Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...e5/2. Nf3/2...Nc6/3. Bb5/3...f5

Jaenisch gambit Schliemann defence C63 Spanish game 4. Nc3 · Dyckhoff variation 4. d3 3...f5 · Jaenisch gambit The first thing to know about the the Jaenisch gambit, aka the Schliemann defence, is that it is not a gambit. Despite the apparent similarity to the Latvian gambit, Black's knight on c6 changes everything. Capture a pawn ? Unlike in the Latvian, White can't capture on e5 immediately, and capturing on e5 after exchanging on c6 (4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. Nxe5) doesn't win the pawn either because ...dxc6 let Black's queen into the game, and the usual Ruy López rejoinder 5...Qd4! wins it straight back. Ah, thinks White, don't I have the intermezzo 6. Qh5+, with the knight controlling g6? Unfortunately this falls into a common trap. 6. Qh5+?? g6 7. Nxg6 hxg6 and the rook is defended by Black's queen. The pawn on f5 isn't free either. 4. exf5?! and 4...e4 embarrasses the knight, who (again, because of that knight on c6) doesn't have the e5 or d4 squares to move to. After 5. Qe2 Qe7 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. Nd4, the game may even end in a draw by repetition after 7...Qe5 8. Nf3 Qe7 etc. So rather than blast the Jaenisch off the board, White must act natural and wait to exploit Black's weakened kingside further down the line. Defend e4 Black's pawn on f5 is threatening ...fxe4, so White should choose a move that helps to defend e4. The choice is 4. Nc3 or 4. d3: would White prefer to recapture with a knight or a pawn? 4. Nc3 is the Dyckhoff variation. Recapturing with the knight (4...fxe4 5. Nxe4) invites 5...d5, and leads to the hair-raising sacrifice 6. Nxe5! and a razor-sharp repudiation of the gambit. 4. d3 is a popular and less sharp alternative, intending to recapture on e4 with the pawn. After 4...fxe4 5. dxe4 Nf6 the pawn does not need to be defended directly because after 6. O-O Nxe4? White can recover it tactically with Re1. Counterattack e5 4. d4!?, the Schönemann attack, allows 4...fxe4, intending 5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. Nxe5 +. History 3...f5 was analysed by Carl Jaenisch in Le Palamède in 1847. He analysed 4. d4, 4. exf5, and 4. Bxc6, concluding, "Seems likely to be a good defence for Black.""ce qu'elle nous paraît susceptible d'une bonne défense pour les Noirs." Le Début Royal Ch. IV La Palamède de Jaénisch C.-F. https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=nq5AAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA530 538-542 French von der Lasa's Handbuch des Schachspiels associated the line with Adolf Schliemann and gave the appraisal, "If White accepts it or declines it with 4. d4, Black appears to achieve at least an equal game; conversely, White seems to gain a slight advantage with 4. d3 or 4. 0-0. However, precise analyses of this are still lacking.""Das Gegengambit wurde von dem verstorbenen Dr. Schliemann empfohlen. Nimmt Weiß es an oder lehnt er es mit 4. d4 ab, so scheint Schwarz ein mindestens gleiches Spiel zu erlangen; dagegen scheint Weiß mit 4. d3 oder 4. 0—0 etwas in Vorteil zu kommen. Genaue Analysen hierüber fehlen jedoch noch." Handbuch des Schachspiels von der Lasa P. R. Verlag Von Veit & Comp. 1891 7th Leipzig 223 German https://archive.org/details/handbuchdesscha00schagoog/page/n10/mode/2up Theory table all Dyckhoff variation 4. Nc3 fxe4 5. Nxe4 d5 6. Nxe5 dxe4 7. Nxc6 Qg5 8. Qe2 Nf6 9. f4 Qxf4 10. Ne5+ c6 11. d4 Qh4+ 12. g3 Qh3 13. Bc4 Be6 + 4. ... ... 5. ... Nf6 6. Nxf6+ Qxf6 7. Qe2 Be7 8. Bxc6 bxc6 9. Nxe5 Tartakower variation + 4. d3 fxe4 5. dxe4 Nf6 6. O-O d6 7. Nc3 + 4. d4 fxe4 5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. Nxe5 Schönemann attack 4. exf5 e4 5. Qe2 Qe7 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. Nd4 Jaenisch gambit accepted References See also Winning with the Schliemann by Mikhail Tseitlin, Published 1991 by Maxwell Macmillan Chess 1-85744-017-X. Jaenisch Gambit