Ponziani Gambit

Instead of protecting e4 with 3. d3, White strikes in the center with 3. d4, also called the Ponziani-Urusov Gambit. The pawn on d4 can be taken, and White accepts this in exchange for fast development and open lines toward f7. Taking with 3...exd4 is the natural reply and occurs in about half of all games. White then chooses between 4. Nf3, the Urusov Gambit proper, which keeps the pawn sacrifice, and 4. Qxd4 Nc6, which transposes to the Center Game. The counterattack 3...Nxe4 is the second most frequent answer, but White has scored particularly well against it in online play. Trying to reach the Two Knights Defense with 3...Nc6 is considered dubious because 4. d5 blocks the transposition and drives the knight away with gain of time. The engine rates the position as roughly balanced, slightly favoring Black. Even so, White's results on Lichess are good, which reflects how easily Black can go wrong in the open, tactical positions that follow.