The Two Knights Defense is a chess opening that begins with the moves:
1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 Nc6
3. Bc4 Nf6
First recorded by Giulio Cesare Polerio (c. 1550 - c. 1610) in the late 16th century, this line of the Italian Game was extensively developed in the 19th century. Black's third move is a more aggressive defense than the Giuoco Piano (3...Bc5). Black invites White to attack his f7-pawn with 4.Ng5. If White accepts the offer, the game quickly takes on a tactical character: Black is practically forced to give up a pawn for the initiative. The complications are such that David Bronstein suggested that the term "defense" does not fit, and that the name "Chigorin Counterattack" would be more appropriate.[2] The Two Knights has been adopted as Black by many aggressive players including Mikhail Chigorin and Paul Keres, and world champions Mikhail Tal and Boris Spassky. In modern grandmaster play, 3.Bc4 is less common than 3.Bb5, and the more solid 3...Bc5 is the most frequent reply, so the Two Knights Defense is infrequently seen. It remains popular with amateur players. The theory of this opening has been explored extensively in correspondence chess by players such as Hans Berliner and Yakov Estrin.
PGN OF THE GAME:
[Event "TCEC Season 23 - Chess Bonus"]
[Site "tcec-chess.com"]
[Date "2022.08.08"]
[Round "1.9"]
[White "Bagatur 3.5"]
[Black "KomodoDragon 3.1"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "2977"]
[BlackElo "3603"]
[Variant "Standard"]
[TimeControl "1800+3"]
[ECO "C58"]
[Opening "Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Polerio Defense, Bishop Check Line"]
[Termination "Unknown"]
[Annotator "lichess.org"]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Na5 6. Bb5+ { C58 Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Polerio Defense, Bishop Check Line } c6 7. dxc6 bxc6 8. Bd3 Nd5 9. Ne4?! { (0.22 → -0.57) Inaccuracy. Nf3 was best. } (9. Nf3 Bd6) 9... Nf4 10. Bf1 f5 11. Nec3 Bc5 12. g3 Qd4 13. Qf3 Ne6 14. a3 e4 15. Qg2 O-O 16. b4 f4 17. bxc5 f3 18. Qg1 Nxc5 19. Ra2 Rb8 20. a4 Be6 21. Ra3 Nc4 22. Bxc4 Bxc4 23. Ra1 Rfd8? { (-6.54 → -3.87) Mistake. Bd3 was best. } (23... Bd3) 24. Na3?? { (-3.87 → -9.62) Blunder. g4 was best. } (24. g4 Be2) 24... Be2 25. Nxe2 Qxa1 26. Qf1 Nd3+ 27. cxd3 exd3 28. Qh3 dxe2 29. Qe6+ Kh8 30. Qc4 Rb3 31. Nb5 Rb1 32. d4 Qb2 33. Nxa7 Rxc1+ 34. Qxc1 Qxc1# { Black wins. } 0-1
00:00 Intro
01:10 The Game starts!
03:10 Polerio Defense
05:55 Counterattack Principle
10:10 Main Tactical Idea
13:58 Test your Might
15:32 Test your Might 2