Bishop's Gambit

The Bishop's Gambit, 3. Bc4, aims the bishop at f7 and knowingly permits 3...Qh4+. After 4. Kf1 White can no longer castle, but the king is not badly exposed, and a later Nf3 gains a tempo on the queen. White may also postpone Nf3 in favor of g3, intending Qf3 against f7 or Kg2 followed by hxg3. The check is the most frequent reply and has seen a revival in the 21st century. Of the fourth moves, 4...d6, the Cozio Variation, is highly rated, while 4...Bc5 is the Greco Variation and 4...Nf6 the First Jaenisch Variation.

Black can instead develop. Korchnoi and Zak favor 3...Nf6 4. Nc3 c6, the Bogoljubow Defense, whose main line runs 5. Bb3 d5 6. exd5 cxd5 7. d4 Bd6 8. Nge2. The Bledow Variation, 3...d5, gives the pawn back immediately for open lines. The Maurian Defense, 3...Nc6, has risen in esteem, and John Shaw called it a refutation. Steinitz's 3...Ne7 and the countergambit 3...f5 are considered inferior. Engines slightly prefer Black, yet White scores well in online play.