A gambit is the beginning of a chess game in which a player sacrifices pieces for the sake of a subsequent attack, positional or tactical advantage. Most often, a gambit involves a pawn sacrifice. If the opponent "eats" the piece exposed to attack, this is called an accepted gambit; if he does not, it is called a refused gambit. If the opponent does not accept the gambit and sacrifices a piece himself, this is called a countergambit or counter gambit.

The stress is on the last syllable - gambit. The term gambit comes from the Italian gambetto - to trip up (dare il gambetto - to trip up). The term "gambit" was first used by the 16th-century Spanish chess player Ruy Lopez de Segura.

Examples of gambits: King's Gambit, Belgrade Gambit, Janisch Gambit. Gambits are also used in checkers - for example, the Potapov Gambit or the Kukuev Gambit.