Ponziani Opening: Spanish Variation, Harrwitz Attack, Nikitin Gambit is a chess opening with the ECO code C44, part of the Ponziani Opening family. It goes 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. c3 d5 4. Bb5 dxe4 5. Nxe5 Qd5 6. Qa4. White opens with 1. e4 (the king's pawn) and Black answers 1... e5. After 11 moves it is Black to move. The lesson on the board explains every move of the line and lets you play it yourself; it is free.
The moves
1. e4 – White plays the pawn to e4
1... e5 – Black plays the pawn to e5
2. Nf3 – White plays the knight to f3
2... Nc6 – Black plays the knight to c6
3. c3 – White plays the pawn to c3
3... d5 – Black plays the pawn to d5
4. Bb5 – White plays the bishop to b5
4... dxe4 – Black captures on e4 with the d-pawn
5. Nxe5 – White takes on e5 with the knight
5... Qd5 – Black plays the queen to d5
6. Qa4 – White plays the queen to a4
About the Ponziani Opening
After 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6, White plays 3.c3 to prepare d4 and a big centre. It is old and offbeat but playable.
White wants d4; if Black takes, cxd4 gives two centre pawns.
Black's best answers hit e4 at once with ...Nf6 or ...d5.
c3 takes the best square from White's b1 knight, so it develops slower.
chessGM