Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...e5/2. Nc3/2...Nf6/3. Bc4/3...Nxe4/4. Qh5

Black is threatened with 5. Qxf7#. They have nine legal moves that prevent this - surely one of them must allow them to avoid ruin?

• 4...Qe7? and 4...Qf6? allow Nxe4 winning a piece, as without the queen to defend d5 the fork trick has had its prongs bent.
• 4...Qg5? allows 5. Bxf7+ Kd8 6. Nxe4 Qxg2 7. Qxe5 winning a knight and a pawn.
• 4...Qh4? allows 5. Bxf7+ Kd8 6. Qxh4+ winning a pawn and a queen.
• 4...g6? allows Qxe5+ picking up the knight or the rook.
• 4...Ke7?? allows Qxe5# picking up the game.
• 4...d5?? gives the pawn back for nothing as after 5. Bxd5 the threat is renewed.
• 4...Ng5? is met by 5. d4 forcing the knight to e6. Even if knight and king both survive the subsequent complications, White can regain the pawn and enjoy a whopping lead in development.

So by a process of elimination, it has to be 4...Nd6!□, which defends f7 and has the enormous attraction of attacking the undefended c4 bishop.

For explanation of theory tables, see theory table and for notation, see algebraic notation..

1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Bc4 Nxe4 4. Qh5

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