Vienna Game

The Vienna Game develops the queen's knight on move two instead of the customary 2. Nf3. The knight guards e4 and leaves the f-pawn unobstructed, so the original plan was a King's Gambit postponed until Black has shown which pieces are going where. Modern practice often prefers calmer treatments such as 3. Bc4 or 3. g3. The opening gained popularity in the nineteenth century. Weaver W. Adams claimed it forced a win for White, while Nick de Firmian in the fifteenth edition of Modern Chess Openings judges best play to lead to equality, and the engine also rates the position as roughly balanced. Transpositions into the King's Gambit, the Bishop's Opening and the Four Knights Game are frequent.

2...Nf6, the Falkbeer Variation (also known as the Berlin Defense), prepares to answer f4 with ...d5. After 3. f4 d5 4. fxe5 Nxe4 the position is sharp, and 5. Nf3, 5. Qf3 and 5. d3 all see regular use. Taking with 3...exf4 is dubious, since 4. e5 sends the knight back to g8. The Stanley Variation, 3. Bc4, allows 3...Nxe4 4. Qh5 Nd6 5. Bb3, where 5...Nc6 6. Nb5 g6 7. Qf3 f5 8. Qd5 Qe7 9. Nxc7+ Kd8 10. Nxa8 b6 is the Frankenstein-Dracula Variation, a name coined by Tim Harding. The Mieses Variation, 3. g3, fianchettoes the king's bishop, usually meeting 3...d5 with 4. exd5 Nxd5 5. Bg2 Nxc3 6. bxc3; Smyslov used it on occasion. The Mengarini Variation, 3. a3, is a waiting move rather than a serious attempt at an advantage.

In the Lichess sample the most frequent reply is 2...Nc6, the Max Lange Defense. If White plays f4, Black can take with the e-pawn without the knight being hit by e5. The name Vienna Gambit traditionally refers to 3. f4 exf4 in this line. It leads to extremely sharp piece sacrifices such as the Hamppe–Muzio and Hamppe–Allgaier, and to the Steinitz Gambit, 4. d4 Qh4+ 5. Ke2, which is rarely seen today. White most often plays 3. Bc4, when 3...Nf6 is solid; the alternative 3...Bc5 runs into the awkward 4. Qg4. Other options are the Paulsen Variation, 3. g3, named after Louis Paulsen's wins at Vienna 1873, and the Fyfe Gambit, 3. d4.

The Anderssen Defense, 2...Bc5, is offbeat but playable, and Capablanca used it. After 3. Nf3 the accurate reply is 3...d6, because 3...Nc6 4. Nxe5 favors White. The Giraffe Attack, 3. Qg4, is considered weak in view of 3...Nf6 4. Qxg7 Rg8 5. Qh6 Bxf2+. Against 2...d6, the pawn thrust 3. f4 is called the Omaha Gambit. Across all lines White scores slightly better than Black, and draws are uncommon.