Italian Game: Two Knights Defense
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6
Two Knights Defense
1.2.3.
What Is The Two Knights Defense?
3...Nf6 answers the pressure on f7 with pressure on e4. Black refuses the quiet 3...Bc5 and invites 4.Ng5, when f7 is attacked twice and defended only by the king. This is not an oversight: the reply 4...d5 opens the centre with tempo, and after 5.exd5 Black hands over material to keep White's queenside asleep. The Two Knights is a gambit in disguise, and you play it for development and open lines, not for equal material.
Recapture with 5...Nxd5 and White strikes with 6.Nxf7, the Fried Liver, dragging your king to e6 by move seven. So the main road is 5...Na5, kicking the bishop and staying a pawn down with faster pieces. The Traxler, 4...Bc5, ignores f7 completely and answers 5.Nxf7 with Bxf2+. Concrete knowledge decides these games.
What Do Players Choose At The Decision Point?
| Move | Share | Games | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nf6 | 35% | 10,943 | |
| Bc5 | 31% | 9,608 | |
| h6 | 12% | 3,578 | |
| d6 | 8% | 2,323 |
How Does Play Continue From Here?
| Move | Share | Games | |
|---|---|---|---|
| d3 | 32% | 3,850 | |
| Ng5 | 30% | 3,571 | |
| Nc3 | 15% | 1,840 | |
| O-O | 9% | 1,131 |
The Named Lines Of The Two Knights Defense
| Line | Moves |
|---|---|
| Modern Bishop's Opening | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.d3 h6 5.O-O d6 |
| Open Variation | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.d4 |
| Knight Attack | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 |
| Knight Attack, Normal Variation | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 |
| Traxler Counterattack | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 Bc5 |
| Ponziani-Steinitz Gambit | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 Nxe4 |
| Perreux Variation | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.d4 exd4 5.Ng5 |
| Traxler Counterattack, Knight Sacrifice Line | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 Bc5 5.Nxf7 |
| Traxler Counterattack, Bishop Sacrifice Line | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 Bc5 5.Bxf7+ |
| Ulvestad Variation | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 b5 |
| Fritz Variation | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Nd4 |
| Kloss Gambit | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Nb4 |
| Polerio Defense | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Na5 |
| Max Lange Attack | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 Nf6 5.O-O Bc5 6.e5 |
| Polerio Defense, Kieseritzky Variation | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Na5 6.d3 |
| Lolli Attack | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Nxd5 6.d4 |
| Traxler Variation, Trencianske-Teplice Gambit | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 Bc5 5.Bxf7+ Ke7 6.d4 |
| Polerio Defense, Bishop Check Line | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Na5 6.Bb5+ |
| Fried Liver Attack | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Nxd5 6.Nxf7 |
| Pincus Variation | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Nxd5 6.d4 Bb4+ |
| Max Lange Attack, Krause Variation | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.d4 exd4 5.O-O Bc5 6.e5 Ng4 7.c3 |
| Ulvestad Variation, Kurkin Gambit | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 b5 6.Bf1 h6 7.Nxf7 |
| Traxler Counterattack, King March Line | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 Bc5 5.Nxf7 Bxf2+ 6.Kxf2 Nxe4+ 7.Ke3 |
| Fritz, Gruber Variation | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Nd4 6.c3 b5 7.Bf1 Nxd5 8.Ne4 |
| Polerio Defense, Bogoljubow Variation | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Na5 6.Bb5+ c6 7.dxc6 bxc6 8.Qf3 |
| Polerio Defense, Suhle Defense | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Na5 6.Bb5+ c6 7.dxc6 bxc6 8.Be2 h6 |
| Colman Variation | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Na5 6.Bb5+ c6 7.dxc6 bxc6 8.Qf3 Rb8 |
| Blackburne Variation | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Na5 6.Bb5+ c6 7.dxc6 bxc6 8.Qf3 cxb5 |
| Steinitz Variation | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Na5 6.Bb5+ c6 7.dxc6 bxc6 8.Be2 h6 9.Nh3 |
| Paoli Variation | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Na5 6.Bb5+ c6 7.dxc6 bxc6 8.Qf3 Qc7 9.Bd3 |
| Maróczy Variation | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Na5 6.d3 h6 7.Nf3 e4 8.Qe2 Nxc4 9.dxc4 Be7 |
| Max Lange Attack, Loman Defense | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 Bc5 5.O-O Nf6 6.e5 d5 7.exf6 dxc4 8.Re1+ Be6 9.Ng5 g6 |
| Keidansky Variation | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.d4 exd4 5.e5 d5 6.Bb5 Ne4 7.Nxd4 Bc5 8.Nxc6 Bxf2+ 9.Kf1 Qh4 |
| Polerio Defense, Yankovich Variation | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Na5 6.d3 h6 7.Nf3 e4 8.Qe2 Nxc4 9.dxc4 Bc5 10.Nfd2 |