FoxyChess › Gambits › Against the Polerio
Against the Polerio
White's answers to the Polerio, 5...Na5, where Black gives a pawn to chase the bishop. White keeps the extra pawn with Bb5+ and Bd3 and must meet Black's lead in development.
The idea
After 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Na5 Black gives a pawn to chase the bishop. White's main lines are 6.Bb5+ c6 7.dxc6 bxc6 8.Be2 (or 8.Qf3) and the pawn-grabbing 6.d3. White stays a pawn up but Black has fast development and open lines, so White has to play carefully for a while.
What happens next
After 6.Bb5+ c6 7.dxc6 bxc6 8.Be2 h6 9.Nf3 e4 10.Ne5 White should return the pawn for development with d4 or play Nxc6 ideas with care. The knight on g5 usually retreats to f3 and then h3 or e5. White's aim is to consolidate; the extra pawn tells in the endgame.
How to play against it
Black's compensation is in the lead in development: …h6, …e4, …Bd6 and …O-O, with the queen going to c7 and the rooks to the open files. Don't try to win the pawn back too quickly; keep the pressure and White's extra pawn is hard to use.
A key line
More lines
7.Qe2 Be7 8.Nf3 Nxd5 …
7.dxc6 Nxc6 8.d3 Bc5 …
8.Bd3 Bc5 9.O-O O-O …
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All 23 lines in this gambit
- 7.Qe2 Bd6 8.Bxd7+ Qxd7 …
- 7.Qe2 Be7 8.Nf3 Nxd5 …
- 7.dxc6 Nxc6 8.d3 Bc5 …
- 8.Bd3 Bc5 9.O-O O-O …
- 8.Bd3 Bd6 9.Nc3 Nd5 …
- 8.Bd3 Be7 9.Nc3 Nd5 …
- 9.Nf3 Bc5 10.O-O Nf4 …
- 18.Nce4 Bc7 19.Ng3 g6 …
- 18.Nce4 Be7 19.Ng3 Bg6 …
- 12.O-O c5 13.d3 Nxe2+ …
- 11.Be2 Nxc3 12.dxc3 e4 …
- 11.Be2 Qc7 12.d3 f5 …
- 13.Nd4 Nxc3 14.bxc3 c5 …
- 17.Rb1 Be5 18.Bxf2 Bxd4 …
- 17.Rb1 g5 18.b4 Bxb4 …
- 17.d4 Bb5 18.a4 Bc4 …
- 17.d4 Bxb4+ 18.c3 Bd6 …
- 9.Nf3 Bg4 10.h3 Bh5 …
- 9.Nf3 Nf4 10.Bf1 e4 …
- 8.Bd3 Ng4 9.Ne4 f5 …
- 9.Ne4 Be7 10.Nxf6+ Bxf6 …
- 9.Ne4 Nd5 10.O-O Be7 …
- 9.Ne4 Nxe4 10.Bxe4 Bd6 …