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Ponziani opening..why do they keep going into the hole?

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jiganbieru

I learnt about Ponziani opening online. i am an average player who is quite enthusiastic. i find surprising that i could finish a game in 10 moves..just because my opponents take the wrong turns.

1.e4 e5, 2.Nf3 Nc6, 3.c3...heralding the ponziani..Nf6,4.d4 exd,5.e5 Nd5,6.Bc4 Nb6,7.Bxf7 8.Kxf7,9.Ng5+ then the king enters the hole!..Kg8 10.Qb3+ and a mate is made! why is this an attractive choice(Kg8)? want answers.

jiganbieru

i tried to study the line on chess.com and there appears to be no game in the  data base that supports the sac ...7.Bxf7....i actually think its a good move.

Scottrf

No line supports it because it's not a good move. Any decent player with the black pieces would win. Sacrifices with so few pieces out are rarely good.

jiganbieru

so far, i have toppled a few serious players even with 9.Ke8.....perhaps i have just been lucky!

plutonia

I like how the Ponziani opening is named after a scam.

ponz111

People [most people] do not play that line as White as with best play it loses.  

Black has to defend well but why play a line which theoretically loses?

jiganbieru

intuition......ala open mind play.....practical play.

ponz111

It is fun to think the Ponziani was named after a scam but in reality it is the other way around.  People play against the Ponziani for the first time and lose and it seems to them that they were scammed.

k_kostov

It's not that much of a strong opening. Not bad, but certainly not better than other reasonable openings. And losses in the opening are due to poor move choices as in the text game, not to an opening's overwhelmingness, so don't justify it with the Ponziani.

jiganbieru

Eloquently eulogized Estragon.

ponz111

Yes, three "e's for Estragen and I will add "e" for excellent and "e" for erudite!