Scotch Gambit, Double Gambit Accepted

With 5...Nxe4 Black accepts the second pawn as well, having already taken on d4, and goes two pawns up. The price is a knight standing on the open e-file in front of the uncastled king. White almost always replies 6. Re1, pinning the knight and forcing Black to find a way to hold it, usually with 6...d5. The play is open and calculation-heavy, and it centers on whether Black can untangle before the pressure on the e-file turns decisive. The engine rates the position as roughly balanced, and practical results are close to even.

After 6. Re1 d5, White chooses between two named branches. The Anderssen Attack, 7. Bxd5 Qxd5 8. Nc3, returns the bishop to hit the queen and the pinned knight at once. The Canal Variation, 7. Nc3, brings the knight into play first. A riskier option is 6. Nc3, the Nakhmanson Gambit, which offers a piece for a quick kingside attack. The simple recapture 6. Nxd4 is seen occasionally, and Black scores slightly better against it.