Two Knights Defense
You play Black · 26 variations
Mixed practice
The machine picks a different variation every time.
Take a quiz
10 positions: find the next theory move in each. No take-backs, no hints.
Main variations · 14
- Two Knights Defense, Polerio Defense, Göring VariationC591. 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 Qc710 moves
- Two Knights Defense, Polerio Defense, Yankovich VariationC581. 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. Nfd210 moves
- Two Knights Defense, Paoli VariationC581. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Na5 6. Bb5+ c6 7. dxc6 bxc6 8. Qf3 Qc7 9. Bd39 moves
- Two Knights Defense, Blackburne VariationC581. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Na5 6. Bb5+ c6 7. dxc6 bxc6 8. Qf3 cxb58 moves
- Two Knights Defense, Colman VariationC581. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Na5 6. Bb5+ c6 7. dxc6 bxc6 8. Qf3 Rb88 moves
- Two Knights Defense, Modern Bishop's OpeningC551. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d3 h6 5. O-O d65 moves
- Two Knights Defense, Max Lange Attack, Berger VariationC561. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. O-O Bc5 6. e5 d5 7. exf6 dxc4 8. Re1+ Be6 9. Ng5 Qd5 10. Nc3 Qf5 11. g4 Qg6 12. Nce4 Bb6 13. f4 O-O-O13 moves
- Two Knights Defense, Max Lange Attack, Rubinstein VariationC561. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. O-O Bc5 6. e5 d5 7. exf6 dxc4 8. Re1+ Be6 9. Ng5 Qd5 10. Nc3 Qf5 11. Nce4 Bf811 moves
- Two Knights Defense, Max Lange Attack, Loman DefenseC561. 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 g69 moves
- Two Knights Defense, Max Lange Attack, Krause VariationC561. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. O-O Bc5 6. e5 Ng4 7. c37 moves
- Two Knights Defense, Traxler Counterattack, King March LineC571. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 Bc5 5. Nxf7 Bxf2+ 6. Kxf2 Nxe4+ 7. Ke37 moves
- Two Knights Defense, Traxler Variation, Trencianske-Teplice GambitC571. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 Bc5 5. Bxf7+ Ke7 6. d46 moves
- Two Knights Defense, Fritz, Gruber VariationC571. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Nd4 6. c3 b5 7. Bf1 Nxd5 8. Ne48 moves
- Two Knights Defense, Ulvestad Variation, Kurkin GambitC571. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 b5 6. Bf1 h6 7. Nxf77 moves
Other variations · 12
- Two Knights DefenseC551. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. O-O Bc5 5. d4 Bxd4 6. Nxd4 Nxd4 7. Bg5 d67 moves
- Two Knights DefenseC551. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Nc3 Nxe4 5. Nxe4 d55 moves
- Two Knights Defense, Yurdansky AttackC561. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Bc4 Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4 6. Re1 d5 7. Bxd5 Qxd5 8. Nc3 Qa5 9. Nxe4 Be6 10. Bg5 h6 11. Bh4 g5 12. Nf6+ Ke7 13. b413 moves
- Two Knights Defense, Knorre VariationC591. 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 11. d4 Qc7 12. Bd212 moves
- Two Knights Defense, Fegatello Attack, Leonhardt VariationC571. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Nxd5 6. Nxf7 Kxf7 7. Qf3+ Ke6 8. Nc3 Nb4 9. Qe4 c6 10. a3 Na6 11. d4 Nc711 moves
- Two Knights Defense, Keidansky VariationC561. 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 Qh49 moves
- Two Knights Defense, Maróczy VariationC581. 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 Be79 moves
- Two Knights Defense, Steinitz VariationC591. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Na5 6. Bb5+ c6 7. dxc6 bxc6 8. Be2 h6 9. Nh39 moves
- Two Knights Defense, Pincus VariationC571. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Nxd5 6. d4 Bb4+6 moves
- Two Knights Defense, Kloss GambitC571. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Nb45 moves
- Two Knights Defense, Perreux VariationC561. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. Ng55 moves
- Two Knights Defense, Ponziani-Steinitz GambitC571. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 Nxe44 moves
What is the Two Knights Defense?
The Two Knights Defense arises after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6. Instead of the calm ...Bc5, Black develops the second knight and attacks e4 at once, inviting tactics. White's sharpest try is Ng5, attacking f7, and Black usually answers by giving a pawn for fast development: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Na5. White can also play d4 for open play or d3 for a slow Italian middlegame. The character ranges from wild gambit play to quiet manoeuvring, depending on White's choice. It is a mainstream, fully respected defense to the Italian Game and a good test of your tactical understanding.
Main ideas and plans
Against Ng5 the main line is the Polerio 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 9.Nf3 e4 10.Ne5. Black is a pawn down but has free development, space and chances against the misplaced White knights. The Göring line with ...Qc7 is one of Black's main choices here, while the Yankovich Variation is White's alternative of d3 instead of the bishop check. Never recapture on d5 with the knight casually, because Nxf7 (the Fried Liver) or d4 gives White a dangerous attack. More double-edged options are the Fritz with ...Nd4, the Ulvestad with ...b5, and the Traxler Counterattack, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 Bc5, where Black ignores f7 and counterattacks f2.
If White plays d4, then 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.d4 exd4 5.O-O Bc5 6.e5 is the Max Lange Attack, a sharp line where Black should know the ...d5 and ...Ng4 resources; taking on e4 instead of ...Bc5 is a simpler choice. If White pushes e5 at once, Black strikes back with ...d5 and ...Ne4. Against the quiet d3 of the Modern Bishop's Opening approach, Black can choose ...Be7 or ...Bc5 set-ups with ...d6 and ...O-O and play a normal Italian structure.
Who is it for?
The Two Knights suits active players who are comfortable with gambits and concrete calculation, and it is a natural choice if you want to meet the Italian Game with counterplay instead of a slow Giuoco Pianissimo. The risk is that one inaccuracy in the Ng5 or Max Lange lines can lose quickly, and White can also steer the game into quiet d3 positions. Learn first why ...Na5 is the main move against Ng5, and know the Fried Liver well enough to avoid it.