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At the end of last year, I published a video where I played a perfect 100% in a tournament, with the Vienna Game Accepted, where I used the classic and brilliant trap of Nd5. In that game, I made a gamble in the match as I accelerated the Nd5 but foregoing the typical defensive move, Nf3 to prevent Qh4+, an ever-present risk in the Vienna Gambit due to the move of the f-pawn and weakening of the dark square diagonal to the king. I had hoped that my opponent wouldn’t see Qh4+ – they didn’t – that resulted in the springing of a devasting trap next turn where the opponent loses their queen.

However, when I analysed the game, I was astonished to discover that Stockfish not only had no fear of Qh4+, what I thought was a blunder to allow, but had rated this terrifying looking counterattack by black as the theoretical best move!

Since then, I have never had the courage to allow it, until today! And boy, is it deadly! The best theoretical line for black, which still maintains a good advantage for white, requires a completely inhuman looking computer move that I doubt anyone unprepared will find. The other slightly less terrible moves involve moving the king into the middle of the board and seemingly into mating threats! A completely reasonable-looking and natural move is a +10 blunder!

So, in this one instance, don’t fear Qh4+ in the Vienna Gambit accepted! Black’s escape from the better-known Vienna Gambit trap results in them falling into a second one that is more devious than the first!

Game on chess.com: https://www.chess.com/game/live/47615402893

[Event "Live Chess"]
[Site "Chess.com"]
[Date "2022.05.29"]
[Round "?"]
[White "vitualis"]
[Black "Andalejo"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C28"]
[WhiteElo "1266"]
[BlackElo "1313"]
[TimeControl "1800"]
[EndTime "19:32:07 PDT"]
[Termination "vitualis won by resignation"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. f4 exf4 4. e5 Qe7 5. Qe2 Ng8 6. d4 d6 7. Nd5 Qh4+ 8. g3 fxg3 9. Bg5 Qxg5 10. exd6+ Be6 11. Qb5+ Nd7 12. Nxc7+ Kd8 13. Qxg5+ Ngf6 14. Nxa8 Bxd6 15. Ne2 Rg8 16. Nxg3 Ke7 17. Nf5+ Bxf5 18. Qxf5 Rxa8 19. O-O-O Kf8 20. Bb5 Nb6 21. h3 Nbd5 22. Rhe1 Bf4+ 23. Kb1 a6 24. Bd7 Rd8 25. Bc8 Bh6 26. Bxb7 Ne3 27. Qc5+ Kg8 28. Rd3 Ng2 1-0