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Learn the Two Knights Defense

Instead of defending politely, 3…Nf6 hits e4 right away. White has to decide: attack f7 or play it quiet?

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The main line

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.Nf3 e4 10.Ne5 Bd6

C59 · Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Polerio Defense, Suhle Defense

The position after the main line

The moves explained

Why is each move played? The explanations come from the opening trainer – there you play the moves yourself afterwards.

  1. 1.e4 Occupies the centre with a pawn on e4.
  2. 1…e5 Occupies the centre with a pawn on e5.
  3. 2.Nf3 Develops the knight to f3 – pieces out first, then attack.
  4. 2…Nc6 Develops the knight to c6 – pieces out first, then attack.
  5. 3.Bc4 Develops the bishop to c4 – pieces out first, then attack.
  6. 3…Nf6 Develops the knight to f6 – pieces out first, then attack.
  7. 4.Ng5 Brings the knight to a better square (g5).
  8. 4…d5 Attacks the pawn on e4 – the fight for the centre begins.
  9. 5.exd5 Takes the pawn on d5.
  10. 5…Na5 The knight was attacked and goes to safety on a5.
  11. 6.Bb5+ Check! The opponent has to react at once.
  12. 6…c6 Attacks the pawn on d5 – the fight for the centre begins.
  13. 7.dxc6 Takes the pawn on c6.
  14. 7…bxc6 Takes back on c6 – material is level again.
  15. 8.Be2 The bishop was attacked and goes to safety on e2.
  16. 8…h6 Prevention: takes important squares away from the opponent's pieces.
  17. 9.Nf3 The knight was attacked and goes to safety on f3.
  18. 9…e4 Occupies the centre with a pawn on e4.
  19. 10.Ne5 The knight was attacked and goes to safety on e5.
  20. 10…Bd6 Develops the bishop to d6 – pieces out first, then attack.

Idea and plans

The idea

3…Nf6 attacks e4 and invites 4.Ng5, hitting f7 – one of the sharpest answers to the Italian Game.

Plan for White

After 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 keep up the pressure; calmer is 4.d3 with a slow build-up.

Plan for Black

After 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 the main line is 5…Na5: a pawn for fast development.

Tip

After 5…Nxd5?! the Fried Liver sacrifice 6.Nxf7! attacks the king.

The 8 lines in the course

Grey: the moves shared with the main line. Bold: the move where the line leaves it.

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More openings