Spielmann Variation, Romanovsky Gambit

The Romanovsky Gambit arises when Black, after 4. Qb3 c5 5. dxc5, plays 5...Nc6 instead of recapturing on c5 at once. The pawn is only provisionally sacrificed. White's extra pawn is a doubled c-pawn on c4 and c5 that is hard to hold, and the queen on b3 can become a target. Black uses the time to bring pieces out and to put pressure on the pinned knight on c3. With the d-pawn gone, the c- and d-files are half-open, which gives Black's rooks and queen open lines toward White's queenside.

6. Nf3 is the usual reply and is played in more than half of games. After 6...Ne4, Black targets c3 from the square that the queen on b3 does not cover. 7. Bd2 then leads to two named lines. The Carlsbad Variation, 7...Nxd2, gives up the knight for White's dark-squared bishop. The Stahlberg Variation, 7...Nxc5, wins back the pawn and gains a tempo by hitting the queen. Other sixth moves include 6. a3, which asks the bishop to decide at once, and 6. e3. The engine rates the position as level, and online results are close to even, with Black scoring slightly better overall.