tournament i faced few problem with this. Thanks
GM Avetik Grigoryan
GM Avetik Grigoryan

After having a successful playing career where he became the Armenian Champion in 2010, GM Avetik Grigoryan found his passion for chess coaching and switched to it full-time. 

Since then, he has guided many ambitious players to become Grandmasters and International Masters and has over 10 years of coaching experience.

He believes anyone can improve at chess, with the right mood and proper direction. And with that vision, he founded ChessMood in 2018.

After having a successful playing career where he became the Armenian Champion in 2010, GM Avetik Grigoryan found his passion for chess coaching and switched to it full-time. 

Since then, he has guided many ambitious players to become Grandmasters and International Masters and has over 10 years of coaching experience.

He believes anyone can improve at chess, with the right mood and proper direction. And with that vision, he founded ChessMood in 2018.

Please read our introductory article about the Stafford Gambit to learn more about this popular opening.
 

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Course
play 18
Episodes
file 1
Attachments
time 48 min
Creators GM Avetik Grigoryan
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