Schliemann Defense, Jaenisch Gambit Accepted

Taking the pawn with 4. exf5 is regarded as inaccurate, because Black can recover it while gaining time and space. The usual reply, 4...e4, attacks the f3-knight, which finds few squares. The c6-knight covers d4 and e5, the queen eyes g5 and h4, and a retreat to g1 would be a serious concession. That knight on c6 is what distinguishes the position from the accepted Latvian Gambit. Engines slightly prefer Black, and Black scores well in practice. 4...Nf6 and 4...d6 are much rarer alternatives.

White's main attempt to rescue the knight is 5. Qe2, pinning the e4-pawn. After 5...Qe7 6. Bxc6, White aims for Nd4, where the knight shields f5 from Black's light-squared bishop. If 6...dxc6 7. Nd4, White sometimes follows up with Ne6. One line, 7...Nh6, is considered to favor Black. After 6...bxc6 7. Nd4 Nf6, Black prepares ...Qe5 or ...c5 and ...d5 to win back the pawn. The line turns up occasionally. In a 1909 simultaneous exhibition, William Pratt beat Capablanca in it.