Opening School
The Max Lange Attack

The Max Lange Attack is named for the German master Max Lange, who suggested it in 1854.  Max Lange (August 7, 1832, Magdeburg – December 8, 1899, Leipzig) was a German chess player and composer.

In 1858–1864, he was an editor of the Deutsche Schachzeitung.  He was a founder of Westdeutscher Schachbund (West German Chess Federation, WDSB), and an organizer of the 9th DSB–Congress (Kongress des Deutschen Schachbundes) at Leipzig 1894.  He was the second President of the German Chess Federation (DSB).

Lange won four Western German championships: thrice in Düsseldorf (1862, 1863, 1864), and at Aachen (Aix-la-Chapelle) 1868 (7th WDSB–Congress).  He also won at Hamburg 1868 (1st Congress of the North German Chess Federation).

He published Lehrbuch des Schachspiels (Halle 1856), and Handbuch der Schachaufgaben (Handbook of Chess problems, Leipzig 1862).

After 6.e5, Black has two main replies. 6...Ng4 is playable, but rarely seen.  More common is 6...d5, when the main line continues 7.exf6 dxc4 8.Re1+ Be6 9.Ng5 Qd5 (9...Qxf6?? 10.Nxe6 fxe6 11.Qh5+ followed by 12.Qxc5 is a notorious trap) 10.Nc3 Qf5 (10...dxc3?? 11.Qxd5 wins, since 11...Bxd5 is illegal) 11.Nce4 0-0-0 with complex play.

An alternative for White is 8.fxg7 Rg8 9.Bg5, analyzed by Lev Gutman and Stefan Bucker in Kaissiber, which they consider to be good for White.  Black's usual response is 9...Be7 10.Bxe7 Kxe7.

Much of the above information is taken from Wikipedia.

Pay attention now, class, as 'Professor' Krzymowski takes you through this great attacking system:

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Other Chessville resources on the Max Lange Attack:

• Free Download:  from Clyde Nakamura: "Attached is a chess database on the Max Lange Attack that I recently compiled.  The moves are 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.d4 exd4 5.0-0 Bc5.  This database has 2415 games plus 4 lines.  Zipped PGN file.

Other Max Lange Attack Resources on the Internet:

• Max Lange Attack - Modern Horowitz Variation (Kenilworth Chess Club)

• The Kenilworthian: Max Lange Gambit Revived (The Kenilworthian)

• The Max Lange Attack – Part 1 (Chess Lessons by GM Boris Alterman)

• Over the Horizons by Stefan Bücker (Chesscafe) [PDF]

Books related to the Max Lange Attack:

• Review: The Italian Gambit and a Guiding Repertoire for White

Back to The Opening School

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