Giraffe attack

Hello, lets talk a bit about the Giraffe attack, because there isn't much talk about it yet (beside the name) and it is a rather uncommon opening. But it is a very tricky opening like many Vienna game variations.

The Giraffe attack is the following:

1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Bc5 3.Qg4

If white wants to play this, it will occur about 4% of the time.

Example game:

What is the idea? White attacks the g7 pawn with the queen after black moved the defending bishop out to c5. It is similar to the Vienna copy cat variation (1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. Qg4).

How can black respond? The most common replies are:
- 3...Qf6
- 3...g6
- 3...Nf6

3...Df6 attacks white's f2 pawn the second time, and white has to play 4. Nf3. White threatens now Nd5. How can black react? The most common replies are:

- 4...Nc6 (Simply develops a knight but ignores the threat and can therefore be punished badly with Nd5. Nd5 attacks the queen and threatens to fork king and rook at the same time. Black looses at least an exchange.)
- 4...c6 (A good reply. Controls d5. Stockfish still likes the position for white but the game continues without big advantage.)
- 4...Bh6 (Attacks the queen but is a mistake. The queen goes to g3 and attacks the e5 pawn. Even if c6 is played the next move, the e5 pawn is now lost. If O-O is played Nd5 can tie the queen to the c7 pawn, and d4 afterwards can attack the bishop on c5 and discover the attack on the knight on h6. Notice that blacks g7 pawn is pinned because of the queen on g6. It is too much pressure for black. Stockfish says it is +3 after Sh6 and +6 after O-O.)
- 4...Be7 (The best move for black. Controls d5. White should play it slowly with Dg3. Unclear but equal position.)
- 4...d6 (Discovers the bishop attack on the queen, but is a big mistake because the bishop isn't protected and the queen can just take it and more pieces afterwards. But the move is surprisingly played around 15% of the time in online chess.)
- 4...d5 (Again attacks the queen and this time also the pawn on e4!, but fun fact: this doesn't work either because of Qxc8. Still played 7% of the time.)
- 4...h5 (Attacks the queen, the queen goes to g3 and attacks the e5 pawn. 5...c6 loses just the pawn, and 5...d6 loses even the rook because of 6. Nd5 and 7. Nc7)
- 4...h6 (Even worse than h5. Just ignores the threat of Nd5, what wins for white.)

3...g6 doesn't open up fork possibility via Nd5, but white can set up another nasty trap. White can just develop the bishop with 4. Bc4. Its seems like this move just blunders the bishop but blacks rook is in danger too because g6 was played. The following replies are common:

- 4...d5 (Attacks the bishop and discovers an attack on the queen. But the queen can just go to g6 and white is already much better. If black now takes the bishop white can take the e5 pawn and the rook on h8 afterwards. Not taking the bishop isn't that much better because of hanging pawns.)
- 4...Nf6 (A better response by black. I recommend to play it calmly as white with Qg3)
- 4...d6 (Protects the e5 pawn what is good for black, but white can go for another little trap with Qf3. If black playes now Df6 white can force the queen trade with Nd5 and destroy black afterwards with a precice attack including both knights.)

3...Nf6 is the best reply by black. White can't take the g7 pawn because of a counterattack with a knight fork on king and queen: 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Bc5 3. Qg4 Nf6 4. Qxg7 Rg8 5. Qh6 Bxf2+ 6. Kxf2 Ng4+ Instead white should play 4. Qg6 again. If black plays O-O now, white can play d3 now with the idea of Lg5. It still somehow scores well for white, and black can't play h6 (Lxh6) or Sh5 (Qxe5), but many moves can be played here, I did not analyse it deeply and the position is really unclear.

What do you think about this opening? In my opinion it works really well practically in online chess, but there are some lines with neutralized or unclear evaluation. Against an opponent who knows how to play against it, it is nothing special. But is it necessary to avoid it against such opponents? The positions are still unclear and maybe something can be found there for white. And a good opponent can equalize in other positions too. But at least against unknown average opponents it is a good choice imo.

I also made a little visual Lichess study about it: https://lichess.org/study/2W81JWdn