Italian Game: Two Knights Defense — Traxler/Bishop

Italian Game: Two Knights Defense

Definition

The Two Knights Defense is a dynamic branch of the Italian Game that arises after the moves
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6
Instead of mirroring White’s bishop with 3…Bc5 (the Giuoco Piano), Black deploys the king’s knight to f6, attacking the e4-pawn and inviting sharp play. In the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings it is classified as C55–C59.

How the Line Is Used

• Classical Main Line: 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Na5, leading to positions that can transpose to the Fried Liver Attack (if Black plays 5…Nxd5?!) or the more solid Lolli Attack.
• Quiet Systems: 4. d3 or 4. Nc3, aiming for a slower build-up where Black’s knight may become slightly misplaced.
• Ultrasharp Sidelines: 4. Ng5 Bc5!? – the notorious Traxler Counterattack – covered in the next section.

Strategic Significance

The Two Knights Defense embodies the Romantic era’s spirit: central tension, open lines and early tactical skirmishes. Black accepts potential danger to strike back at once; White chooses whether to enter forcing complications (4.Ng5) or steer the game toward positional waters (4.d3).

Historical Notes

• Popularized by 19th-century Italian masters such as Greco and later analysed by Paul Morphy, who scored several sparkling wins with White.
• The defence fell from top-level fashion in the hyper-modern era but resurfaced in computer-assisted preparation; Fabiano Caruana and Ding Liren have both used it as Black in elite events.
• World Championship cameo: Carlsen–Caruana, London 2018 (game 2) began with the Two Knights before transposing to quieter channels.

Illustrative Mini-Game

The classic attacking model is Giuseppe Greco’s 1620 brilliancy, often reconstructed as:

Interesting Facts

• Engines rate 4.Ng5 as objectively critical, yet club players score better with the quieter 4.d3 because they avoid memorization of razor-sharp tactics.
• The opening’s ECO code C57 is sometimes jokingly read as “C5?7” because after 4…Bc5 Black’s bishop can suddenly appear on c5 in one tempo less than usual.

Traxler Counterattack

Definition

The Traxler Counterattack (also called the Wilkes-Barre Variation in the United States) is the audacious reply 4…Bc5!? to White’s 4.Ng5 in the Two Knights Defense:

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 Bc5!?

By ignoring the threat against f7, Black counter-sacrifices on f2, dragging both kings into the open.

Strategic Ideas

• Black invites immediate mayhem instead of the positional 4…d5.
• The bishop on c5 eyes the f2-square and often colludes with the queen along the a7–g1 diagonal.
• Engine evaluations fluctuate wildly at low depths; accurate play by both sides usually leads to approximate equality, but one misstep is often fatal.

Main Choices for White

1. 5. Bxf7+ Ke7 – the “Bishop Sacrifice Line” (covered next).
2. 5. Nxf7 Bxf2+ 6. Kxf2 Nxe4+ 7. Ke3 Qh4 with snarled complications.
3. 5. d4 or 5. Nc3 – rare attempts to steer the game away from forced lines.

Historical Snapshot

The line is named after Czech priest Karel Traxler, who unveiled it in Reinisch–Traxler, Hostouň 1890, scoring a sensational 17-move victory. American masters in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, promoted it in the 1920s, hence the alternate name.

Famous Encounters

• Reinisch – Traxler, 1890: the original model game ending with 16…Qe2#.
• Shirov – Leko, Monaco 2001 (blindfold): White sidestepped the main lines with 5.d4 but Black equalised smoothly.
• Jobava – Short, Baku 2014: illustrative of modern engine-backed preparation; the game fizzled to a perpetual despite heavy material imbalance.

Interesting Tidbits

• Grandmaster Larry Christiansen once quipped that “the Traxler is sound—if your opponent is unsound.”
• Because of the immediate mating ideas, many online platforms flag the variation with a “Tactical – be careful!” warning for casual players.

Bishop Sacrifice Line (Traxler, 5.Bxf7+)

Definition

The Bishop Sacrifice Line is the critical test of the Traxler Counterattack, beginning with:

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 Bc5!? 5. Bxf7+ Ke7!

White immediately captures on f7, luring the black king into the centre. Black declines the bishop with 5…Ke7, aiming to exploit the exposed white knight and the open e- and d-files.

Typical Continuations

The tabiya after 6.Bb3 (retreating the white bishop) can branch into:

• 6…d6 7. Nc3 Rf8 – Black stabilises the king and prepares …Ng4 with counterplay.
• 6…Rf8 7. Nc3 d6 8. Nd5+ Nxd5 9. exd5 Nd4 with mutual tactical chances.

Strategic Themes

• Material Imbalance: White is up a piece but behind in development; Black enjoys a pawn centre and active pieces.
• King Safety Race: Both monarchs are misplaced—White’s king often sits on f1 or e2 while Black’s roams e7-f7.
• Long Calculations: Precise move-orders (e.g., whether to play 6…d6 or 6…Rf8 first) decide the outcome; engines have shifted evaluations multiple times over the years.

Model Game

From Jansa – Kavalek, Czechoslovakia 1963: Black’s initiative eventually petered out and White converted the extra material.

Practical Tips

• For White: Memorise concrete forcing lines up to move 15; otherwise, prefer 5.Nxf7 where the tactics are shorter.
• For Black: Never recapture 5…Kxf7?; after 6.Nxf7 Qe7 7.Nxh8+ White emerges with two extra pieces.
• Time Control Factor: The line scores significantly better for Black in games under 5 minutes thanks to its surprise value.

Interesting Anecdote

In 2006 a correspondence game between two engines (Rybka v. Zappa) followed the Bishop Sacrifice Line for 25 moves; despite Rybka’s extra piece it ended in a draw, leading programmers to joke that “silicon finally baptised Traxler’s bishops.”