Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...e5/2. Nf3/2...Nc6/3. Bc4/3...Nf6/4. d4

Open variation Italian game → Two knights defence 4. d4 · Open variation This aggressive move opens the queen's bishop for development while ignoring the attack on e4. Instead, White counterattacks Black's pawn. Black has their choice of pawns to capture. 4...exd4 is best, transposing into a line in the Scotch gambit. The usual continuation is 5. e5, and Black's knight is kicked to e4 either immediately, 5...Ne4, or after the tricky in-between move 5...d5 6. Bb5 Ne4 where Black first supports e4 with the d-pawn with tempo. 4....d6, simply defending the e-pawn, declines the transposition. White can answer 5. dxe5 dxe5 6. Qxd8+ Nxd8 7. Nxe5 Nxe4 and enter a queen-less middle game, or 5. d5, taking space and kicking away Black's knight. Other ways to resolve the tension in the centre are poor. 4...Nxe4?! 5. dxe5 and White threatens Bxf7+ or Qd5, attacking both the e4-knight and f7. If Black ignores these threats they can unravel quickly: 5...Bc5?, the common amateur move preparing an attack on f2, is met with 6. Qd5 (threatens Qxf7#, forks bishop & knight) Bxf2+ 7. Ke2 O-O 8. Qxe4+++ and Black's bishop is hanging. 5...d6 is best, allowing ...Be6 to relieve pressure on f7, and 6. Bxf7+ Kxf7 7. Qd5+ Be6 8. Qxe4++ Black is down a pawn. 4...Nxd4? may look appealing, as Black captures the pawn and prepares to trade knights. Not so: White can sack on f7 to remove the defender of d4 with tempo and take the knight. 5. Bxf7+! Kxf7 6. Nxe5+ Ke8 7. Qxd4++ White is up a pawn, has more development, and Black cannot castle. It's not necessarily plain sailing for White though: a tricky continuation is 7...Qe7 intending 8...c5, would force White's queen away from protecting either their pawn or their the knight, e.g. 7...Qe7 8. O-O? c5 9. Qc3 Nxe4. Theory table . 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4.d4 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 1 d4exd4 O-ONxe4 Re1d5 Bxd5Qxd5 Nc3Qh5 Nxe4Be6 Bg5Bd6 = 2 ...... ...Bc5 e5d5 exf6dxc4 Re1+Be6 Ng5Qd5 Nc3Qf5 = 3 ...... e5d5 Bb5Ne4 Nxd4Bd7 Bxc6bxc6 O-OBc5 Be3Qe7 = 4 ...Nxd4 Nxe5Ne6 O-O +/= 5 ...Nxe4 dxe5d6 Bxf7Kxf7 Qd5+Be6 Qxe4 +/= 6 ...Bd6 O-Oexd4 e5 +/= References __NOTOC__