Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...e5/2. Nf3/2...f6

Damiano defence 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 f6 C40 King's Knight Opening 3. Nxe5 2...f6? · Damiano defence Seeing the threat of Nf3, Black imagines they can protect their e pawn with 2...f6?. Unfortunately, f6's protection is only that: imaginary. 3. Nxe5 snaps off the pawn and opens up White's queen. Then if 3...fxe5? the typical refutation is 4. Qh5+! g6 5. Qxe5+ forking the king and Black's rook on h8. Black can set a trap with 3...Qe7, hoping that White only half-remembers the refutation and proceeds 4. Qh5+? anyway, but this time 4...g6 and White has nowhere to go. (5. Nxg6 Qxe4+ 6. Be2 Qxg6 and Black is up a knight for a pawn.) Instead White should simply retreat the knight and give back the pawn, and be happy with their development lead. 4. Nf3 Qxe4 5. Be2++ History 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 f6 3. Nxe5 Qe7 4. Nf3 d5 5. d3 dxe4 6. dxe4 Qxe4+ 7. Be2 Bf5 8. Nd4 Nc6 9. Nxf5 Qxf5 10. O-O Bd6 11. Bg4 Qb5 12. Nc3 Qc4 13. Be2? in this position gave up Fischer's winning advantage. right 1 The Damiano whose name is saddled with this opening blunder is 16th century chess theoretician Pedro Damiano, who didn't endorse this opening but refuted it and recommended the more reputable 2...Nc6 instead. More flattering would be to call the reply 3. Nxe5! Damiano's gambit instead. Damiano is not the only chess legend to be tarred by association with this opening however. Bobby Fischer only drew to this opening as White in a simul in 1964. His opponent Robert McGregor played the 3...Qe7 line, which Fischer navigated correctly but he misplayed his advantage in the middle game and had to settle for a draw.Bobby Fischer and Damiano's Defense https://chessstuff.blogspot.com/2005/04/bobby-fischer-and-damianos-defense.html Monokrousso Dennis 2005-04-05 2025-05-16 Dennis M's Chess Site The Damiano defence is an instructive illustration of the weakness of the e8-h5 and e1-h4 diagonals. As Ben Finegold instructs us, "Never play f6/f3." It is hyperbole to say never, but good practice to always think twice, three times before one does―and especially if one's king is still in the centre. Theory table Damiano defence 3. Nxe5 fxe5? 4. Qh5+ g6 5. Qxe5+ Qe7 6. Qxh8 Qxe4+ 7. Kd1 Ne7 +- 3. ... ... 4. ... Ke7 5. Qxe5+ Kf7 6. Bc4+ d5 7. Bxd5+ Kg6 +- 3. ... Qe7 4. Nf3 Qxe4+ 5. Be2 d5 6. O-O Ne7 7. Nc3 Qe6 ± References Damiano Defence External links Youtube: Copeland,Sam 2019 Damiano's Defense Chess Opening Trap: Sac A Knight On Move Three! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5umZsb0ndzw&t=10s Perunovic, Miodrag 2019 Chess For Beginners: Killing Damiano's Defense https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvmmsxISkCo Rozman, Levy 2022 WORST OPENING In Chess... https://www.youtube.com/shorts/IHkjxLo6jfM Volclus 2022 WIN IN 3 - The Damiano Trap https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGsNNhsWUdo fi:Shakki/rnbqkbnr;pppp1ppp;8;4p3;2B1P3;8;PPPP1PPP;RNBQK1NR b KQkq