Has anyone found a way to refute or get a big advantage against the traxler? I was looking in my database and black seems to be doing quite well, but alot of the games were from the old days, before computer analysis. I would like to play this crazy line as black, but if there is a clear refutation I will have to save it for blitz games only, if that. There seems to be alot of drawing lines, but I haven't found a forced win for white yet in the Nxf7 lines. So what is the current theoretical status?

Hi BigTy,

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 Bc5!? 5.Bxf7+ seems to be the safest line for White, and I think should be enough for some advantage with best play.

5...Ke7 6.Bb3 Rf8 7.0-0 d6 8.Nc3 is mainline, and now one of the common tries, 8...h6, is surprisingly refuted by the (never played before!) 9.Nh7!! - 9...Nxh7 10.Nd5+ Ke8 11.Qh5+ +-

Instead 8...Qe8 is best (and most common), but after 9.d3 Black doesn't really have enough for the pawn.

I used to play this line all the time (and still love it). 

Currently the 'status' is generally accepted as this:

Refuted but not easily :P.

Bxf7+ is an absolute must, Nxf7 leads to playable positions for black (many forced draws by perpetual) ...

Anyways it's not really worth playing despite how many cheap wins you'll get... that's not real chess :P.

Thanks for the advice so far guys. I think Bxf7 probably does leave white up a pawn for almost nothing, but alot of people might try Nx7 unless they have seen it before.As a surprise weapon in a blitz game it could be good, but I would probably refrain from using it in a tournament.