Evans Gambit: The Exposed King
Spot the mistake, then find the punishment
Starting positionWhite to move
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The temptation
9...Ke7 is the move that springs the trap. Ke7 avoids capturing a bishop protected by the queen and seems to keep Black's extra pawns. Black underestimates the open centre.
Why it works
10.e5 attacks the f6 knight while preparing pressure on the open e-file with Re1. White has castled and Black's king has stepped into the centre; that difference makes the pawn thrust more important than Black's material surplus. White is two pawns down after Bxf7+, not three. Accepting the Evans Gambit with ...Bxb4 is legitimate; this lesson focuses on the later king move ...Ke7, which gives White a concrete attacking tempo.
Open the centre while the king is exposed
e5 hits Nf6. The f1 rook can come to e1, where it will face the uncastled king on e7 along an open file.
How to avoid it
Answer 9.Bxf7+ with 9...Kf8 rather than Ke7. Earlier, ...Qf6 instead of ...Nf6 protects f7; accepted Evans positions require active, precise defence.
The opening behind it
Learn the sound version of this line and the trick stops being tempting.