Two Knights Defense Repertoire

Counterattack from move three: hit White's center at once and punish every greedy try.

Two Knights meets 1.e4 e5 2.♘︎f3Nf3 ♘︎c6Nc6 3.♗︎c4Bc4 with 3...♘︎f6Nf6 and immediate pressure on White's e4 pawn. Against 4.♘︎g5Ng5 you give a pawn for fast development and the initiative; against 4.♘︎c3Nc3 and 4.O-O you take the e4 pawn yourself. Five chapters and 91 lines give you a clear plan against each of White's main fourth moves, from the quiet 4.d3 to the sharp 4.d4, plus the traps that catch players who grab material or attack too soon. You also study 10 master games won with Black, including wins by Keymer, Esipenko and Mamedyarov.

What you'll learn

Modern Bishop's Opening (4.d3)

1.e4 e5 2.♘︎f3Nf3 ♘︎c6Nc6 3.♗︎c4Bc4 ♘︎f6Nf6 4.d3

White plays the quiet 4.d3 to defend e4, and you answer with 4...♗︎e7Be7 before castling. When White follows up with 5.O-O O-O 6.c3, you strike back with 6...d5, and after 7.exd5 ♘︎xd5Nxd5 your bishop on c8 has a free diagonal. Against 6.♖︎e1Re1 you play 6...d6 and ...♘︎a5Na5, chasing White's light-squared bishop and taking it with the knight when it drops back to b3. You meet 7.c3, 7.a4, 7.h3, 7.♘︎bd2Nbd2 and 7.♘︎c3Nc3 with the same 7...♘︎a5Na5, and when White leaves the bishop on c4 with 8.♘︎bd2Nbd2, 8.♘︎c3Nc3 or 8.♘︎f1Nf1, you take it there with ...♘︎xc4Nxc4. The chapter also covers 5.c3, 5.♘︎c3Nc3, 6.♘︎c3Nc3 and 6.h3, each with its own plan toward active piece play.

Polerio Defense (5...♘︎a5Na5)

1.e4 e5 2.♘︎f3Nf3 ♘︎c6Nc6 3.♗︎c4Bc4 ♘︎f6Nf6 4.♘︎g5Ng5 d5 5.exd5 ♘︎a5Na5

White's 4.♘︎g5Ng5 attacks f7, so you hit back with 4...d5 and, after 5.exd5, 5...♘︎a5Na5, attacking the bishop on c4 and giving a pawn for quick development. After 6.♗︎b5Bb5+ c6 7.dxc6 bxc6, the chapter covers White's four main eighth moves. Against 8.♗︎d3Bd3 you often trade your knight for that bishop with ...♘︎xd3Nxd3, leaving White with doubled d-pawns. Against 8.♗︎e2Be2 h6 you meet 9.♘︎f3Nf3 with ...e4, driving the knight away again, and 9.♘︎h3Nh3 with ...♗︎d6Bd6 and castling. The quieter 6.d3 is covered too: 6...h6 7.♘︎f3Nf3 e4 gains time against the same knight. The traps after 8.♗︎a4Ba4 and 8.♕︎f3Qf3 show how White can lose material outright.

Italian Variation (4.♘︎c3Nc3 ♘︎xe4Nxe4)

1.e4 e5 2.♘︎f3Nf3 ♘︎c6Nc6 3.♗︎c4Bc4 ♘︎f6Nf6 4.♘︎c3Nc3 ♘︎xe4Nxe4

After 4.♘︎c3Nc3 you take the pawn with 4...♘︎xe4Nxe4 and answer 5.♘︎xe4Nxe4 with 5...d5, forking White's bishop and knight to win the piece back. Against the main 6.♗︎d3Bd3 dxe4 7.♗︎xe4Bxe4 ♗︎d6Bd6 you castle and pin White's knight with ...♗︎g4Bg4, the setup Mamedyarov used to beat Wesley So. If White grabs with 6.♗︎xd5Bxd5, 6...♕︎xd5Qxd5 leaves you with the bishop pair; you pin the knight with 8...♗︎g4Bg4, and after the common mistake 9.d3 or 10.d3 you castle queenside, keeping the pin. The chapter also punishes 5.♗︎xf7Bxf7+: after 5...♔︎xf7Kxf7 and ...d5, your e-pawn advances to e4 and drives White's knights back.

Sidelines (4.O-O)

1.e4 e5 2.♘︎f3Nf3 ♘︎c6Nc6 3.♗︎c4Bc4 ♘︎f6Nf6 4.O-O

White's 4.O-O leaves e4 unprotected, so you take it with 4...♘︎xe4Nxe4. Against 5.d4 you strike back with 5...d5, and after 6.♗︎b5Bb5 exd4 7.♘︎xd4Nxd4 ♗︎d7Bd7 your pieces come out quickly while you keep the extra pawn, as Ponkratov showed against Kobalia. After the common mistake 5.♖︎e1Re1, you defend with 5...d5 and meet 6.♗︎b5Bb5 with 6...♗︎c5Bc5, threatening ...♗︎xf2Bxf2+. Following the mistaken 8.♘︎xd4Nxd4, you castle with 8...O-O, up a pawn with a strong attack.

Open Variation (4.d4)

1.e4 e5 2.♘︎f3Nf3 ♘︎c6Nc6 3.♗︎c4Bc4 ♘︎f6Nf6 4.d4

After 4.d4 exd4, White's main try is 5.e5 d5 6.♗︎b5Bb5, and you meet it with 6...♘︎e4Ne4 and 7...♗︎c5Bc5. After 8.♗︎e3Be3 O-O 9.♘︎xc6Nxc6 bxc6 10.♗︎xc5Bxc5 ♘︎xc5Nxc5 the pieces come off, and you defend with 11...♖︎b8Rb8 and 12...♕︎e7Qe7. After 8.O-O O-O 9.♘︎xc6Nxc6 bxc6 10.♗︎xc6Bxc6 ♗︎a6Ba6 11.♗︎xa8Bxa8 ♗︎xf1Bxf1, the chapter now covers the recapture 12.♔︎xf1Kxf1: 12...♕︎h4Qh4 keeps the initiative, and 13.g3 runs into ...♕︎h3Qh3+ and ...♗︎xf2Bxf2+ with a winning attack. You also learn the traps where White's greedy 11.♕︎xd5Qxd5 or 12.♕︎xd5Qxd5 hands you a piece or more, and how to answer 5.O-O ♘︎xe4Nxe4.

What's inside

• 91 lines in 5 chapters, one for each of White's main fourth moves.
• Trap lines featured as priority lines, so you learn the tricks that win games first.
• 10 master games played in these lines.
• 38 puzzles: 24 from real games of this opening and 14 built from the course's own lines.

Why this repertoire?

• Built for club players. The traps target mistakes White often makes at club level, such as early grabs on f7 and d5.
• Light on memorization. Each chapter centers on White's most common tries, not a flood of rare side variations.
• Recurring plans. Hitting White's e4 pawn early, pinning the knight with ...♗︎g4Bg4, and winning the bishop pair appear across the chapters.
• Understanding over memorizing. Every move comes with a reason, so you can find the right idea even when White strays from the main line.
• Traps that win material. You learn how to punish greedy tries like 5.♗︎xf7Bxf7+ against 4.♘︎c3Nc3, 8.♗︎a4Ba4 in the Polerio Defense, or 12.♕︎xd5Qxd5 in the Open Variation.