Italian Variation, Noa Gambit

The Noa Gambit is White's attempt to punish the center fork trick by force rather than meeting it with 5. Nxe4. After 5. Bxf7+ Kxf7 6. Nxe4, material is level, since White has traded the c4 bishop and the e4 pawn for the black knight and the f7 pawn. Black's king has lost the right to castle, but White has given up the bishop pair and the e4 pawn, and Black now has an uncontested hold on the center. The critical line is 6...d5 7. Neg5+ Kg8, when Black already threatens ...e4. After 8. d3 h6 9. Nh3 Bg4, the king is secure on g8, the light-squared bishop has no opponent, and the d- and e-pawns dominate the center.

Engines assess the position after 5. Bxf7+ as clearly better for Black and give 5...Kxf7 as the top reply. That capture is almost universal, and Black scores better than White in online games. The rare 5...Ke7 has produced much better results for White. The line is a club-level surprise, not a serious theoretical weapon.