Bishop's Gambit, Steinitz Defense

The Steinitz Defense, 3...Ne7, meets the Bishop's Gambit with a modest knight development instead of the usual 3...Qh4+ or 3...Nf6. From e7 the knight puts no pressure on e4 and blocks the queen's path to h4, and theory generally ranks the move among Black's weaker options. White most often answers 4. Nf3 or 4. d4, less often 4. Nc3. The line is rarely seen; engines judge it roughly balanced, while White scores well in practice.