Two Knights Defense - Citizendia

This article uses algebraic notation to describe chess moves. Algebraic chess notation is used to record and describe the moves in a game of Chess.

Two Knights Defense

Moves

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6

ECO

C55-C59

Origin

late 16th century

Parent

Open Game

Chessgames.com opening explorer

The Two Knights Defense is a chess opening that begins

1. The Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings ( ECO) is a classification system for the opening moves in a game of chess An Open Game (or Double King Pawn game is a Chess opening which begins with the White moves 1 In Chess the word " opening " has two common meanings both of which are discussed in this article e4 e5

2. Nf3 Nc6

3. Bc4 Nf6

First recorded by Polerio^[1] (c. Giulio Cesare Polerio (1548 Lanciano - 1612 Rome) was an Italian Chess player 1550–c. 1610) in the late 16th century, this line of the Italian Game was extensively developed in the 19th century. The Italian Game is a family of chess openings beginning 1 e4 e5 2 Black's third move is a more aggressive defense than the Giuoco Piano which would result from 3...Bc5. The Giuoco Piano is a Chess opening characterized by the moves 1 In fact, Bronstein suggested that the term "defense" does not fit, and that the name "Chigorin Counterattack" would be more appropriate. David Ionovich Bronstein (Дави́д Ио́нович Бронште́йн February 19 1924 &ndash December 5 2006) was renowned as a leading ^[2] The Two Knights has been adopted as Black by many aggressive players including Chigorin and Keres, and World Champions Tal and Boris Spassky. Mikhail Ivanovich Chigorin ( 12 November 1850, Gatchina, Russia – 25 January 1908, Lublin, Poland Paul Keres ( January 7, 1916 – June 5, 1975) was an Estonian Chess grandmaster. See also Development of the World Chess Championship The World Chess Championship is played to determine the World Champion in the Board game Chess Mikhail Tal (Mihails Tāls Михаил Нехемьевич Таль Mikhail Nekhemievich Tal, mʲixa'iɫ̺ n̻ʲɛ'xɛmjɛvʲiʨ t̺al̻ sometimes transliterated Mihails Boris Vasilievich Spassky (also Spasskij (Бори́с Васи́льевич Спа́сский (born January 30, 1937) is a Russian French The theory of this opening has been explored extensively in correspondence chess by players such as Berliner and Estrin. Correspondence chess is Chess played by various forms of long-distance correspondence usually through a Correspondence chess server, through email or by Hans Jack Berliner (born Berlin, Germany, January 27, 1929) a Professor of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University is a former Yakov Borisovich Estrin ( April 21, 1923 – February 2, 1987) was a Russian Chess Grandmaster, theoretician and writer

1 Main variations
- 1.1 4.Ng5
- 1.2 4.Nc3
- 1.3 4.d3
- 1.4 4.d4
2 References
3 External links

Main variations

Boden-Kieseritzky Gambit

Max Lange Attack

Wilkes-Barre or Traxler Variation

White must respond to the attack on his e-pawn (For explanation of notation, see Chess Opening Theory Table). A chess opening theory table or ECO (Encyclopedia Of Chess Openings table presents lines of moves typically (but not always from the starting position

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6

	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Wilkes-Barre or Traxler Variation	Ng5 Bc5!?	Bxf7+! Ke7	Bd5! -	- -	- -	- -	- -
Lolli Variation	. . . d5	exd5 Nxd5?!	d4! -	- -	- -	- -	- -
Fried Liver Attack	. The Fried Liver Attack, also called the Fegatello Attack (named for an Italian idiom meaning "dead as a piece of liver" is a Chess opening. . . . . .	. . . . . .	Nxf7!? Kxf7	Qf3+ Ke6	Nc3 Nb4	a3! Nxc2+	Kd1 Nxa1	- -
Morphy Variation	. . . d5	exd5 Na5	d3 h6	Nf3 e4	Qe2 Nxc4	dxc4 Bc5	- -
Main Line	. . . . . .	. . . . . .	Bb5+ c6	dxc6 bxc6	Be2 h6	Nf3 e4	Ne5 -
Steinitz Variation	. . . . . .	. . . . . .	. . . . . .	. . . . . .	. . . . . .	Nh3 -	- -
Ulvestad Variation	. . . . . .	. . . b5	Bf1! Nd4	c3 Nxd5	Ne4 -	- -	- -
Fritz Variation	. . . . . .	. . . Nd4	c3 b5	Bf1! Nxd5	Ne4 -	- -	- -
Boden-Kieseritzky Gambit	Nc3 Nxe4	O-O Nxc3	dxc3 Qe7	Ng5 Nd8	- -	- -	- -
Giuoco Pianissimo, by transposition	d3 Bc5	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -
3	. Petrov's Defence, sometimes called Petroff's Defense or the Russian Game, is a Chess opening characterized by the following moves 1 The Giuoco Piano is a Chess opening characterized by the moves 1 . . d5!?	exd5 Nxd5	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -
4	. . . Be7	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -
5	d4 exd4	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -
6	. . . . . .	O-O Nxe4	Re1 d5	Bxd5 Qxd5	Nc3 -	- -	- -
Max Lange Attack	. The Max Lange Attack is a Chess opening that can arise from many different opening lines including the Two Knights Defense, Petroff's Defense, . . . . .	. . . Bc5	e5 d5	exf6 dxc4	Re1+ Be6	Ng5 Qd5	Nc3 Qf5
8	. . . . . .	e5 d5	Bb5 Ne4	Nxd4 Bc5	- -	- -	- -
9	. . . . . .	. . . Ne4	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -
10	. . . . . .	. . . Ng4	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -

4. Ng5

Siegbert Tarrasch called 4. Siegbert Tarrasch ( March 5, 1862 &ndash February 17, 1934) was one of the strongest Chess players and most influential chess Ng5 a "duffer's move" (ein richtiger Stümperzug) and Panov called it "primitive", but this attack on f7 practically wins a pawn by force. Vasily Nikolayevich Panov ( November 1 1906 – January 13 1973) was a Soviet Chess player author and journalist Despite Tarrasch's criticism, many players consider 4. Ng5 to be White's best chance for an advantage and it has been played by World Champions Steinitz, Fischer, Karpov, Kasparov, and Anand. Wilhelm (later William) Steinitz ( May 17, 1836 – August 12, 1900) was an Austrian - American Robert James "Bobby" Fischer ( March 9 1943 – January 17 2008) was an American -born Chess Grandmaster Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov (Анатолий Евгеньевич Карпов born May 23, 1951) is a Russian Chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov (Га́рри Ки́мович Каспа́ров) (born as Garry Kimovich Weinstein on April 13 1963 in Baku, Azerbaijan SSR, Soviet Viswanathan Anand (ʋiɕˈʋəˌnɑˌt̪ʰən ɑnˌənd̪ விசுவநாதன் ஆனந்த் (born December 11, 1969) is an Indian

Czech problemist Karel Traxler played 4. The Czech Republic ( ˈt͡ʃɛskaː ˈrɛpuˌblɪka short form in Česko ˈt͡ʃɛskɔ also called Czechia, A chess problem, also called a chess composition, is a puzzle set by somebody using Chess pieces on a Chess board that presents the solver with Karel Traxler (1866 &ndash 1936 was a Czech Chess master and composer of Chess problems He is best known for the ultra-sharp variation . . Bc5!? in Reinisch–Traxler, Prague 1896. Prague (ˈprɑːg Praha (ˈpraɦa see also other names) is the Capital and Largest city of the Czech Republic. Some decades later, a few Pennsylvania chess amateurs (mainly K. Williams) analyzed the variation and decided to name it after their town Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, so today 4. Wilkes-Barre (ˈwɪlksbɛrə or /-bɛri/ is the central city of the Wyoming Valley and County seat of Luzerne County in northeastern Pennsylvania . . Bc5 is known as both the Traxler Variation and (in the U. S. A. only) the Wilkes-Barre Variation. This bold move ignores White's attack on f7 and leads to wild play where some long variations have been analyzed to a draw by perpetual check. In Chess, a draw is one of the possible outcomes of a game the others being a win for white and a win for black In the game of Chess, perpetual check is a situation in which one player can force a draw by an unending series of checks Such a situation typically arises White can play 5. d4, 5. Nxf7, or 5. Bxf7+. After 5. d4 d5!, White's best is to go into an equal endgame after 6. dxc5 dxc4 7. Qxd8+. Other sixth moves have scored very badly for White. The usual move used to be 5. Nxf7, but this is very complicated after 5. . . Bxf2+. The current main lines all lead to drawn or equal positions, e. g. after 6. Kxf2 Nxe4+ 7. Kg1, or even 7. Ke3. In the year 2000, this last move (which was already considered by Karel Traxler himself) was credited as the 'refutation' of the Traxler variation, after an article in the New in Chess Yearbook series, featuring a diagram after White's 7th move on the cover. However, computer analysis subsequently showed that Black can probably force a draw after this move as well. White's best try for an advantage is probably 5. Bxf7+ Ke7 6. Bd5 as played by Anand. No grandmasters regularly adopt the Wilkes-Barre as Black, but Beliavsky and Shirov have played it occasionally even in top competition. Alexander Henrikhovich Beliavsky (sometimes transliterated as Belyavsky born December 17, 1953) is a Ukrainian Chess grandmaster. Alexei Dmitrievich Shirov ( Aleksejs Širovs, Алексей Дмитриевич Широв) (born July 4, 1972 in Riga, No clear refutation is known yet.

More common is 4. . . d5 5. exd5. The Black recapture 5. . . Nxd5?! is very risky. Pinkus tried to bolster this move with analysis in 1943 and 1944 issues of Chess Review, but White gets a strong attack with either the safe Lolli Variation 6. Chess Review (January 1933 to April 1941 The Chess Review) is a U d4! or the sacrificial Fried Liver (or Fegatello) Attack 6. The Fried Liver Attack, also called the Fegatello Attack (named for an Italian idiom meaning "dead as a piece of liver" is a Chess opening. Nxf7!? Kxf7 7. Qf3+ Ke6 8. Nc3. These variations are usually considered too difficult for Black to defend over the board, but they are sometimes used in correspondence play. Instead Black usually chooses to make the opening a gambit by playing either 5. A gambit is a Chess opening in which the first player risks or sacrifices material usually a pawn, with the hope of achieving a resulting advantageous . . Na5 (main line), 5. . . Nd4 or 5. . . b5.

After 5. . . Na5, Morphy would hold on to the gambit pawn as White with 6. Disambiguation Morphy redirects here For the fictional character nicknamed Morphy see King Morpheus. d3. The Morphy Variation has not been popular, since it has long been known that Black obtains good chances for the pawn with 6. . . h6 7. Nf3 e4 8. Qe2 Nxc4 9. dxc4 Bc5. (Bronstein once tried the piece sacrifice 8. dxe4!? with success, but its soundness is doubtful. ^[2]^[3]) Instead, White usually plays 6. Bb5+, when play almost always continues 6. . . c6 7. dxc6 bxc6 8. Be2 h6. (The move 8. Qf3?! was popular in the 19th century and revived by Bogoljubov in the 20th century is still played occasionally, but Black obtains a strong attack after either 8. The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar Efim Dmitriyevich Bogoljubow (Bogoljubov Bogolyubov (Ефи́м Дми́триевич Боголю́бов April 14, 1889 &ndash June 18, The twentieth century of the Common Era began on . . h6! or 8. . . Rb8. ) White then has a choice of two retreat squares for the king knight. The usual retreat is 9. Nf3 when Black obtains some initiative after 9. . . e4 10. Ne5 (this is considered to be the main line of the Two Knights Defense). Steinitz favored 9. Nh3 instead although it did not bring him success in his famous 1891 cable match against Chigorin. The Steinitz Variation was mostly forgotten until Fischer revived it in the 1960s. Short led a second revival of 9. Nigel David Short MBE (born June 1, 1965 in Leigh, Lancashire) is often regarded as the strongest British Chess Nh3 in the 1990s, and today it is thought to be about equal in strength to the more common 9. Nf3.

Black's alternatives to 5. . . Na5, the Fritz Variation 5. . . Nd4 and Ulvestad's Variation 5. . . b5, are related as they share a common main line. American master Olav Ulvestad introduced the surprising 5. . . b5 in a 1941 article in Chess Review. White has only one good reply. Weak are 6. Bxb5 Qxd5 7. Bxc6 Qxc6 and 6. dxc6 bxc4 7. Nc3, so White should move the bishop. The best move is the surprising 6. Bf1!, protecting g2 so White can answer 6. . . Qxd5? with 7. Nc3. Black's best response is to transpose to the Fritz Variation with 6. . . Nd4 making another advantage of 6. Bf1 apparent—the bishop is not attacked as it would be if White had played 6. Be2. German master Alexander Fritz (1857–1932) suggested 5. Alexander Fritz (15 January 1857 Kirchlotheim - 22 April 1932 Alsfeld) was a German chess master . . Nd4 to Schlechter who wrote about in a 1904 issue of Deutsche Schachzeitung. Carl Schlechter ( March 2, 1874 - December 27, 1918) was a leading Austrian Chess master at the turn of the 20th century Deutsche Schachzeitung was the first German Chess magazineFounded in 1846 by Ludwig Bledow under the title Schachzeitung der Berliner Schachgesellschaft In 1907 Fritz himself wrote an article about his move in the Swedish journal Tidskrift för Schack. "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. White's best reply is 6. c3, when the game often continues 6. . . b5 7. Bf1 Nxd5 8. Ne4 or 8. h4.

4. Nc3

The attempt to defend the pawn with 4. Nc3 does not work well since Black can take the pawn anyway and use a fork trick to regain the piece, 4. In Chess, a fork is a tactic that uses one piece to attack two or more of the opponent's pieces at the same time hoping to achieve material gain (by capturing Nc3?! Nxe4! 5. Nxe4 d5. The try 5. Bxf7+? does not help, as Black has the bishop pair and a better position after 5. This page explains commonly used terms in Chess in alphabetical order . . Kxf7 6. Nxe4 d5. Instead, 4. Nc3 is usually played with the intent to gambit the e-pawn with the Boden-Kieseritzky Gambit, 4. A gambit is a Chess opening in which the first player risks or sacrifices material usually a pawn, with the hope of achieving a resulting advantageous Petrov's Defence, sometimes called Petroff's Defense or the Russian Game, is a Chess opening characterized by the following moves 1 Nc3 Nxe4 5. 0-0. This gambit is not commonly seen in tournament play as it is not well regarded by opening theory, but it can offer White good practical chances especially in blitz chess. Fast chess, also known as blitz chess, lightning chess, bullet chess and rapid chess, is a type of Chess game in which each side is

4. d3

The quiet move 4. d3 transposes into the Giuoco Pianissimo if Black responds 4. The Giuoco Piano is a Chess opening characterized by the moves 1 . . Bc5, but there are also independent variations after 4. . . Be7 or 4. . . h6. White tries to avoid the tactical battles that are common in other lines of the Two Knights and to enter a more positional game. The resulting positions take on some characteristics of the Ruy Lopez if White plays c3 and retreats the bishop to c2 via Bc4-b3-c2. The Ruy Lopez, called the Spanish Opening or Spanish Game outside English speaking countries, is a Chess opening characterised by the moves This move became popular in the 1980s and has been used by John Nunn and others. John Denis Martin Nunn (born April 25, 1955 in London) is one of England 's strongest Chess players and once belonged to the world's Black can confound White's attempt to avoid tactical play with 4. . . d5!?. This move is rarely played as opening theory does not approve, but Jan Piński suggests that it is better than is commonly believed.

4. d4

White can choose to develop rapidly with 4. d4 exd4 5. 0-0. Now Black can equalize simply by eliminating White's last center pawn with 5. . . Nxe4, after which White regains the material with 6. Re1 d5 7. Bxd5 Qxd5 8. Nc3 but Black has a comfortable position after 8. . . Qa5 or 8. . . Qh5, or obtain good chances with the complex Max Lange Attack after 5. The Max Lange Attack is a Chess opening that can arise from many different opening lines including the Two Knights Defense, Petroff's Defense, . . Bc5 6. e5 d5. The extensively analyzed Max Lange can also arise from the Giuoco Piano or Scotch Game. White can choose to avoid these lines by playing 5. e5, a line often adopted by Sveshnikov. Evgeny Ellinovich Sveshnikov (Jevgēņijs Svešņikovs (born Cheliabinsk, February 11, 1950) is a Latvian International Grandmaster After 5. e5, either 5. . . Ne4 or 5. . . Ng4 is a playable reply, but most common and natural is 5. . . d5 6. Bb5 Ne4 7. Nxd4 Bc5, with sharp play.

References

^ Y. Estrin (1983). The Two Knight's Defence. Batsford. ISBN 0 7134 3991 2.
^ ^a ^b Bronstein, David [1973] (1991). David Ionovich Bronstein (Дави́д Ио́нович Бронште́йн February 19 1924 &ndash December 5 2006) was renowned as a leading 200 Open Games. Dover, 60–61. ISBN 0-486-26857-8.
^ Bronstein–Rojahn, Moscow Olympiad 1956 at chessgames.com

Hooper, David and Kenneth Whyld (1996). ChessGamescom is a large Chess community on the Internet with over 100000 members David Vincent Hooper ( 31 August 1915 - May 1998 born in Reigate, was a British Chess player and writer Kenneth Whyld ( March 6, 1926 - July 11, 2003) was a British Chess author and researcher best known as the co-author (with The Oxford Companion To Chess. The Oxford Companion to Chess is a reference Book on Chess written by David Hooper and Kenneth Whyld. Oxford University. ISBN 0-19-280049-3.
De Firmian, Nick (1999). Nicholas Ernest (Nick de Firmian (born July 26, 1957 in Fresno California) is a Chess grandmaster and three-time U Modern Chess Openings: MCO-14. Modern Chess Openings (usually called MCO) is an important book of Chess openings first published in 1911 by the British players Richard Random House Puzzles & Games. ISBN 0-8129-3084-3.
Pinski, Jan (2003). The Two Knights Defence. Everyman Chess. Everyman Chess is a major publisher of books and CDs about Chess. ISBN 1-85744-283-0.
Unzicker, Wolfgang (1975). Knaurs Neues Schachbuch für Anfänger und Fortgeschrittene. Droemer Knaur. ISBN 3-426-02242-7.
(2000) New in Chess Yearbook 55. New in Chess. ISBN 90-5691-069-8.

External links

Harding, Tim (March 2001). The Kibitzer: Two Knights Defense, Part 1 (PDF). Chesscafe. com.
Harding, Tim (April 2001). The Kibitzer: Two Knights Defense, Part 2 (PDF). Chesscafe. com.
Harding, Tim (May 2001). The Kibitzer: Two Knights Defense, Part 3 (PDF). Chesscafe. com.

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