Bc1 exists but with one move (Bg5-Bc1) and not two. I don't know if it makes a difference, but it seems to me that it's a clever gambit for White, because Black usually gives the c3 pawn but wins some weakened dark squares in the Black kingside. Acceptance of the gambit is dangerous (and you saw that) because knight has no good square except e4, and taking it quickly leads to lost game after Qg4 (Kf8 to protect g7 loose knight after Qb4+ and g6 means weak dark squares). But White can't play f3 (because of Qh4+ ; it's the difference with Be3 instead of Bd2) thus Black has time to do a useful move like Bd7 (Murey?) or to transpose with c5 as given above.May be you can try f5 too...

This line was recently played against me by someone  420 points above me (he was White):  1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Bb4 5.e5 h6 6.Bd2 Bxc3 7.bxc3 Ne4 8.Bc1(?!) This was my first time playing the MacCutcheon as Black, and he played his 8th move instantly.  After digging in to analyze the move (which I'd never seen), I declined taking the proffered pawn on c3 because I felt my knight could easily asphyxiate and he would have gotten a monstrous lead in development.  Has anybody played against this line?  What do you recommend?

Thanks! 

I also play the MacCutcheon and in my opinion black can continue with 11...Qe7!? 8), followed by Bd7/Bc6. This is how Zifroni played against Sutovsky. If white still decides to play 12.Rab1, then ...c4!? 13.Be2 Nc6 planning Rb8/b5/a5(Qa3)/b4 seems good for black. This is a familiar plan in the 8...Kf8 variation. In the database there is a huge score for white but this does not mean black's position is bad. 12.d:c5 Bd7 transposes. So keep on playing this beautiful variation!

I was also planning to play ...Qc7. Still it is very strange that there are very little players who play this line with white, since it looks dangerous for black.

Hello,
I play the mac-cutcheon with black, but it seems there are clouds gathering above the line I play.
The problem is the following.
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Bb4 5.e5 h6 6.Bd2 Bxc3 7.bxc3 Ne4 8.Qg4 g6 9.Bd3 Nxd2 10.Kxd2 c5 11.Nf3! (To me it is very strange that this move is not played so frequently. More often, white tries h4 ir Qf4.) Bd7 (This is the line I play) 12.Rab1! (This move showed up in Karjakin-Stellwagen, WaZ 2003. The Idea is to play 12...Bc6 13.Bxg6! fxg6 14.Qxe6 Qe7 15.Qxg6+ Qf7 and now 16.Qxf7+ Kxf7 17.Nh4! planning to push the kingside pawns. Somehow it seems very tricky to stop. In the above mentioned game black played : ) 12...c4 13.Bxg6!? Rg8 14.Bxf7+ Kxf7 15.Qh5+ Kg7 16.Rxb7 When a complicated position arises which could well be better for white.
Somehow this white setup (11.Nf3, without Qf4) is completely ignored by theory. What to do with black?