The Danish Gambit Declined

After 1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.c3 Black quite often declines the gambit.  There are many transpositions with Göring Gambit lines, when Nf3 for White and ...Nc6 for Black follow, but there are also many independent possibilities.  One advantage of the Danish Gambit move-order is that 3...Nf6 is less effective against the Danish than 4...Nf6 is against the Göring.  The main problem with 3...Nf6 is that after 4.e5 Ne4?!, the knight is in an unstable position as it can easily be kicked with f2-f3, so Black has to play 4...Nd5 and then 5.Qxd4 follows, giving White a slight advantage.

Svenonius Defence 3...Ne7

3...Ne7 (the Svenonius Defence) is a particularly significant issue with the Danish Gambit move-order.  White cannot force a transposition into the favourable line of the Göring Gambit that arises from 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.c3 Nge7 5.Bc4 d5 6.exd5 Nxd5 7.0-0, since if White plays 4.Bc4 d5 5.exd5 Nxd5 6.Nf3, then 6...Nb6 follows (instead of the transposition with 6...Nc6).  4.Nf3 d5 5.Qxd4 Nbc6 is also unappealing for White.  
Therefore White most often continues with 4.cxd4 d5 5.e5 Nf5 6.Nc3, but then as well as the standard 6...Be7, Black has 6...c5!? which aims for active piece play in return for an isolated pawn on d5.  White can sacrifice a pawn with 5.Nc3!? dxe4 6.Bc4 Nf5 7.Nge2, but as long as Black isn't tempted to hold onto the pawn, the best White can get into the early middlegame is to regain the pawn and have equality.

3...Qe7

This line is also more effective against the Danish than it is against the Göring, but I don't think that White should worry too much about it, for White ends up with compensation for a pawn.  4.cxd4 Qxe4+ 5.Be3 Bb4+ 6.Nc3 is the usual continuation, with White relying upon a development advantage and opportunities to gain time against the black queen to provide compensation for the pawn.  If Black plays ...Nf6, ...Nd5 and ...Nxe3 then the capture with f2xe3 opens up the f-file for the white king's rook.  However, this line is worth considering from Black's point of view as it may well be as strong as 3...dxc3, and gives White chances to go wrong (e.g. 5.Be2?! Qxg2 doesn't give White enough for two pawns).

3...d3

Against this White should just play 4.Bxd3 and follow up with Ng1-f3, whereupon Black has nothing better than to accept the transposition into Göring Gambit lines with ...Nb8-c6.

3...d5

This is the standard equalising move, aiming for mobilisation of the pieces, but it is often recommended with the aim of steering play into a drawish endgame (4.exd5 Qxd5 5.cxd4 Nc6 6.Nf3 Bb4+ 7.Nc3 Bg4 8.Be2 Bxf3 9.Bxf3 Qc4, as introduced by Capablanca, whereupon White should exchange queens).  White can avoid this line with the deviation 6.Be3, which is probably sufficient for dynamic equality, but it may be more reliable to accept the transposition into the Göring Gambit with 6.Nf3 and then deviate with 8.Be3 instead.  An independent option for Black is 4...Nf6, after which 5.Bb5+ Bd7 6.Bc4 b5 7.Bb3 dxc3 is the most important continuation, leading to approximately equal chances.  Note that via the Danish move-order, 4.Bd3?! is inadvisable because after 4...dxe4 5.Bxe4 Nf6 White must retreat the bishop.

Games and analysis

The coverage is divided as follows:
1.  Svenonius Defence (3...Ne7) with a note on 3...Nf6
2.  3...Qe7
3.  3...d5 focusing on 4.exd5 Nf6
4.  3...d5 4.exd5 Qxd5 5.cxd4 Nf6
5.  3...d5 4.exd5 Qxd5 5.cxd4 Nc6 6.Be3 (instead of 6.Nf3 transposing to the Göring Gambit)

[Event "Hamburg-ch int"] [Site "Hamburg"] [Date "2000.06.10"] [Round "1"] [White "Voigt, Martin"] [Black "Hector, Jonny"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C21"] [WhiteElo "2300"] [BlackElo "2515"] [PlyCount "54"] [EventDate "2000.06.10"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "GER"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2000.07.11"] 1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. c3 {This is the Danish Gambit, which is the same as the Göring Gambit but with the moves Nf3 and ...Nc6 omitted. In some cases play transposes straight into Göring Gambit lines (especially in the variations following 3...d5 and 3...dxc3 4.Nxc3) but there are important differences.} Ne7 {This is one of the most important cases in which the omission of Nf3 and ... Nc6 makes a significant difference, and here the difference is generally in Black's favour, since White is a move further from kingside castling and so cannot easily follow up with the plan of opening the e-file and castling quickly in order to make use of the open file. 3...Ne7, the Svenonious Defence, has not become popular, but appears to be as effective an equalising move against the Danish Gambit as the very popular 3...d5. Black's idea is to play . ..d5 and recapture on d5 with a knight. It is not possible for White to transpose into the more favourable Göring Gambit lines that arise from 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.c3 Nge7 5. Bc4 d5 6.exd5 Nxd5 7.0-0.} (3... Nf6 {should be hit by} 4. e5 {which gives White good chances of a small edge. Black's knight on f6 is forced to a vulnerable position.} Nd5 {is the safest response for Black, but since Black has not played ...Nc6, White can take on d4 with the queen here.} ( 4... Ne4 {is dubious here because the position of the knight is unstable and White has the option f2-f3 in some lines. For example,} 5. Qe2 Ng5 (5... f5 6. exf6 d5 7. f3 {illustrates my previous point, though Black can complicate matters with} d3 8. Qe3 (8. Qxd3 $6 Nxf6) 8... Bc5 9. fxg7 Rg8 10. Qh6 $14) 6. cxd4 Bb4+ 7. Nc3 $14 {was pleasant for White in E.Perales Galino-L.Coll Enriquez, Roncana 2008.}) 5. Qxd4 (5. Nf3 {is also playable, hoping for transposition into the Göring Gambit variation with 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.c3 Nf6 5.e5 Nd5, but Black can avoid the transposition with} d6 {which should be sufficient for equality, e.g.} 6. cxd4 dxe5 7. dxe5 Bb4+ 8. Nc3 Nc6 $11) (5. cxd4 d6 6. Nf3 dxe5 {transposes.}) 5... Nb6 6. Nf3 {with a small advantage for White.}) (3... Nc6 {invites transposition to a Göring Gambit with 4.Nf3. White doesn't achieve much with} 4. cxd4 d5 {since} 5. e5 (5. exd5 Qxd5 {transposes to 3...d5 4.exd5 Qxd5 5.cxd4 Nc6}) 5... Nge7 6. Nf3 Bg4 {transposes to the game continuation.}) (3... d3 {will normally transpose into the 4...d3 declining variation of the Göring Gambit since Nf3 and ...Nc6 usually follow.} 4. Bxd3 d6 (4... Nc6 5. Nf3 {transposes directly to the Göring Gambit}) 5. Nf3 Nf6 {and White should continue with one of the same plans as used in the Göring Gambit version: either 0-0 with the idea Nd4 and f4, or the plan with Bf4, Nbd2 and Qc2, retaining the option of castling on either side. I don't think Black has any good way to avoid transposing with .. .Nc6 at some stage.}) 4. cxd4 {White occupies the centre, but White's central control is set to be short-lived because of Black's impending ...d7-d5 thrust.} (4. Bc4 d5 5. exd5 Nxd5 6. Nf3 {hopes to transpose into Göring Gambit lines following 6...Nc6, but Black can equalise with} Nb6 {with the idea of throwing in an irritating check on the e-file afterwards.} 7. Bd3 Qe7+ 8. Be2 (8. Qe2 Qxe2+ 9. Kxe2 Bg4) 8... Nc6 {is fine for Black as White has spent a couple of tempi with the light-squared bishop.}) (4. Nf3 d5 {is also good for Black.} 5. e5 (5. Qxd4 Nbc6 {is at least equal for Black, e.g.} 6. Bb5 Bd7 (6... Be6 7. exd5 Qxd5 8. Qxd5 Nxd5 {is one alternative which leads to quite a sterile equality.}) 7. Qe3 dxe4 8. Qxe4 a6 {(John Watson) and I prefer Black, as White is set to lose time with the exposed queen.}) 5... Bg4 (5... dxc3 6. Nxc3 {gives White reasonable compensation for a pawn.}) 6. cxd4 Nf5 {transposes to the main line. }) 4... d5 5. e5 (5. Nc3 {was suggested in Danish Dynamite and it looks sufficient for equality, though I think Black should be comfortable as long as Black is not tempted to hold onto the extra pawn. White typically regains the pawn with best play and ends up with an isolated pawn on d4, and aims to offset this by generating active piece play.} dxe4 6. Bc4 Nf5 7. Nge2 {was the suggested continuation in Danish Dynamite, assessing the position as giving White sufficient compensation for the pawn.} Nd6 8. Bb3 g6 (8... Be7 9. O-O O-O 10. Ng3 Nc6 11. Re1 Re8 12. Ncxe4 Nxe4 13. Rxe4 {is one sample line which is quite good for White, due to the strong attacking potential on the kingside.}) (8... Bf5 {does not keep an extra pawn, e.g.} 9. Ng3 Bg6 10. O-O Be7 11. Re1 { and White ends up regaining the pawn on e4 anyway, with a slightly better position.}) (8... f5 $6 9. Nf4) 9. O-O Bg7 {The kingside fianchetto may well be the most solid and reliable option for Black here.} 10. Ng3 O-O 11. Re1 Nc6 12. d5 Na5 13. Ngxe4 $11 {is one plausible continuation. There is plenty of scope for investigation and original ideas here, but I sense that Black is quite comfortable as long as he or she isn't tempted to hold onto the extra pawn.}) (5. exd5 Nxd5 {is no good for White, since the black knight on d5 is ideally placed, blocking the isolated pawn on d4.}) 5... Nf5 {Black moves the same piece twice early in the opening, but there is a lot of logic behind this move. Black puts pressure on the d4-pawn and frees up the development of the f8-bishop.} (5... Nbc6 {is the other main line.} 6. Nc3 {is probably the best response, avoiding the immediate ...Bg4 pin.} (6. Nf3 Bg4 {transposes to a line of the Göring Gambit which is fine for Black, e.g.} 7. Nbd2 Ng6 8. h3 Bf5 9. Bb5 Be7) 6... Nf5 (6... Bf5 7. Nf3 {and now playing ...Bg4 would amount to a loss of tempo over the 6.Nf3 Bg4 line.}) 7. Nf3 Be7 {and White is slightly better- one double-edged idea is} 8. g4 $5 Nh4 9. Nxh4 Bxh4 10. Bg2 $14) 6. Nc3 Be7 {Black prepares quick kingside castling.} (6... c5 7. Nf3 Nc6 {was instead tried against Martin Voigt in 2011, with the idea of disrupting White's centre. It looks like quite a promising alternative for Black.} 8. dxc5 Be6 9. Bd3 Bxc5 10. O-O O-O {offers chances for both sides, and in a reversal of roles, it's Black who has an isolated d-pawn but enjoys active piece play as compensation. Voigt,M (2325)-Sriram,J (2442) Pattaya 2011}) 7. Nf3 O-O 8. Bd3 Nc6 {Putting extra pressure on d4 and forcing White to make a concession.} 9. Ne2 (9. Bc2 { is a good suggestion of John Watson, using the queen on d1 to protect the d4-pawn. Then the c3-knight is not taken away from the centre, while the bishop on c2 can still assist White's attacking potential along the b1-h7 diagonal.}) 9... f6 10. a3 $2 (10. O-O {provides White with at least equality, and some attacking prospects on the kingside. For example,} fxe5 11. dxe5 Nh4 ( 11... Nb4 12. Bb1 c6 13. Nf4) 12. Nxh4 Bxh4 13. f4) 10... fxe5 11. dxe5 Nh4 12. Nxh4 Bxh4 {The important difference is that, since White has not castled, and the move a2-a3 is close to useless in this variation, White has to take action to deal with Black's attack on f2 and ends up losing a pawn for insufficient compensation.} 13. Bf4 (13. O-O Nxe5 14. Bc2 $17 {may have been White's best practical chance, at least getting the king to safety, but Black has the upper hand.}) 13... Nxe5 14. Bxe5 Bxf2+ 15. Kd2 Qg5+ 16. Bf4 Rxf4 17. Nxf4 Qxf4+ 18. Kc2 Bg4 19. Qf1 (19. Qd2 {was objectively the best move, though this gives Black the option of trading queens into a much better endgame where the bishop and two pawns outweigh the rook.}) 19... c5 20. h3 Bd7 21. Kb1 c4 22. Bc2 Re8 23. Ka2 {This gets White's king out of immediate trouble but Black can now crush White through the centre, with the aid of the c and d-pawns.} d4 24. Qd1 d3 25. Rf1 Re2 26. Rc1 Be6 27. Ka1 Qe5 0-1 [Event "Hamburg-ch int"] [Site "Hamburg"] [Date "2000.06.12"] [Round "3"] [White "Voigt, Martin"] [Black "Rausis, Igors"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C21"] [WhiteElo "2300"] [BlackElo "2486"] [PlyCount "80"] [EventDate "2000.06.10"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "GER"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2000.07.11"] 1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. c3 Qe7 {A rather cheeky defence in which Black counterattacks against e4, and tries to win the pawn on e4 rather than c3. White should, though, be able to get enough compensation.} 4. cxd4 {White freely sacrifices the e-pawn and counts on a development advantage and Black's exposed queen to provide sufficient compensation for the pawn.} (4. Qxd4 $6 Nc6 5. Qe3 Nf6 $15 {is a poor variation of the Centre Game (3.Qxd4) for White.}) ( 4. Bd3 $6 d5 {leaves White in trouble, e.g.} 5. Qe2 dxe4 6. Bxe4 Nf6 7. Bd3 Nc6 $15 {and Black keeps an extra pawn after all.}) (4. Nf3 Qxe4+ 5. Be2 d3 $1 { forces White to accept a queen trade while remaining a pawn down:} 6. Qxd3 Qxd3 7. Bxd3 $15) 4... Qxe4+ 5. Be3 (5. Be2 {is a bold sacrifice of a second pawn, which is dangerous for Black but its soundness is questionable. One high-level encounter continued from here:} Qxg2 6. Bf3 Bb4+ 7. Nc3 Qg6 8. Nge2 Ne7 9. Rg1 Qf5 10. Ng3 Qe6+ 11. Be3 O-O $15 {White has some, but not enough, compensation for two pawns, and will aim to castle long. However, Black has to be careful of White's attacking chances down the g-file. Knudsen,J (2435) -Nierobisz,J (2425) ICCF email 2005}) 5... Bb4+ {The idea of this move is to prevent White from chasing the black queen away immediately with Nb1-c3.} (5... Nf6 6. Nc3 Bb4 {transposes to 5...Bb4+ 6.Nc3 Nf6.}) 6. Nc3 d5 {I doubt that this is Black's most challenging continuation.} (6... Nf6 {is the most popular move, with the idea} 7. Nf3 Nd5 {pressuring the knight on c3. Batsford Chess Openings 2 assessed this position as unclear/slightly better for Black, but White's compensation for the pawn is probably sufficient for dynamic equality.} 8. Qd2 Nxe3 (8... Qe7 9. Bd3 Nxe3 10. fxe3 {transposes.}) 9. fxe3 Qe7 10. Bd3 { gives White promising attacking chances thanks to the strong centre and the half-open c and f-files, for example,} d5 11. O-O Nd7 12. Rae1 $44 {Berza,S (2385)-Begliy,M (2236) ICCF email 2006}) 7. Nf3 Bf5 {The idea here is to prevent White from putting the f1-bishop on d3 without it being exchanged off for the bishop on f5.} 8. Rc1 {White prepares to take command of the half-open c-file.} Qe7 9. Bd3 Bxd3 10. Qxd3 {White's compensation is most likely sufficient here because of the large lead in development and White's control of the c-file.} Nf6 11. O-O O-O 12. Bg5 c6 13. Rfe1 Qd6 {Black breaks the pin on the f6-knight.} 14. Nh4 {This knight is headed for f5, where it will put pressure on the black kingside, though Black has a surprisingly good defence against this idea.} (14. Ne5 {may be a better move.}) 14... Nbd7 (14... g6 { was best here, preventing Nf5, as it is not easy for White to take advantage of the weak kingside dark squares- the knight on h4 rather gets in the way. White does have a sharp continuation in} 15. Nf5 $5 gxf5 16. Qxf5 Ne8 17. Be7 Qxe7 18. Rxe7 Bxe7 {but it is doubtful if White's attacking chances compensate fully for Black having a rook and two pieces for the queen.}) 15. Nf5 { Although objectively Black may be able to survive from here, the defence is very difficult.} Qc7 16. Qh3 Bxc3 17. bxc3 Rfe8 18. Nxg7 $1 {This temporary piece sacrifice leaves Black's f6-knight without adequate protection and opens up Black's king.} Kxg7 19. Qh6+ Kg8 20. Bxf6 Nxf6 21. Qg5+ Kh8 22. Qxf6+ Kg8 23. h4 {White now has attacking chances in a position with level material.} Qd8 24. Qf4 Qd7 25. h5 Re6 26. Re5 Rxe5 $6 (26... Rae8 {would have ben a stronger defence, although White remains clearly better.}) 27. dxe5 (27. Qg3+ Kf8 28. Qxe5 {is even stronger due to the threat of Qh8+.}) 27... Qe6 28. Re1 Re8 29. Re3 h6 30. Rf3 Kg7 31. Qg3+ Kf8 32. Rf6 Qxe5 33. Qg6 Re7 34. Qxh6+ {Taking Black's h6-pawn in return for the e5-pawn is quite a good exchange for White because it leaves White with a dangerous passed h-pawn.} Ke8 35. Rf3 Qe1+ 36. Kh2 Qe5+ 37. g3 Qe2 38. Kg2 Qe4 (38... Qe5 39. Qh7) 39. Qd6 Kf8 (39... Qe5 40. Qxe5 Rxe5 41. Re3 Rxe3 42. fxe3 {leads to a won king and pawn ending for White, thanks to the passed h-pawn.}) 40. h6 Kg8 {White wins with Qf6 threatening mate on g7.} 1-0 [Event "FIN-chT"] [Site "Finland"] [Date "1995.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Lehtivaara, Risto"] [Black "Binham, Timothy F"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C21"] [WhiteElo "2255"] [BlackElo "2340"] [PlyCount "73"] [EventDate "1995.??.??"] [EventRounds "6"] [EventCountry "FIN"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1997.11.17"] 1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. c3 d5 {This is Black's most popular way of declining the Danish Gambit, with the aim of reaching equality and quickly mobilising the black pieces. Most games from here transpose into the Göring Gambit Declined, but there are a few independent options for both sides.} 4. exd5 { Using the Danish Gambit move-order, White has no good alternative to taking on d5.} (4. Bd3 $6 dxe4 5. Bxe4 Nf6 {will leave Black with a reasonably safe extra pawn after the e4-bishop retreats, since unlike in the analogous line of the Göring Gambit, there is no black knight on c6 for White to trade the e4-bishop for.} 6. Bg5 Be7 7. Bxf6 Bxf6 {avoids losing a tempo with the e4-bishop but Black still ends up with an extra pawn for inadequate compensation.}) (4. Qa4+ $6 {might work if Black is unprepared to revert to the role of "gambiteer", but by sacrificing a pawn, Black is able to generate a very strong initiative:} Bd7 (4... Nc6 5. Bb5 dxe4 6. Bxc6+ bxc6 7. Qxc6+ Bd7 8. Qxe4+ Be7 9. Qxd4 Nf6 {is less convincing, although Black may have sufficient compensation for a pawn even here.}) 5. Qxd4 Nc6 6. Qxd5 Nf6 {and Black stands better in spite of the pawn minus due to the large development advantage. One sample line, following which I really don't like White's position, runs:} 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bxf6 Qxf6 9. Nf3 O-O-O) (4. e5 $6 dxc3 5. Nxc3 d4 6. Nb5 Nc6 7. Nf3 Bg4 {transposes to a poor line of the Göring Gambit Declined for White.}) 4... Nf6 $5 {The recapture on d5 with the queen is more popular here. Of course in the Göring Gambit move-order, Black does not have this additional possibility because the white d5-pawn hits a black knight on c6.} 5. Bb5+ {White opts to cause some disruption to the black queenside and make it difficult for Black to safely grab the pawn on d5.} (5. cxd4 {is the most popular move but it is not convincing.} Nxd5 6. Nc3 (6. Nf3 Bb4+ 7. Bd2 O-O 8. Be2 {leaves Black with at least equality.}) 6... Bb4 7. Bd2 O-O 8. Bd3 Nc6 9. Nge2 $11 {Miezis,N (2527)-Sarakauskas,G (2414) Liverpool 2006}) (5. Bc4 Nxd5 6. Nf3 Nb6 {is quite good for Black.}) (5. Nf3 Nxd5 6. Qxd4 (6. cxd4 {transposes to 5.cxd4 Nxd5 6.Nf3}) 6... Nc6 7. Bb5 Be7 {(A.Alekhine-R.Molina, Buenos Aires 1926) is quite a strong pawn sacrifice from Black, which White probably does best to decline.} 8. O-O (8. Qxg7 Bf6 9. Qh6 Qe7+ 10. Be3 Rg8 $44) 8... O-O 9. Bxc6 bxc6 10. Re1 {and in J.Assmann-N.Krasue, Black improved on Molina's play with} Bf6 {and Black's position is quite attractive thanks to the bishop-pair.} ) 5... Bd7 {This appears to be best, blocking the bishop check and threatening to take on d5.} (5... c6 {is the main alternative, which involves the sacrifice of a pawn, but it is doubtful if Black gets enough compensation.} 6. dxc6 Nxc6 7. Qxd4 Bd6 (7... Qxd4 8. cxd4 $14) 8. Nf3 O-O 9. Bxc6 bxc6 10. O-O { leaves Black with some compensation for a pawn, but it is not clear if it is enough.}) 6. Bc4 {This is White's most challenging continuation, holding onto the d5-pawn.} (6. Bxd7+ Qxd7 7. Nf3 Nxd5 $11 {is hardly what White wants.}) 6... b5 {Black decides to cause some disruption in the white queenside before taking on c3.} (6... dxc3 7. Nxc3 {gives White the more active piece play, although the isolated pawn on d5 can potentially become a weakness.} Bd6 8. Nf3 O-O 9. O-O {is one plausible continuation, with chances for both sides.}) 7. Bb3 dxc3 {Black now takes the c3-pawn, which is most likely best here, since otherwise Qd1xd4 would give White an extra pawn for insufficient compensation.} 8. Nxc3 b4 {This is the most challenging option for White to face, gaining some queenside space and forcing the c3-knight to a less ideal square, though Black must be careful of the potential for the advanced queenside pawns to become weak.} 9. Nce2 Bd6 {I think Black has a fair share of the chances in this position. The b4-pawn can always be defended with ...a7-a5 if needed.} 10. Bf4 O-O 11. Bxd6 cxd6 12. Nf3 Na6 13. O-O Nc5 {A good square for the knight, since White is not in a good position to challenge the knight.} 14. Bc4 Na4 15. Bb3 Qa5 {Black correctly refrains from taking on b2, since 16.Qc2 would then trap the knight.} 16. Qd2 Rfe8 17. Nf4 Nc5 {Black continues to generate mischief on the queenside while White concentrates on the kingside.} 18. Bc4 Rac8 19. h3 $6 {This falls for a tactic based on White's undefended bishop on c4.} (19. Rac1 {is one way to defend against Black's idea.}) 19... Nce4 20. Qd4 Nxf2 21. Rae1 (21. Rxf2 $6 Re4) 21... N2e4 {Black thus wins a pawn, and so White opts to go all-out for a kingside attack.} 22. g4 $6 Qb6 $6 (22... Ng3 { is very problematic for White.}) 23. Qxb6 axb6 24. Bd3 Ng3 25. Rxe8+ Rxe8 26. Rc1 Nge4 $2 {This loses material.} (26... h6 $17 {was the way to stifle White's kingside attack.}) 27. g5 Nc5 28. gxf6 Re3 29. Be2 gxf6 $2 (29... g5 { was Black's best bet, undermining the protection of the bishop on e2, though it still leads to a better position for White:} 30. Nxg5 Rg3+ 31. Kh2 Rxg5 32. Rc4) 30. Kf2 Re5 31. Rg1+ Kf8 32. Nxe5 fxe5 33. Nh5 Bxh3 34. Nf6 Ke7 35. Nxh7 Ne4+ 36. Ke3 Bf5 37. Bd3 1-0 [Event "Wichern op 6th"] [Site "Hamburg"] [Date "2001.10.17"] [Round "5.18"] [White "Voigt, Martin"] [Black "Staak, Riccardo"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D20"] [WhiteElo "2300"] [BlackElo "2163"] [PlyCount "89"] [EventDate "2001.10.21"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "GER"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2001.11.25"] 1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. c3 d5 4. exd5 Qxd5 {This is Black's most common recapture, although 4...Nf6, as played in the previous game, may also equalise. } 5. cxd4 (5. Nf3 {is also playable and will usually transpose into regular Göring Gambit Declined lines.}) 5... Nf6 (5... Nc6 {is most popular, attacking d4 and limiting White's options.}) 6. Nc3 Qd8 {This is rather passive and gives White good chances of securing an advantage.} (6... Bb4 {is a more active alternative and may suffice for dynamic equality.} 7. Nf3 O-O 8. Be2 { will usually transpose back to Göring Gambit lines after ...Nb8-c6.}) 7. Bc4 { Normally the bishop has to go to e2 in this line, but with Black's queen passively placed on d8, White can get away with developing the f1-bishop to a more active square here.} Be7 8. Nf3 (8. Nge2 {is another good idea, with the option of bringing the knight out to f4. Here is one nice example of White's attacking chances:} Nbd7 9. O-O Nb6 10. Bb3 c6 11. Nf4 O-O 12. h3 Qd6 13. Be3 Bd8 14. d5 cxd5 15. Bxb6 Bxb6 16. Ncxd5 Nxd5 17. Nxd5 Bc5 18. Qf3 Qe5 19. Rae1 Qxb2 20. Re2 Qa3 21. Re5 Kh8 22. Rh5 f5 23. Rxh7+ Kxh7 24. Qh5+ {1-0 Vajda,S (2322)-Goczo,M (2158) Hungary 2002}) 8... O-O 9. h3 {This move is often played in this type of position, preventing Black from pinning the f3-knight with ... Bg4 and undermining White's defence of the d4-pawn.} Nbd7 10. O-O Nb6 11. Bb3 { White has maintained some advantage, as the active white pieces more than compensate for White's isolated d4-pawn.} Nfd5 12. Re1 Be6 13. Ne4 c6 14. a3 Re8 15. Qd3 Bf5 16. Ne5 {White envisages a tactic on f7, but it doesn't work out, and the knight ends up coming under pressure.} (16. Bd2 $14) 16... Bd6 17. Nxf7 (17. g4 Bxe4 18. Rxe4 {is probably White's best continuation here, but Black now has quite a good position.}) 17... Kxf7 $2 (17... Rxe4 $1 {is the problem with White's idea, e.g.} 18. Qxe4 Qf6 19. Nh6+ gxh6 20. Qf3 Kg7 {and Black is left with two pieces for rook and pawn, and is slightly better.}) 18. Nxd6+ Qxd6 19. Qxf5+ {White is now a pawn up for nothing.} Qf6 20. Qh5+ Qg6 21. Qxg6+ Kxg6 22. Bd2 Kf7 23. Rxe8 Rxe8 24. Re1 Rxe1+ 25. Bxe1 Kf6 26. Bd2 h6 27. f3 Kf5 28. Kf2 Kf6 29. f4 Nc8 30. Kf3 Nd6 31. g4 g6 32. f5 gxf5 33. Bxh6 fxg4+ 34. hxg4 Nf7 35. Bd2 Nd6 36. a4 Kg6 37. Bf4 Nxf4 38. Kxf4 Kf6 39. g5+ Kg6 40. Bc2+ Kg7 41. Bd3 a5 42. Ke5 Nf7+ 43. Kf5 b5 44. d5 cxd5 45. axb5 1-0 [Event "WS MN/009 email"] [Site "ICCF email"] [Date "2006.04.20"] [Round "?"] [White "Nepustil, Frantisek"] [Black "Cottegnie, Francis"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C21"] [WhiteElo "2324"] [BlackElo "2373"] [PlyCount "58"] [EventDate "2006.??.??"] [EventType "corr"] [EventRounds "12"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2008.06.24"] 1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. c3 d5 4. exd5 Qxd5 5. cxd4 Nc6 {This is the usual response from Black, inviting a straight transposition into the Göring Gambit Declined with 6.Nf3.} 6. Be3 $5 {White side-steps the transposition. This is an interesting sideline and with best play should probably transpose to Göring Gambit lines, while avoiding Capablanca's Defence.} (6. Nf3 Bg4 7. Nc3 Bb4 8. Be3 {avoids the Capablanca Defence, as pointed out to me by Mark Nieuweboer, but allows the deviation 7...Bxf3.} (8. Be2 Bxf3 9. Bxf3 Qc4 {is the line that most Danish and Göring Gambit players would rather avoid.})) 6... Nf6 {Black has a few alternatives here, but other than 6. ..Bb4+ 7.Nc3 Nf6 which transposes, they do not seriously challenge White's move-order and leave White with a fairly pleasant "isolated queen's pawn" position.} 7. Nc3 {White develops and attacks the black queen, and narrows down Black's options, because if the black queen moves then White can get in the strong d4-d5 advance, so Black must react by pinning the knight.} Bb4 (7... Qa5 {should be met by} 8. d5) 8. Nf3 (8. Nge2 {is the main alternative but I think it leaves White struggling to equalise.} Bg4 9. a3 $5 {offers a pawn sacrifice via} (9. Qd2 O-O-O 10. f3 Bf5 11. a3 Qa5 12. Rc1 {left White struggling to level the chances in M.Chapman-S.Solomon, Melbourne 2002, although White went on to win the game.}) 9... Bxe2 (9... Bxc3+ 10. bxc3 {followed by refusing the pawn and castling to either side looks more promising for Black, where White will struggle to untangle the kingside pieces thanks to the clumsy-looking knight on e2.}) 10. Bxe2 Bxc3+ 11. bxc3 Qxg2 12. Bf3 Qh3 13. Rb1 $44) 8... Qa5 9. Qb3 {Play now closely resembles a line of the Göring Gambit Declined (6.Nf3 Bg4 7. Nc3 Bb4 8.Be3 Qa5 9.Qb3) except that Black is not committed to ...Bg4 and can choose to develop the bishop elsewhere.} O-O (9... Ne4 10. Rc1 {covers everything for White.}) 10. Bc4 {In most situations the bishop belongs on e2, but here developing to c4 is better to prevent Black from getting ...Be6 in.} Qh5 11. O-O Bd6 12. Be2 Ng4 13. h3 Nxe3 14. fxe3 {Black has grabbed the bishop-pair, but has strengthened White's centre.} Qg6 (14... Bxh3 {appears to give Black enough attacking chances for a draw following} 15. gxh3 Qg6+ 16. Kh1 Qg3) 15. h4 Nd8 16. Qb5 c6 17. h5 {White's h-pawn gives White attacking chances on the kingside, although objectively Black can survive.} Qe6 18. Qd3 Bc7 19. Ne4 f5 20. Nc5 Qe7 21. h6 Rf6 22. hxg7 b6 23. Nb3 Bg3 24. a4 Ba6 25. Qd2 Bxe2 26. Qxe2 Ne6 27. Qc4 Qxg7 28. Qxc6 Nc7 {In this position White is still doing OK, but here White just blunders the queen.} 29. Rfd1 $4 (29. Qc4+ Kh8 30. Nbd2) 29... Rxc6 0-1