Damiano Defence

Hunt the exposed king

The attacking idea

Use queen and bishop checks to pull the king away from its defenders.

The temptation

Taking the knight opens the diagonal to h5 and exposes the king.

If they defend

Use Qe7 to meet the threat instead of taking the knight. White still has pressure.

Look for the tactic as you develop. The opponent can choose a different route.

They take the bait

1. e4 1… e5 2. Nf3 2… f6 3. Nxe5 3… fxe5 4. Qh5+ 4… Ke7 5. Qxe5+ 5… Kf7 6. Bc4+

They defend

1. e4 1… e5 2. Nf3 2… f6 3. Nxe5 3… Qe7 4. Nf3 4… Qxe4+ 5. Be2

About your chess coach

Tempo uses Stockfish 19 Lite to suggest strong moves and explain captures, threats, and plans in plain language.

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