Stafford Gambit report from your own games
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What we analyze in your Stafford Gambit games
Your trap success rate and accuracy
Your piece activity and development speed
Your win rate when traps are avoided
Your handling of the resulting pawn structure
Your attacking pattern recognition
Key Positions to Know
Critical concepts every Stafford Gambit player should understand
The Stafford Pawn Sacrifice
After 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 Nc6 4.Nxc6 dxc6, Black has a doubled pawn on c6 but gains development and piece activity. The key is that White's knights have been chased away, and Black's pieces are ready to attack immediately with Bc5 and h5.
The h5 Attacking Move
Black's most dangerous follow-up is 6...h5! — threatening ...h4 to trap White's knight if it goes to g3, or creating a direct kingside attack. This move forces White to make an immediately difficult decision about piece placement under time pressure.
Hidden Traps Everywhere
The Stafford is famous for its multi-layer traps. If White tries to return the pawn with d3, ...Bg4 pins the queen. If White plays naturally with Be2, ...Nd5 forks aiming at f4. Every natural-looking move for White can fall into a tactical refutation that Black has prepared.
Original research from 9,019 real amateur games — data you won't find anywhere else.
At 1200-1400
📊Games last 62 moves on average — 4 moves shorter than average for this bracket.
📊The lower-rated player wins 40.2% of games — about average for this bracket.
📊7.9% of games end before move 20 — most games get into the middlegame.
📊70.5% of games reach the endgame (40+ moves) — most games are decided in the middlegame.
📊White's edge is +0.8% — the position is essentially equal.
How This Opening Changes as You Improve
| Rating | Games | White's Edge | Avg. Game Length | Underdog Wins | Quick Finishes | Endgame Reach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 800-1000 | 2,833 | +12.2%55 /3 /42 | 57-2 | 35.0% | 14.9% | 60.2% |
| 1000-1200 | 2,068 | +4.0%51 /3 /47 | 60-3 | 39.4% | 11.0% | 65.2% |
| 1200-1400 | 1,711 | +0.8%49 /3 /48 | 62-4 | 40.2% | 7.9% | 70.5% |
| 1400-1600 | 1,323 | +6.1%51 /3 /45 | 67-2 | 41.2% | 6.6% | 74.9% |
| 1600-1800 | 1,084 | +1.8%49 /3 /47 | 70-2 | 32.3% | 5.2% | 81.3% |
Based on 9,019 games · Updated
Common Stafford Gambit patterns we detect
We automatically check if you fall for these specific traps.
About the Stafford Gambit
The Stafford Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 Nc6 4.Nxc6 dxc6) is a sharp pawn sacrifice popularized by Eric Rosen. Black gives up a pawn to gain rapid piece development and set a series of dangerous traps that often catch White off-guard. At the club level it scores very well.
We track which specific Stafford traps you attempt and how often they succeed. We identify when your gambit play crosses from creative to careless.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Stafford Gambit analysis
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