Answers.Body: <p>The sacrifice is quite dubious.  Besides the answers with 10.Nxe5, 10. Rxe5 is simply two knights for a rook and there is no attack for Black.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2018-07-24T23:40:35.370Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2018-07-24T23:40:35.370Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Ywapom
Answers.Body: <p>This is really a question for the engines, but it's hard to believe
  that Black has enough compensation here for his creatively sacrificed
  material.  White could also return a fraction of the material with</p>
  
  <pre><code>10 Nxe5!? dxe4 11 Nxc6 Qd6 12 Nxe7+ Qxe7 13 d4
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>and be just up B+N for R; or return a bit more material in your main line with
  12 Qh5 followed by 13 Nc6!? which seems to end up with White having an
  extra pawn, which is a bigger advantage than White normally gets from
  this opening.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2018-07-24T18:52:37.923Z
Answers.Text: I appreciate your answer prof. Elkies. I did not know you played chess actually.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Konstantinos Gaitanas
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2018-07-24T18:43:34.497Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2018-07-24T18:43:34.497Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Noam D. Elkies
Answers.Body: <p>As other already pointed out, black doesn't have enough compensation and white can even give back some material to have an easy game.</p>
  
  <p>But even in the last line where you keep the material and black plays Ne5, you can play d3 to free yourself up, and black cant really capture that pawn, at least not right away due to:</p>
  
  <pre><code>[FEN "r1bq1rk1/2p1bppp/p7/1p1pn3/3Np3/1BP5/PP1P1PPP/RNBQR1K1 w - - 2 12"]
  
  1. d3 (1... exd3 2. Rxe5) Nxd3 2. Nc6 Qd6 3. Nxe7+ Qxe7 4. Qxd3
  </code></pre>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2018-07-25T17:07:19.100Z
Answers.Text: @matthew liu already suggested 12 d3.  Black doesn't have to take immediately but can play 12 . . . c5 first.  White can still choose this time to return the piece for several pawns (13 dxe4), or try to counter-counterattack with 13 Bf4.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Noam D. Elkies
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2018-07-25T17:10:18.100Z
Answers.Text: @NoamD.Elkies Very true, as i stated "at least not right away". In fact the game gets very sharp with tons of tactics all around, but never as cramped as it looked initially.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Isac
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2018-07-25T16:41:25.043Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2018-07-25T16:41:25.043Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Isac
Answers.Body: <p>I think black is totally lost here, after d5, Nxe5 seems to be winning easily for white.</p>
  
  <p>Even in your position, after f4 and Nc6 and taking on e7, white seems to be up a piece for no compensation.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2018-07-24T21:17:03.227Z
Answers.Text: careful with this last line: 12 f4 Nd3 13 Nc6 Bc5+ is the kind of thing Black wants to happen.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Noam D. Elkies
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2018-07-24T21:48:09.757Z
Answers.Text: I see, I missed that. I think d3 should be fine then.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Matthew Liu
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2018-07-24T20:54:40.763Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2018-07-24T20:54:40.763Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Matthew Liu
Body: <p>I often play the following variation with black when I play blitz. Somehow it refuses the known lines of the Spanish.<br>
  It looks like that black is going to be destroyed but almost always I win when I play this opening.  </p>
  
  <pre><code>[FEN ""]
  
  
  
  1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O b5 6.Bb3 Be7 7.Re1 O-O 8.c3 Nxe4!?   
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>The main idea is that IF white accepts the sacrifice, he/she is going to suffer a pawn storm who will paralyze the queen side.<br>
  Almost always (I mean over 95% of the times) the game continuous like this:   </p>
  
  <pre><code>  [FEN ""]
  
  
  
  1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O b5 6.Bb3 Be7 7.Re1 O-O 8.c3 Nxe4!? 9.Rxe4 d5 10.Re1 e4 11.Nd4 Ne5   
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>And after this continuation, black has strong attack.<br>
  I really liked the idea that I found something <em>different</em> to play when I am facing the Spanish (By the way, is 8... Nxe4 a "new" idea?), but I think it is possible to get crushed in a game which is not blitz.<br>
  So my question is:  </p>
  
  <blockquote>
    <p>Is 8...Nxe4 a move which gives black something good in general?</p>
  </blockquote>
  
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2019-09-28T23:59:29.260Z
Comments.Text: No it's not good. Sacrificing a piece for a pawn should give you a much more dangerous attack.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Inertial Ignorance
Tags: <opening><ruy-lopez><sacrifice><opening-traps>
Title: Is this knight sacrifice a good idea?
ThreadText: # Is this knight sacrifice a good idea?
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2018-07-24)
  
  I often play the following variation with black when I play blitz. Somehow it refuses the known lines of the Spanish.  
  It looks like that black is going to be destroyed but almost always I win when I play this opening.
  
  ```
  [FEN ""]
  
  1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O b5 6.Bb3 Be7 7.Re1 O-O 8.c3 Nxe4!?   
  
  ```
  
  The main idea is that IF white accepts the sacrifice, he/she is going to suffer a pawn storm who will paralyze the queen side.  
  Almost always (I mean over 95% of the times) the game continuous like this:
  
  ```
    [FEN ""]
  
  1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O b5 6.Bb3 Be7 7.Re1 O-O 8.c3 Nxe4!? 9.Rxe4 d5 10.Re1 e4 11.Nd4 Ne5   
  
  ```
  
  And after this continuation, black has strong attack.  
  I really liked the idea that I found something *different* to play when I am facing the Spanish (By the way, is 8... Nxe4 a "new" idea?), but I think it is possible to get crushed in a game which is not blitz.  
  So my question is:
  
  > Is 8...Nxe4 a move which gives black something good in general?
  
  **Tags:** opening, ruy-lopez, sacrifice, opening-traps
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_1**: No it's not good. Sacrificing a piece for a pawn should give you a much more dangerous attack.  
  
  ---
  
  ## 4 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_2 on 2018-07-24. Score: 8
  
  The sacrifice is quite dubious. Besides the answers with 10.Nxe5, 10. Rxe5 is simply two knights for a rook and there is no attack for Black.
  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_3 on 2018-07-24. Score: 5
  
  This is really a question for the engines, but it's hard to believe
  that Black has enough compensation here for his creatively sacrificed
  material. White could also return a fraction of the material with
  
  ```
  10 Nxe5!? dxe4 11 Nxc6 Qd6 12 Nxe7+ Qxe7 13 d4
  
  ```
  
  and be just up B+N for R; or return a bit more material in your main line with
  12 Qh5 followed by 13 Nc6!? which seems to end up with White having an
  extra pawn, which is a bigger advantage than White normally gets from
  this opening.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_0**: I appreciate your answer prof. username_3. I did not know you played chess actually.  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_4 on 2018-07-25. Score: 3
  
  As other already pointed out, black doesn't have enough compensation and white can even give back some material to have an easy game.
  
  But even in the last line where you keep the material and black plays Ne5, you can play d3 to free yourself up, and black cant really capture that pawn, at least not right away due to:
  
  ```
  [FEN "r1bq1rk1/2p1bppp/p7/1p1pn3/3Np3/1BP5/PP1P1PPP/RNBQR1K1 w - - 2 12"]
  
  1. d3 (1... exd3 2. Rxe5) Nxd3 2. Nc6 Qd6 3. Nxe7+ Qxe7 4. Qxd3
  
  ```
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_3**: @username_5 already suggested 12 d3.  Black doesn't have to take immediately but can play 12 . . . c5 first.  White can still choose this time to return the piece for several pawns (13 dxe4), or try to counter-counterattack with 13 Bf4.  
  > **username_4**: @username_3 Very true, as i stated "at least not right away". In fact the game gets very sharp with tons of tactics all around, but never as cramped as it looked initially.  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_5 on 2018-07-24. Score: 1
  
  I think black is totally lost here, after d5, Nxe5 seems to be winning easily for white.
  
  Even in your position, after f4 and Nc6 and taking on e7, white seems to be up a piece for no compensation.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_3**: careful with this last line: 12 f4 Nd3 13 Nc6 Bc5+ is the kind of thing Black wants to happen.  
  > **username_5**: I see, I missed that. I think d3 should be fine then.  
  
  ---
  
  