Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...e5/2. Nf3/2...Nf6/3. Nxe5/3...Nc6/4. Nxc6/4...dxc6/5. d3/5...Bc5/6. Bg5/6...Nxe4

Stafford gambit C42 Stafford gambit 6...Nxe4! Black springs into action and offers their queen as sacrifice. Accepting it is poisonous for White, in fact Black has devastating continuations for all of White's moves. If 7. Bxd8??, capturing the queen, Black has forced checkmate: 7...Bxf2+ 8. Ke2 Bg4#. Unfortunately no other move for White is great either. 7. dxe4??, taking the knight, lets Black win White's queen. 7. dxe4?? opens the d file, and Black can force White's king away from protecting d1 to snap up their queen. 7...Bxf2+ 8. Ke2 Bg4+ 9. Kxf2 Qxd1 --. 7. Qe2 to pin the knight allows 7...Qxg5. White's best move is 8. f4: but Black can just trade down and go into an endgame up a minor piece. (8...Bf2+ 9. Kd1 Qg4 10. Nd2 Qxe2+ 11. Kxe2 Nxd2 12. Kxf2 Nxf1---). If 8. Qxe4+ Kd8 White must deal with both the threat of Re8, pinning White's queen to their king, and of Qc1+, infiltrating White's back rank (e.g. 9. Be2 Qc1+ 10. Bd1 Re8!). If 8. dxe4?? Qc1+ 9. Qd1 Bxf2+ 10. Kxf2 (Ke2 11. Qe3#) Qxd1---. Therefore White's best seventh move is to prevent Bxf2+ by retreating their bishop: 7. Be3, giving up thoughts of winning Black's queen. However, Black is winning even here, as after trading 7...Bxe3 8. fxe3 White's kingside is too weak. 8...Qh4+ 9. g3 Nxg3 10. hxg3 Qxh1-- and Black is up a rook. Theory table 7. Bxd8?? Bxf2+ 8. Ke2 Bg4# 0-1 7. Be3 Bxe3 8. fxe3 Qh4+ 9. g3 Nxg3 10. hxg3 Qxh1 -- 7. dxe4?? Bxf2+ 8. Ke2 Bg4+ 9. Kxf2 Qxd1 -- 7. Qe2 Qxg5 8. Qxe4+ Kd8 9. f4 Qh4+ 10. g3 Qf6 11. Nc3 Re8 12. O-O-O Rxe4 13. Nxe4 Qd4 -- 7. ... ... 8. dxe4?? Qc1+ 9. Qd1 Bxf2+ 10. Kxf2 Qxd1 --- References Petrov Defence