Italian Game: Evans Gambit, McDonnell Defense

The McDonnell Defense is 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 Bxb4 5.c3 Bc5, the retreat of the bishop to its original square in the accepted Evans Gambit. It is often played by those unfamiliar with the gambit and is regarded as inferior to the main line 5...Ba5 and to the Anderssen Variation 5...Be7, because White's usual 6.d4 attacks the bishop again and gains a tempo.

The Normal Position

The main line after 5...Bc5 is 6.d4 exd4 7.O-O d6 8.cxd4 Bb6, the Normal Position. It is reached more often from 5...Ba5 lines, and it has been played ever since the 1834 matches between La Bourdonnais and McDonnell. It was very common in the 19th century but is not as well regarded today. Black is content with a one-pawn advantage, while White seeks compensation in open lines and strong central pawns. Black avoids 7...dxc3 because of threats such as 8.Bxf7+ Kxf7 9.Qd5+ Kf8 10.Qxc5+.

White's ninth move

The most common moves are 9.d5 and 9.Nc3.

• 9.d5 is usually answered by 9...Na5, and White often plays 10.Bb2, the Ulvestad Variation.
• 9.Nc3, the Morphy Attack, was preferred by Mikhail Chigorin and Paul Morphy. After 9...Na5 10.Bg5 it becomes the Göring Attack, named after Carl Theodor Göring, who played it against Johannes Minckwitz in 1869. It came into fashion after Chigorin played it against Wilhelm Steinitz in 1883. Modern Chess Openings calls it a "tricky" opening that can be refuted only if you know the right moves. 9...Bg4 10.Qa4 is the Fraser Attack.

The numbers

On Lichess White wins 57.1% of the 1 million games and Black 39.7%, and White's lead holds in every rating band, from 2200 up included (53.8% against 42.0%). There are only 38 master games, too few to judge.