Damiano Variation, Kholmov Gambit

The Kholmov Gambit is Black's most resilient answer to 4. Qe2 in the Damiano Variation. Instead of rescuing the e4-knight, 4...Qe7 leaves it en prise. The point is that after the near-universal 5. Qxe4, the e-file pin is reversed. White's knight on e5 now stands pinned against the queen, and 5...d6 attacks it. After 6. d4 dxe5 7. dxe5 Nc6 Black has the piece back, though the d-pawn is gone. The extra e5-pawn is hard for White to hold, and greedy attempts to keep it can leave White's pieces in trouble, so White normally returns it and plays for a small, lasting advantage. Black gets some activity for the pawn, but not full equality. The rare alternatives 5. d4 and 5. Nf3 avoid the main line without promising more, and engines still favor White slightly.

The name honors the Russian grandmaster Ratmir Kholmov, although there is no record of him playing it as Black. The attribution may stem from a misreading of the game Kholmov v Belousov, 1974.