Lion Variation, Forcing Line
- 1.e4e5
- 2.Nf3d6
- 3.d4Nf6
- 4.Nc3Nbd7
- 5.Bc4Be7
- 6.Ng5O-O
- 7.Bxf7+Rxf7
- 8.Ne6
106 games
A sacrificial line of the Philidor Defense's Lion Variation in which White gives a bishop on f7 and plants a knight on e6 to harass Black's queen.
Train it in TheoriaAbout the Forcing Line
Against the Lion setup with 5. Bc4 Be7, White strikes at f7 with 6. Ng5 O-O 7. Bxf7+ Rxf7 8. Ne6, giving up the bishop for a pawn to land a knight on e6 that attacks the queen. Black almost always answers 8...Qe8, with 8...Qf8 a rare alternative. Engines judge the position as roughly balanced despite the material deficit, but White has scored well in practice in a small sample of games.