48. Evans: 6...d6 7.Qb3 Qd7
Black holds e5 with 6...d6. After 7.Qb3 Qd7 8.dxe5 Bb6 9.Nbd2 dxe5 10.Ba3 the black king cannot castle short, but 10...Na5 attacks queen and bishop together.
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 Bxb4 5.c3 Ba5 6.d4 d6 7.Qb3 Qd7 8.dxe5 Bb6 9.Nbd2 dxe5 10.Ba3 Na5
Move by move
- 1.e4 – Occupies the centre and frees the queen and the f1-bishop, which in the Italian Game goes to c4 to aim at the weak f7 point.
- 1...e5 – Black contests the centre at once: the e5 pawn controls d4 and f4 and opens the diagonal for the f8-bishop and the queen.
- 2.Nf3 – Development with an attack: the knight hits the e5 pawn, controls d4 and prepares quick kingside castling.
- 2...Nc6 – Defends e5 while developing and adds control of d4, the square White wants for a pawn.
- 3.Bc4 – The Italian Game move: the bishop aims at f7, defended only by the king, and controls d5, making ...d5 harder to achieve.
- 3...Bc5 – The Giuoco Piano: Black replies symmetrically, aiming at f2 and controlling d4 to hinder the d2-d4 advance.
- 4.b4 – The Evans Gambit: White offers the b-pawn to deflect the c5-bishop. After ...Bxb4 it will play c3 with tempo and then d4, building the centre with a lead in development.
- 4...Bxb4 – Black accepts the pawn: the bishop leaves the a7-g1 diagonal and will be attacked at once by c3.
- 5.c3 – The pawn attacks the b4-bishop with tempo and prepares d4: this is the point of the gambit, development and centre in exchange for the pawn.
- 5...Ba5 – The most common retreat: from a5 the bishop keeps an eye on the c3-pawn, which will stay pinned to the king until White castles.
- 6.d4 – White builds the centre: d4 attacks e5 and opens the c1-bishop's diagonal.
- 6...d6 – Black supports e5 with the pawn instead of exchanging on d4: it keeps the strong point in the centre and opens the c8-bishop.
- 7.Qb3 – The queen aims at f7 with the c4-bishop (threat Bxf7+) and attacks b7.
- 7...Qd7 – The queen defends f7 along the seventh rank, but on d7 it blocks the c8-bishop.
- 8.dxe5 – White exchanges on e5: if Black recaptures with the d-pawn, the d-file opens in front of the d7-queen.
- 8...Bb6 – The bishop goes to the diagonal towards f2, more active than a5, and postpones the recapture on e5.
- 9.Nbd2 – The knight develops and supports e4 and c4: White clears the first rank and prepares Ba3.
- 9...dxe5 – Black recaptures the pawn and keeps an extra pawn, but the d-file is open and the d6 square is no longer protected by a pawn.
- 10.Ba3 – The bishop occupies the a3-f8 diagonal and prevents Black's short castling, now that the d6-pawn no longer closes it.
- 10...Na5 – The knight attacks the b3-queen and the c4-bishop at the same time: White must move the queen, while the bishop stays defended by the d2-knight.
How to exploit the position
Black has an extra pawn and attacks the queen with the a5-knight; White has the a3-bishop blocking short castling and more active pieces. First of all the queen must move.
- Qb4 moves the queen while keeping the pressure on the a3-f8 diagonal and on the a5-knight.
- The e5-pawn is not defended by any piece: the f3-knight attacks it as soon as the queen is safe.
- The a5-knight wants to exchange the c4-bishop: Be2 or Bd5 keep it.
- O-O and then Rfd1 when the d2-knight moves: the rook arrives on the d-file against the d7-queen.
Master tips
The ...Na5 fork
After 10.Ba3 the c6-knight goes to a5 and attacks queen and bishop: remember that the c4-bishop is defended by the d2-knight, so it is enough to move the queen.