The Danish and Göring Gambits with Nxc3

Introduction

The Danish Gambit begins with 1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.c3, and if Black takes the pawn with 3...dxc3, White can either recapture with 4.Nxc3, or sacrifice a second pawn on b2 with 4.Bc4. Carl Theodor Göring introduced a version of the gambit with the knights out into master play, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.c3. For those curious about the infamous surname, Carl Theodor was an uncle of Hermann, but he died four decades before the Nazis came into existence, and he was a professor and philosopher as well as a chess master.

The Göring Gambit also be reached via 2.d4 exd4 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.c3. Black's moves are not forced, but, having used this move order for many years, after 2.d4 I have got to the position with 4.c3 more often than not. In addition, Black's most popular deviation is 3...Bb4+, whereupon after 4.c3 dxc3 5.Nxc3, most opponents allow transpositions to accepted lines of the gambit, e.g. after 5...Nc6 (which transposes directly to 3...Nc6 4.c3 dxc3 5.Nxc3 Bb4) or 5...Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 Nc6. 

Even if the intention is to sacrifice the second pawn, it is worth knowing about the Nxc3 lines, because if White plays Bc4 and Black doesn't take on b2, then White has to weigh up the pros and cons of transposing back into Nxc3 lines vs. going down independent paths. Thus, in this first article I will examine the Nxc3 lines. I intend to make this a four part article on these gambits, with Part 1 looking at the Nxc3 lines, Part 2 looking at the Bc4 lines, Part 3 looking at the lines where Black declines by meeting c3 with an immediate ...d5, and Part 4 looking at the other ways of declining.

Although traditional opening principles suggest that you should complete development before starting an attack, in these lines White generally does best to get just some of the pieces out and then start an attack right out of the opening before Black can get developed. The two most common plans are to launch an attack on f7 with Bc4, Qb3 and/or Nf3/Ng5, or to attack on the kingside dark squares by playing Bg5 and Nd5. The following line illustrates many of the key ideas for both sides.

Generally as White in the Göring with 5.Nxc3, you won't go far wrong if you follow up with 6.Bc4 and then 7.Qb3, 7.Ng5, 7.Bg5 or 7.0-0 depending on what seems most appropriate against Black's choice of setup, while always watching out for the potential to meet ...Nf6 with e4-e5. In the Danish with 4.Nxc3, the ideas are much the same, but it is often beneficial to play Bc4 before Nf3, partly because Black has some move order tricks that involve deferring or omitting ...Nc6, and partly because in some 4...Bb4 5.Bc4 lines where Black doesn't trade on c3 immediately, White is doing rather well by playing Nge2 instead of Nf3.

Objectively, White's compensation is "almost-sufficient" - Stockfish 17 and Leela Chess Zero both assess this as around -0.1 to -0.2 with best play. In the line with 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3, Stockfish initially assesses 4...Bc5 as -0.3 to -0.4, opting for the approach recommended by GM Daniel Naroditsky (more on that later), but if I take it down its main line, the evaluation drops to around -0.2. This means that at GM level it is only really good as an occasional weapon in rapid and blitz games - but at lower levels, especially club level downwards, White's very marginal theoretical disadvantage is easily offset by the practical chances offered by the piece activity and attacking possibilities. In the Lumbras OTB GigaBase, which focuses on games with players rated 1800 and up, White is scoring 57% after 1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.c3 dxc3 5.Nxc3, which is the same as White's score with the Ruy Lopez (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5). The Danish with 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 comes in very close, scoring 56%. However, it is worth noting that in the Göring, White scores rather higher (61%) by sacrificing the second pawn with 5.Bc4.

The ...Bb4 lines

In the Danish Gambit version with 1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3, Black's most popular reply is 4...Nc6, inviting transpositions into the Göring Gambit, and the second most popular is 4...Bb4. In the Göring with 5.Nxc3, 5...Bb4 is most often played. The general idea is to swap off the knight on c3 and reduce White's attacking potential, bringing Black closer to reaching an ending with an extra pawn, but the main downside of the approach is that it gives White the bishop pair.

The most important line of the Göring is 5...Bb4 6.Bc4 d6, preparing ...Nf6. 6...Bxc3+ 7.bxc3 d6 will generally transpose, but it denies Black the possibility of getting into the line 6...d6 7.Ng5 Nh6. Instead, 6...Nf6 7.e5 is survivable for Black with accurate play, but White scores well as Black's king typically gets caught in the centre. Then the most popular moves, 7.0-0 and 7.Qb3, both give attacking chances, and after 0-0, Nd5 is a big threat, but theoretically White hasn't been doing so well after 7...Bxc3(+). But attacking f7 the other way with 7.Ng5 has been faring rather better theoretically.

In the Danish with 4.Nxc3 Bb4, 5.Nf3 reaches a position that can also be reached via 1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.Nf3 Bb4+ 4.c3 dxc3 5.Nxc3. It's probably best for both sides to head into the main line of the Göring from here, but there are sidelines that are also quite playable, e.g. where Black plays ...Ne7 and White plays Qd4. Alternatively, White can play 5.Bc4, where after 5...Bxc3+ 6.bxc3, it's probably again best to steer into the Göring. But if Black holds back with the exchange on c3, then there are lines where White may well get improved chances by developing the knight on g1 to e2 instead of f3, intending to meet ...Bxc3 with Nxc3, avoiding breaking up the queenside pawns and retaining the threat of Nd5. (Of course the immediate 5.Ne2 isn't good as it blocks in the bishop on f1).

The ...Bc5 lines

Instead, Black can meet the Göring with 5.Nxc3 with the Giuoco Piano-like 5...Bc5, a defence which used to be underestimated, but today is approved by the best computer engines. After 6.Bc4, Black has to defend the bishop on c5 with 6...d6, because otherwise there are various tactics with Bxf7+ followed by Qd5+ or Qh5+ and then Qxc5. This locks the bishop on c5 outside of the pawn chain and so White's dark squares attacking plan with Bg5 and Nd5 is quite effective. After 5...Bc5 6.Bc4 d6, 7.Bg5 has most often been recommended, but I see a strong case for playing 7.0-0 first, keeping more options open and cutting out any ...Bxf2+ tactics. Instead, 7.Qb3 is tricky but theoretically dubious, while 7.Ng5 doesn't work well with the black bishop on c5 hindering White from pushing the f-pawn.

In the Danish version with 4.Nxc3, 4...Bc5 is tricky, because as Daniel Naroditsky has pointed out in some videos and articles, Black can go for a setup with ...d6, ...Nf6, and then ...Nbd7 (supporting the knight on f6) and ...c6 instead of ...Nc6, which takes some of the sting out of White's Bg5, Nd5 approach. But upon close inspection (I examine this line in Zezulkin-Placethka), White's compensation still appears to be close to sufficient even if Black plays very accurately. Black's knight on f6 ends up in an annoying pin and White gets active pieces.

The ...d6 lines

In the Göring with 5.Nxc3 d6, play tends to continue 6.Bc4 Nf6, as other moves by Black have more drawbacks (6...Be6 7.Bxe6 fxe6 8.Qb3, 6...Bg4 7.Qb3, and 6...Be7?! 7.Qb3, where in the last case, Black is unable to defend the f7-pawn). Then White should attack f7 with 7.Qb3, or perhaps 7.Ng5 (although the less popular Ng5 isn't doing as well theoretically), as 7.0-0 is too slow: Black should develop with 7...Be7, intending 8...0-0. And 7.Bg5 is ineffective because the pin is parried with 7...Be7. 

In the Danish with 4.Nxc3 d6, Black has a move order trick that involves deferring ...Nc6 and preparing kingside castling, viz. 5.Nf3 Nf6 6.Bc4 Be7 and now if 7.Qb3 or 7.Ng5, Black just plays 7...0-0. Thus, White does best to play 5.Bc4, and if 5...Nf6, 6.Qb3, attacking f7 at once, and then if 6...Qd7 (6...Qe7 can be met by 7.Nf3, because 7...Nxe4 is met by 8.0-0! with attacking chances down the e-file) 7.Nf3 (7.Bg5!?) 7...Nc6 transposes to the Göring Gambit. Black does have an alternative approach with ...Nd7 instead of ...Nc6, which isn't very common but is worth being aware of.

Other lines by Black aren't as convincing. For example, if Black goes for a setup with an early ...g6, this walks into White's dark squares attacking plan with Bg5 and Nd5. For example, in the Göring with 5.Nxc3, 5...g6 can be met by 6.Bc4 d6 (6...Bg7 7.Qb3!) and then 7.0-0 (a developing/waiting move suggested by Mark Nieuweboer, instead if 7.Bg5 Be7!?) and then if 7...Bg7, both 8.Bg5 and 8.Ng5 are very good for White.