Polerio Bishop Check — Knight Attack in Italian Game
Italian Game
Definition
The Italian Game is one of the oldest recorded chess openings, arising after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4. White immediately targets the vulnerable f7-square with the bishop while occupying the centre with the king’s pawn and knight. ECO codes C50–C59 are devoted to its many branches.
Usage & Typical Plans
- White aims for rapid development, kingside safety (often with 0-0) and pressure on f7.
- Black chooses a set-up: …Bc5 (Giuoco Piano), …Nf6 (Two Knights Defence), or …Be7 (Hungarian Defence). Each yields distinct middlegames ranging from quiet maneuvering to sharp tactical battles.
- Pawns often remain symmetrical early on, so piece activity is paramount.
Strategic & Historical Significance
First analysed in the 16th-century works of Damiano and Greco, the Italian Game dominated romantic-era chess because of its tactical richness. Its continued popularity at every level—particularly in rapid and online play—stems from its mixture of classical ideas and modern flexibility.
Illustrative Example
]]Interesting Facts
- In “evergreen” games of the 1800s (e.g., Anderssen vs. Kieseritzky, 1851), the Italian served as a canvas for dazzling sacrifices.
- Many scholastic coaches teach it first because the moves develop pieces to optimal squares with clear tactical motifs.
Knight Attack
Definition
The Knight Attack is the critical aggressive try in the Two Knights Defence: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5. White’s knight “attacks” f7 twice (with the bishop) and threatens 5.Nxf7, launching the famous Fried Liver themes.
How It Is Used
- Provokes …d7-d5, opening the centre while Black is still underdeveloped.
- Creates immediate tactical complications; both sides must know forcing lines.
- Serves as a practical weapon in blitz and rapid where memory often trumps deep calculation.
Key Continuations
The main reply is 4…d5 5.exd5 Na5, steering away from the ultra-sharp Fried Liver (5…Nxd5?!) and into the Polerio paths described below.
Famous Game Snippet
From Marshall–Capablanca, New York 1918 (simul). Capablanca defended flawlessly, showcasing how Black can neutralise the initiative.
Polerio (Polerio Defense / Polerio Gambit)
Definition
Named after 16th-century Italian analyst Giulio Cesare Polerio, the term describes Black’s counter-system in the Knight Attack: 4…d5 5.exd5 Na5!. Instead of the risky 5…Nxd5, Black sidesteps tactics by chasing the bishop, ceding the centre temporarily but planning …c6 and …cxd5.
Strategic Ideas
- Exchange of White’s active c4-bishop is often forced, weakening White’s attacking potential.
- Black hopes to prove that the displaced a5-knight can reroute via b7–d6 or c4 with gain of time.
- Material remains even; the “gambit” label is historical—no pawn is actually sacrificed if Black recovers d5.
Typical Continuation (Polerio Bishop Check Line)
White gives an in-between bishop check on move 6, seeking to keep pressure.
Interesting Tidbit
Some historians argue that Polerio’s original manuscripts already recommended the modern “Na5” resource—proof that 400-year-old analysis can still be theory-relevant today!
Bishop Check (6.Bb5+)
Definition
Within the Polerio line the move 6.Bb5+ (after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Na5) is called the Bishop Check. Instead of retreating to e2 or d3, White interposes a check before Black can capture on c4.
Purpose & Usage
- Forces Black to spend a tempo (usually …c6) blocking the check.
- Hopes to disrupt Black’s plan of quick …c6 & …cxd5 recapture.
- Sometimes induces structural concessions such as doubled c-pawns.
Critical Positions
After 6…c6 7.dxc6 bxc6, material equality is restored but Black’s queenside pawns are compromised, giving White long-term targets on c6 and a5.
Sample Mini-Game
This line, played in many club encounters, shows typical pawn structure and piece placement after the Bishop Check.
Anecdote
The move 6.Bb5+ was once believed to lead almost to a forced advantage for White; however, Steinitz’s later analyses (see next section) demonstrated resilient defensive resources for Black.
Suhle–Steinitz Variation
Definition
The Suhle–Steinitz Variation is the “solid” defensive path in the Bishop Check line, named for German master Johann Suhle (who analysed it in the 1850s) and World Champion Wilhelm Steinitz, its greatest practical exponent. The signature position arises after:
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Na5 6.Bb5+ c6 7.dxc6 bxc6 8.Be2
Main Ideas
- Black’s plan: Stabilise with …h6 and …e4, complete development (…Bf5 or …Bc5), and exploit the two bishops in an open centre.
- White’s plan: Target the c6-pawn, contest the e4-square, and eventually push d2-d3 to undermine Black’s pawn chain.
- The line is sound for Black; Steinitz used it to rebut contemporary attacking theories, illustrating his principle that “the king is a fighting piece.”
Famous Example
Steinitz – von Bardeleben, Hastings 1895, followed the Suhle–Steinitz move order until White innovated with Re1 and won a classic attacking game—showing that even “correct” defences can be outplayed.
Interesting Facts
- Modern engines still rate the resulting positions as roughly equal, vindicating Steinitz’s defensive optimism more than a century later.
- The variation is a favourite of classical-minded players who prefer understanding and solidity over forcing computer-heavy lines like the Fried Liver.
- In correspondence databases Black scores above 50%, showing its practical toughness.