Evans Gambit 6.O-O

For the past two years*, I have been broadening my opening repertoire to include such lines as the exchange variation of the French and the Evans Gambit as White, and the Philidor Counter Gambit and the Dutch Defense as Black. I think I have found an improvement in one sharp variation of the Evans Gambit. Actually it is a simple transposition that seems to restore a Morphy brilliancy.

After the opening moves 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 Bxb4 5.c3 Ba5 6.O-O Nge7 7.Ng5 d5 8.exd5 Nxd5,


Unzicker in ECO frowns on 9.Nxf7?! Kxf7 10.Qf3+ Ke6 11.Ba3 Bb6! 12.Re1 Na5 13.Rxe5+ Kxe5 14.d4+ Ke6 15.g4, as in Morphy-Forde, New Orleans 1858, because of Maroczy's suggestion 15...c5! 16.Qe4+ Kd7 -/+.


Instead the main line in ECO is 9.d4 h6 10.dxe5 hxg5 11.Bxd5 Be6 12.Bxe6 Qxd1 13.Rxd1 fxe6 14.Bxg5 Nxe5, rated as unclear.

In the actual game, Dr. Forde played 15...g6? and was crushed by 16.Qe4+ Kf7 17.Bxd5+ Kg7 18.Be7 Re8 (18...Qe8 19.Qe5+ Kh6 20.Bg5#) 19.Qe5+ Kh6 20.g5+ Kh5 21.Bf3+ Bg4 22.Qg3 Qd7 23.Qh3#.

However, it seems to me that Morphy's 9.Nxf7 deserves ! instead of ?! because, after 11...Bb6!, the move 12.g4! forces 12...g6 since 12...Nce7? allows 13.Bxe7! after which Black has an exposed king with no material compensation. After 12.g4! g6 13.Re1 Na5 14.Rxe5+ Kxe5 15.d4+, Black has the unpleasant choice between 15...Ke6 which transposes into the Morphy-Forde game or 15...Bxd4 16.cxd4+ Kxd4 17.Bxd5 Re8 (17...Qxd5 18.Qc3+ Ke4 19.Qe3#) 18.Qf4+ Kxd5 (18...Kd3 19.Qd2#) 19.Nc3+ Ke6 (19...Kc6 20.Qa4+ +-) 20.Re1+ Kd7 21.Qd4+ Kc6 22.Qa4+ b5 23.Qxb5#.

Can it be, I wonder, that the game score handed down to us over the years has the wrong order of moves? It is hard to understand why Morphy would delay g4 until move 15, and harder still to explain why his opponent would answer with 15...g6? when 15...c5! is not that difficult to find. The move order 12.g4! g6 makes more sense.

*{This article originally appeared in Atlantic Chess News in 1992}