The Danish Gambit is a promise of exciting chess. White gives up material for a lead in development and Black tries very hard not to make a mistake in defense. In our position today, Black does make a critical mistake on move 8. If you were in charge of the white forces, how would you continue here?

The game, from the beginning, went this way: 1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Bc4 cxb2 5.Bxb2 d5 6.Bxd5 Nf6 7.Nc3 [White normally goes with 7.Bxf7+ Kxf7 8.Qxd8 Bb4+ 9.Qd2 Bxd2+ 10.Nxd2 Re8 11.Ngf3 Kg8 (An old trap for Black to fall into is 11...Nxe4 12.Ne5+ Rxe5 13.Bxe5 Nxd2 14.Kxd2 c5) 12.0–0 Nxe4 13.Nxe4 Rxe4 14.Rfe1 Rxe1+ 15.Rxe1 Kf7 16.Ng5+ Kg6 with an interesting endgame struggle ahead.]7...Nxd5 8.Nxd5 c6 [See Diagram. The move looks sensible enough, but it is a losing move. What's the refutation?] 9.Nf6+ gxf6 [9...Ke7 10.Ba3+ Kxf6 11.Qxd8+ Those long range bishops are dangerous in the Danish.] 10.Qxd8+ Kxd8 11.Bxf6+ Kc7 12.Bxh8 [which wins the exchange and eventually the game.]

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