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Two Knights DefenseThe Two Knights Defense is a chess opening that begins - 1. e4 e5
- 2. Nf3 Nc6
- 3. Bc4 Nf6
| | | style="text-align:center" | Two Knights Defense after 3...Nf6 | } | | {| | | | style="text-align:center" | Max Lange Attack after 6...d5 | } | | {| | | | style="text-align:center" | Wilkes-Barre after 4...Bc5 | } | Black's third move is a more aggressive defense than the Giuoco Piano which would result from 3... Bc5. The Two Knights Defense is one of the oldest and most extensively analyzed openings. White must respond to the attack on his e-pawn. The attempt to defend the pawn with 4. Nc3 doesn't work since Black can take the pawn anyway and use a fork trick to regain the piece, 4. Nc3(?) Nxe4! 5. Nxe4 d5. This leaves White with three main alternatives for his fourth move: 4. d3, 4. d4, and 4. Ng5. The quiet move 4. d3 transposes into the Giuoco Pianissimo if Black responds 4... Bc5, but there are many independent variations. This move has become popular recently and has been used by John Nunn and others. 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. White can choose to develop rapidly with 4. d4 exd4 5. 0-0. Now Black can eliminate White's last center pawn with 5... Nxe4 or risk the complex Max Lange Attack after 5... Bc5 6. e5 d5. Siegbert Tarrasch called 4. Ng5 a "duffer's move", but this attack on f7 practically wins a pawn by force. Black can choose 4... Bc5, the Wilkes-Barre Variation, which leads to wild play where many long variations have been analyzed to a draw by perpetual check. More common is 4... d5 5. exd5. Now it is generally considered to be a mistake for Black to recapture the pawn by 5... Nxd5? because White can gain the advantage with either the safe move 6. d4 or the sacrificial Fried Liver Attack 6. Nxf7 Kxf7 7. Qf3+ Ke6 8. Nf3. Instead Black usually chooses to make the opening a gambit by playing either 5... Na5 (main line), 5... Nd4 (Fritz Variation), or 5... b5 (Ulvestad's Variation).
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