Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...e5/2. Nf3/2...Nf6/3. Nxe5/3...Nc6/4. Nxf7

Stafford gambit Stafford gambit C42 4. Nxf7?? White sacrifices their only developed piece for a pawn. This is similar to the Cochrane gambit in the main line, 3...d6 4. Nxf7?, and has some of the same traps. After 4...Kxf7 White has the tenuous compensation that Black's king is now stuck in the centre. Though objectively superior for Black, there is the potential for Black to misplay the position. A trap is: 5. Bc4+ d5 6. exd5 Nxd5?? allows 7. Qf3+ Ke8 8. Qxd5 Qxd5 9. Bxd5 ++. White is up two pawns in the endgame. Rather than recapturing with the knight on move six, a better implementation for Black is the intermezzo 6...Qe8+, which leads either to a queen trade or White abandoning the pawn. If 5. d4 Nxe4 6. Qh5+ g6 (6...Kg8?? Qd5#) 7. Qd5+ Kg7 8. Qxe4, it may appear that White has recovered the material with interest, except for 8...Bb4+ 9. c3 Re8, pinning and winning White's queen.