Evans Gambit, Anderssen Variation

The Anderssen Variation answers the Evans Gambit's 5. c3 with 5...Be7. The attacked bishop goes to a sheltered kingside square instead of the more common 5...Ba5. On e7 it cannot be harassed again by pawn advances or queen moves, and it no longer bears on c3. White therefore gets none of the pinning motifs of the Main Line, while Black accepts a more passive bishop and a somewhat cramped game. Black remains a pawn up. In compensation, White has a lead in development and a half-open b-file, with the a-pawn left isolated. The line is regarded as a sound way to accept the gambit.

6. d4 is by far the most frequent reply. It claims the whole center and attacks the e5-pawn. Against it, the Cordel Line, 6. d4 Na5, hits back at the c4-bishop at once. 6. Qb3 aims straight at f7. The quieter 6. O-O is less common and scores poorly for White in practice. The engine assesses the position as balanced, and overall results are close to even.