Scotch Gambit, Max Lange Attack

With 5...Bc5 Black keeps the gambit pawn and supports d4 with the bishop rather than taking on e4, leaving White to choose how to strike. The attack is named after the German master Max Lange, who proposed it in 1854, and the same position can be reached from several openings, including the Two Knights Defense and the Giuoco Piano. White usually plays 6. e5 at once, hitting the f6-knight. The rare 6...Ng4 is the Spielmann Defense, while the main reply 6...d5 leads to heavily analyzed play: 7. exf6 dxc4 8. Re1+ Be6 9. Ng5 Qd5 10. Nc3 Qf5 11. Nce4, the Long Variation, after which 11...O-O-O gives a complex, unbalanced middlegame. Along this path 9...Qxf6 falls into a well-known trap. White can also deviate with 7. Bb5, or with 7. exf6 dxc4 8. fxg7 Rg8 9. Bg5, a line Lev Gutman and Stefan Bücker assessed as favorable for White. Less common is 6. c3, the Walbrodt-Baird Gambit. The engine gives White a slight edge, and White scores very well in practice.