Scotch Gambit, Max Lange Attack, Spielmann Defense

The Spielmann Defense answers 6. e5 with 6...Ng4. Instead of returning material with 6...d5, Black moves the attacked knight forward to a square where it eyes e5 and f2. The idea is to avoid the open lines that follow exf6 and to hold on to the gambit pawn, which is extra in the resulting position. The cost is time and coordination. The knight on g4 is loose, f7 is still weak, and Black's king has not yet castled, so White gets a lead in development and good attacking chances on the kingside.

The most common reply is the sacrifice 7. Bxf7+, which strips the king of its cover and is White's best-scoring choice in practice. The quieter 7. Bf4 supports the e5-pawn and is the engine's first choice. 7. h3 questions the knight at once, and 7. c3, the Krause Variation, attacks the d4-pawn. The engine also suggests 7. Bd5. It rates White's position as slightly better, and White scores well overall.