Evans Gambit Accepted: McConnell Defence

Key ideas

• White uses 6.d4 to challenge Black’s center and gain time against the bishop on c5.
• After 8.Bxf7+ Kxf7, Black’s king is exposed and White’s queen checks drive it toward f8.
• White regains the sacrificed bishop’s value with 11.Qxc5+ while keeping Black’s king under pressure.
• The position after 13...Qf6 demands accurate coordination because Black attacks the knight on g5 and seeks defensive exchanges.

Plans for White

• Use 9.Qd5+ and 10.Qh5+ to force Black’s king into an awkward defensive setup.
• Take on c5 with 11.Qxc5+ before Black can consolidate the extra pawn and complete development.
• Keep the knight on g5 active after 13...Qf6 only if White can meet pressure on that piece.
• Develop the remaining kingside pieces quickly and use the lead in activity before Black’s king finds safety.

Plans for Black

• Black accepts the bishop sacrifice with 8...Kxf7 and withstands the queen checks without allowing a decisive attack.
• Black uses 11...d6 to cover key central squares and limit White’s checking opportunities.
• Black develops with 12...Bg4, adding pressure and preparing to coordinate defensive pieces.
• Black plays 13...Qf6 to challenge the knight on g5 and reduce White’s attacking momentum.

Mistakes to avoid

• Giving the bishop check on f7 without following up immediately lets Black’s king escape the center with fewer concessions.
• Delaying 11.Qxc5+ allows Black time to stabilize after the king has reached f8.
• Continuing queen checks after Black reaches f8 without improving piece support can leave White behind in development.
• Leaving the g5 knight undefended after 13...Qf6 can allow Black to neutralize White’s most active attacker.

Target ratings

At 1600–1800 blitz, 29% of opponents go wrong; the line ends at +0.5 pawns by engine evaluation.

• 1600–1800 blitz: +2.5 points above the other moves, over 2,153,267 games

Explored with: Lichess games at 1600–1800 blitz; practical search (aggressive risk); engine depth 14; 10 moves explored; from 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5; as White.

The main line

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 Bxb4 5.c3 Bc5 6.d4 exd4 7.O-O dxc3 8.Bxf7+ Kxf7 9.Qd5+ Ke8 10.Qh5+ Kf8 11.Qxc5+ d6 12.Qc4 Bg4 13.Ng5 Qf6

Study and practice it

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