The first person to significantly research this opening was chess amateur Otto Mandrup Tennison (1834–1909).[6][7] Tennison was born in Denmark, studied in Germany and moved to the United States in 1854. There, he played in the chess clubs of
New Orleans. Many strong players picked up the idea from the first half of the 20th century.
After 2...dxe4 3.Ng5
White intends to tempt Black to play 3...Nf6
?! After 4.d3 exd3 5.Bxd3 h6
??, White wins with 6.Nxf7 Kxf7 7.Bg6+ Kxg6 8.Qxd8. This continuation has been referred to as the "
Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Variation", coined by YouTuber Bosnian Ape Society in a video in which instead of 8.Qxd8, White launches an anti-tank missile at Black.[8][9] The name "Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Variation", along with "ICBM Variation" or "ICBM Gambit", has been used by noted players such as
IMLevy Rozman.[9] After 4.Bc4 e6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Ngxe4 Nxe4 7.Nxe4 b5 8.Be2 Bb7 9.Bf3 White had the advantage in
Ermenkov–Bonchev, Bulgaria 1970.