Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...e5/2. Bc4/2...Qg5

Bishop's opening C23 Bishop's opening 2...Qg5? A suspicious move. Black threatens White's g2-pawn, thinking to take advantage of the fact that the early development of White's bishop left it undefended. However, the pawn is poisonous. 3. Nf3 attacks the queen and forces it to move, and if 3...Qxg2? then 4. Rg1 Qh3only 5. Bxf7+!. It turns out Black's f7-pawn was hanging, because Black can't afford to take it back. 5...Kxf7?? Ng5+! wins the queen. Even if White does not spot the Bxf7+ tactic, many turn five moves are good for White because they are ahead in development and can easily gain time by attacking Black's queen and forcing it to move, e.g. 5. Nc3 Nf6 6. Rg3 Qh5 7. Rg5 Qh6 8. Rxe5+ Be7 +++ This illustrates the danger of developing one's queen early, unsupported by the minor pieces. Theory table 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Qg5? 345678910Sideline 2... Qg5?Nf3 Qe7 d4 d6 Nc3 Nf6 Ng5 Bg4Qd3 Bh5g4 Bg6dxe5 dxe5f4 + − ... Qg6Nc3 d6d4 exd4Ng5 dxc3Bxf7+ + − ... ...... ...... ...... Nh6Nd5 Kd8h4 f6Nf4 Qe8Nge6+ + − ... Qxg2?Rg1! Qh3Bxf7+! Kd8d4 Nh6Rg3 + − References See also Bishop's Opening Lane, Gary (1993). Winning With the Bishop's Opening. 0-7134-7113-1.