Please give a diagram with moves (I am going to make one for you), because most will not be able to understand what u are talking about.
Personnally, I don't know what is McDonnell defence in Evans gambit, and I have to make a search... It would have been more useful to tell : Evans gambit accepted with Bc5...
Of course, dxc3 is a big mistake, d6 or Bb6 should be preferred. But This McDonnell defence is not a good way to play against Evans gambit anyway.
Not many are going to play 5...Bc5. I guess that is the McDonnell defense.
Please give a diagram with moves (I am going to make one for you), because most will not be able to understand what u are talking about.
Personnally, I don't know what is McDonnell defence in Evans gambit, and I have to make a search... It would have been more useful to tell : Evans gambit accepted with Bc5...
Thanks for making a diagram! I'm new to the forums, so I just forgot to do that, but I'll remember in the future! And I know the McDonnell defence is bad, but for some reason at my rating it happens pretty consistently.
If you are facing the McDonnell defence in the Evans Gambit ( 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb4 Bb5 4. b4 Bxb4 5. c3 Bc5?) which is what most players of black who don't study the theory will do as it seems intuitive) and black captures on 7. ...dxc3 after 7. 0-0, allowing the 8. Bxf7+ punish, then if after 8...Kxf7 9. Qd5+ Ke8, hoping to not be checked by Qxc5 taking the bishop, then before capturing the bishop go 10. Qh5+. Most of the time (at ~elo 1300 and lower) black will play 10. ...g6 to block, which seems logical but is just terrible because it makes black's dark squares on the kingside super vulnerable and he won't have his dark-square bish! After that just take the bishop and then you can do basically whatever you want. I like either Bb2 or Bh6 at some point soon to capitalize on the open dark squares on black's kingside and also maybe throwing a Re1 and a Nxc3 or Qxc3 (if black goes 11. ...d6 after you take the bishop, go 12. Qxc3 to retreat the queen, collect the pawn, and attack the rook on h8 in one move!) in there somewhere. Also don't forget the knight and rook on the queenside as they can come in and reinforce your attack on the kingside or create some pressure in the center or the queenside.
As I am only ~1300, I'll back up my claim by telling you that my win rate after 10. ...g6 is 71% and that the move g6, according to the engine is so bad that the eval goes from +1.41 to +3.28. Also, aside from being a neat trick, 10. Qh5+ is also just the best move in the position as even if black does not weaken their dark squares with 10. ...g6, they still will have to play either 10. ...Kf8 or 10. ...Kd8, which means that either way 11. Qxc5 will come with check, and therefore a tempo.