1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5
This opening is sometimes referred to as the Bishop's Opening, Boi variation, apparently named after Paolo Boi, a 16th century Italian chess player.
Alas, the only Boi variation game featuring Boi that I have found, has him as a defender - and the game quickly transposes to a Giuoco Piano
Scovara - Boi, Paolo, Spain, 1575
1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.c3 Qe7 5.d4 exd4 6.cxd4 Qxe4+ 7.Be3 Bb4+ 8.Nc3 d5 9.Bd3 Qe7 10.h3 Nf6 11.Kf1 Kf8 12.g4 Kg8 13.Rh2 Bd6 14.Rg2 White resigned
Sacrificing the Bishop now with 3.Bxf7+, has been referred to as the Jerome Gambit by Gerald Abrahams (The Pan Book of Chess [1965], The Chess Mind [1951]), so I call it the Abrahams Jerome Gambit, in his honor.
Since we have been looking at "hybrid gambits" (see "Jerome Gambit: Two Hybrid Gambits [Parts 1 & 2]"), let me add another move to the line we are considering
3.b4
Referring to last year's post, "Jerome Gambit: A Bit Dizzy"
...1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.b4 has been called the Bishop's opening, wing gambit; the Bishop's opening, McDonnell's gambit; and the La Bourdonnais - Denker Gambit.
Attaching Alexander McDonnell's name to the line, however, requires that we look at his 24th match game against Louis Charles Mahe De La Bourdonnais, 1834 - the game continued 3...Bxb4 4.f4, known as the McDonnell Double Gambit.
That is also the only game that I have found with La Bourdonnais' name.
Then, there is the similarity to the Evans Gambit
Arnold Denker - Arthur Randolph Shayne, Rochester, New York, 1945
1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.b4 Bxb4 4.c3 Bc5 5.d4 exd4 6.Nf3 Nf6 7.e5 Ne4 8.O-O Nxc3 9.Nxc3 dxc3 10.Bg5 Be7 11.Qd5 Rf8 12.Bf6 gxf6 13.exf6 Bxf6 14.Rfe1+ Be7 15.Ng5 c6 16.Nxf7 cxd5 17.Nd6 checkmate
Further, the papachess has this to say
Bishop's Opening: McDonnell Gambit can be a tricky opening to face, but there are several ways to neutralize its effectiveness. The simplest approach is to decline the gambit with 3...Bb6, which gives Black a pawn advantage but allows white to retain control of the center.
Alternatively, Black can accept the gambit with 3...Bxb4 and then focus on defending their position accurately. White's early lead in development can be slowed down with moves such as ...Nc6 or ...d6, which aim to block white's bishop.
If white seems to be putting too much pressure on Black's position, Black can also choose to exchange pieces to relieve the pressure. This is especially effective if white has misplaced pieces or a weak pawn structure.
In sum, the key to countering Bishop's Opening: McDonnell Gambit is to maintain accurate play and avoid positional weaknesses. By doing so, Black can neutralize white's early aggression and gain the upper hand.
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