von der Lasa Gambit

The von der Lasa Gambit, known as the Center Gambit in older books, departs from the Center Game by declining to recapture on d4. Instead of 3. Qxd4, which costs a tempo after ...Nc6, White develops the bishop to c4 and aims it at f7, leaving Black a pawn up for the moment in exchange for development. The engine slightly favors Black, and its top choices are 3...Nf6, 3...Nc6 and 3...Bb4+. On Lichess, White's results are nonetheless somewhat better than Black's.

The line seldom keeps an independent character, because White's natural Nf3 tends to bring about a transposition. The most common reply, 3...Nc6, leads to the Scotch Gambit after 4. Nf3. After 3...Nf6 4. Nf3 the game enters the Urusov Gambit, which more often arises from the Bishop's Opening via 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. d4 exd4. The third most frequent answer is the quieter 3...d6, which holds the extra pawn by supporting d4. The play is open and centers on how much time Black needs to complete development.