Italian Game: Two Knights Defense

Definition

The Two Knights Defense arises from the Italian Game after the moves
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6.
Instead of the quiet 3…Bc5 (Giuoco Piano), Black immediately strikes at the e4–pawn with the king-knight, accelerating piece activity but accepting the risk of sharp tactical play.

Typical Move-Orders & Main Branches

4. Ng5 – the main line, leading to the Fegatello (Fried Liver), Lolli, Traxler, and related attacks.
4. d4 – the Modern or Scotch-type approach, aiming for a broad centre.
4. d3 – the quiet line (ECO C55) that often transposes to the Giuoco Pianissimo structure.
4. Nc3, 4. Qe2, and 4. O-O – rarer sidelines.

Strategic Ideas

The opening embodies a clash of principles:

Black wants rapid development and counter-play against the centre, often leaving the king temporarily exposed.
White either grabs material (Fegatello) or maintains a space/structural edge (4.d4). Precise calculation is critical.

Historical Significance

First analysed in the 16^th century by Giulio Cesare Polerio, the Two Knights became a laboratory for romantic-era tactics. It later featured in theoretical battles between Steinitz, Chigorin, and, in the computer age, engines such as Stockfish and Leela that keep refining defensive resources for Black.

Illustrative Mini-Game

Short “model” sequence:

Interesting Facts

The ECO codes C55-C59 are devoted exclusively to various Two Knights sub-lines.
Garry Kasparov used 4.d4 exd4 5.e5 in a 1990 blitz game against Ivanchuk, showing the line’s continued practical value.
Engines now reveal that Black can survive even the wildest “Fried Liver” complications with perfect play, but the path is razor-thin—making it a feared weapon in human chess.

Fegatello Attack (Fried Liver Attack)

Definition

The Fegatello Attack (Italian for “little liver,” often translated as the Fried Liver) is a razor-sharp variation of the Two Knights Defense beginning with:

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Nxd5 6. Nxf7?!

How It Works

White sacrifices a knight on f7 to drag the black king into the open. The typical continuation 6…Kxf7 7.Qf3+ forces Black to walk the king toward the centre. If Black mis-steps, mating attacks or massive material losses follow.

Key Tactical Themes

Exposed King – Black’s king on e6 (or sometimes e8/e7) is the focal point of White’s assault.
Pin on the d5-knight – After 7.Qf3+, the knight on d5 often becomes temporarily immobile, giving White time to muster forces (Bxd5+, Nc3).
Rapid Development vs Material – White is a piece down but usually has four pieces in play to Black’s two.

Practical Usage

Favoured in club play where surprise and calculation errors abound.
Less common in elite classical chess because Black is believed to equalise (or even gain an edge) with precise defense such as 6…Kg8 (Traxler avoidance) or 6…Ke8 7.Qf3 Be6 8.Nc3 Nd4.

Historic Game Example

Adolf Anderssen – Jean Dufresne, Berlin 1852, is famous for the Evergreen Game, but Anderssen also essayed the Fried Liver numerous times. A lesser-known yet instructive skirmish is the 1859 simul game Anderssen – Mayet where Black’s king was mated on f7 in just 17 moves.

Interesting Facts & Anecdotes

The name “Fegatello” allegedly alludes to the position of the black knight on d5 being “skewered like a liver on a spit.”
Engines show that after 6…Kg8!? Black can decline the sacrifice and reach near-equality, but this line (the Traxler Counter-Refusal) is rarely memorised by amateurs.
The attack is a staple of scholastic chess; many players score their first spectacular miniature with it.

Leonhardt Variation (in the Fegatello Attack)

Definition

The Leonhardt Variation is a sub-line of the Fegatello Attack that begins after the obligatory moves
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Nxd5 6. Nxf7 Kxf7 7. Qf3+ Ke6 8. Nc3 Nb4.

Origin of the Name

Named after the German master Paul Saladin Leonhardt (1877-1934), who analysed and employed the 8…Nb4 idea as a practical attempt to untangle Black’s pieces and counter-attack White’s central pawns and the c2-square.

Strategic Features

Counter-punching – …Nb4 hits c2 and d5 instantly, forcing White to pay attention to back-rank weaknesses.
Piece Activity over Pawn Safety – Black keeps the king in the centre but stakes everything on rapid mobilisation of the queenside knights and bishops.
Critical Continuation – 9. O-O (or 9. Qe4) c6 10. d4 Kf7 leads to highly double-edged play.

Modern Assessment

Engine evaluations hover around +0.5 for White—safer than the main line 8…Nd4, where accurate defence is tougher. Consequently, the Leonhardt is a popular surprise weapon in blitz and rapid time controls.

Example Continuation

Core line in PGN form:

Interesting Tidbits

Paul Leonhardt published analysis of 8…Nb4 in the German chess magazines of the early 1900s, challenging the then-accepted verdict that Black was lost in the Fried Liver.
In the online era, the move 8…Nb4 scored a surprise win for GM Hikaru Nakamura in a 2020 bullet game, reviving interest among streamers and content creators.
The variation’s ECO classification is C57 (a). Unlike some “named” lines, it is short and concrete: one distinctive move is enough to define it.