Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...e5/2. Nf3/2...Nc6/3. Bc4/3...Nf6/4. Ng5/4...d5/5. exd5/5...Na5/6. Bb5/6...c6/7. dxc6/7...bxc6/8. Be2/8...h6/9. Nf3/9...e4/10. Ne5

Two Knights Defence
a b c d e f g h 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 a b c d e f g h
Position in Forsyth-Edwards Notation (FEN) r1bqkb1r/p4pp1/2p2n1p/n3N3/4p3/8/PPPPBPPP/RNBQK2R b
Moves: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Na5 6. Bb5 c6 7. dxc6 bxc6 8. Be2 h6 9. Nf3 e4 10. Ne5

Two Knights Defence

10. Ne5.

The Knights moves to the center of the board, here it can easily be attacked again by Black, but White now has the opportunity to defend it with d4 or f4 or even consider retreating the Knight to g4 or c4.

Theory table

.

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Na5 6.Bb5+ c6 7. dxc6 bxc6 8. Be2 h6 9. Nf3 e4 10. Ne5

	10	11	12	13	14
1	Ne5 Bc5	c3 Bd6
2	... Bd6	d4 exd3	Nxd3 Qc7	b3 O-O	Bb2 Ne4
3	... Qd4
4	... Qc7

Statistics

Estimated next move likelihood
Bd6 57%, Qd4 16%, Bc5 14%, Qc7 9%, Qd5 3%, Bb7 1%

References

Wikipedia has related information at Two Knights Defence.

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Chess Opening Theory

1. e4 e5
Open games

2. Nf3

2...Nc6

3. Bb5
Spanish

• Berlin →
  • Anti-Berlin
  • Beverwijk
  • L'Hermet → Berlin Wall

• Morphy →
  • Exchange
  • Closed →
    • Marshall
    • Chigorin
    • Flohr
  • Open
  • Arkhangelsk
  • Anderssen
  • Mackenzie

• Bird
• Classical
• Cozio
• Old Steinitz
• Schliemann

3. Bc4
Italian

• Giuoco Piano →
  • Evans gambit
  • Giuoco pianissimo
  • Rosentreter
  • Jerome ??

• Two knights defence →
  • Open
  • Knight attack →
    • Fried liver
    • Polerio

• Anti-fried liver ?!
• Blackburne shilling ?

3. Nc3
Three knights

• Four knights →
  • Glek
  • Italian
  • Scotch → Belgrade
  • Spanish
  • Naroditsky !?
  • Halloween ?!

• Steinitz
• Schlechter

Other

• Ponziani
• Scotch game
• Konstantinopolsky !?

2...Nf6
Russian

• Classical
• Kholmov
• Modern
• Boden-Kieseritzky !?
• Stafford ?
• Damiano trap ??

2...d6
Philidor

• Exchange
• Philidor countergambit
• Nimzowitsch
• Hanham

Other

• Busch-Gass gambit ?
• Elephant gambit ?
• Greco defence ?!
• Latvian gambit ?
• Damiano defence ??

2. f4
King's gambit

2...exf4
Accepted

• King's knight →
  • Kieseritzky
  • Schallop
  • Modern
  • Fischer
  • Lolli ?
  • Muzio ?
• Bishop's →
  • Cozio

Other
Declined

• Classical
• Queen's knight
• Falkbeer

2. Nc3
Vienna

• Falkbeer →
  • Mieses
  • Stanley
  • Frankenstein-Dracula
  • Vienna gambit
• Max Lange

Other

• Bishop's opening →
  • Berlin
  • Boi
• Centre game →
  • Danish
• Leonardis
• Portuguese ?!
• Bongcloud ?

1. e4 c5
Sicilian

2. Nf3

2...Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4

• Accelerated dragon →
  • Maróczy bind
• Classical
• Godiva
• Kalashnikov
• Sveshnikov

2...Nc6 other

• Rossolimo
• Delayed Alapin

2...d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4

• Dragon →
  • Levenfish attack
  • Yugoslav attack
• Dragondorf
• Kupreichik
• Najdorf →
  • 6. Bg5
  • English attack
  • Opocensky
• Scheveningen

2...d6 other

• Moscow
• Chekhover
• Delayed Alapin

2...e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4

• French, Normal
  • American attack
  • Four knights
  • Pin
• Kan
• Kveinis
• Paulsen-Basman
• Taimanov →
  • Bastrikov →
    • English attack
  • Szén →
    • Garry Gambit

2...e6 other

• Kramnik
• Delayed Alapin

Others

• Hyper-accelerated dragon
• Katalymov
• Nimzowitsch
• O'Kelly

Anti-Sicilians

• Alapin
• Bowdler
• Closed Sicilian →
  • Carlsen
  • Grand Prix
  • Fianchetto
• McDonnell
• Mengarini
• Smith-Morra
• Snyder
• Staunton-Cochrane
• Wing gambit

1. e4 e6
French

• Advance
• Classical
• Exchange
• Tarrasch
• Rubinstein
• Winawer

1. e4 c6
Caro-Kann

• Accelerated Panov
• Advance →
  • Short
  • van der Wiel
• Exchange
• Two knights
• Fantasy
• Hillbilly ?!

1. e4 other

• Alekhine
• Czech
• Modern
• Nimzowitsch
• Owen's
• Pirc →
  • Lion
  • Austrian
  • 150
• Scandinavian →
  • Mieses-Kotroc
  • Modern
  • Blackburne-Kloosterbooer gambit !?
  • Tennison gambit ?!

• Barnes ?
• Borg ?
• Corn stalk ??
• Duras ??
• 1...b5 ??

1. d4 d5
Closed games

2. c4
Queen's gambit

• Albin countergambit
• Austrian
• Chigorin
• Marshall
• Queen's gambit accepted
• Queen's gambit declined
• Slav →
  • Semi-Slav

2. Nc3

• Richter-Versov
• Irish gambit
• Jobava London

2. other

• Accelerated London
• Colle
• Levitsky !?
• Amazon ?!
• Blackmar-Diemer ?
• Mason ?
• Zurich ??

1. d4 Nf6
Indian

2. c4 e6

• Bogo-Indian
• Catalan
• Nimzo-Indian
• Queen's Indian
• Seirawan
• Devin gambit !?

2. c4 g6

• King's Indian →
  • Classical
  • Four pawns attack
  • Sämisch
• Grünfeld

2. c4 other

• Accelerated queen's Indian
• Modern Benoni →
  • Benko
• Budapest
• Mexican
• Old Indian

2. Nf3

• Spielmann Indian
• Torre

2. other:

• Trompowsky →
  • Edge
  • Raptor
• London system (Indian)
• Paleface ?!
• Bronstein gambit !?
• Omega ?

1. d4 f5
Dutch

• Hopton
• Korchnoi
• Leningrad
• Staunton
• Stonewall →
  • Bladel

1. d4 ...other:

• English defence
• Australian defence ?!
• Englund gambit ?
• Horwitz
• Old Benoni
• Polish
• Rat

1. Nf3
Zukertort

• Réti
• King's Indian defence (d5)
• King's Indian defence (Nf6)
• Lisitsin gambit !?
• Lemberger gambit ?
• Ross gambit ?
• Herrstrom gambit ?

Flank

• Bird's (1. f4)
• English (1. c4)
• Grob (1. g4)
• King's fianchetto (1.g3)
• Larsen (1. b3)

Unorthodox

• a3
• Na3
• a4
• b4
• c3
• Nc3
• d3
• e3
• f3
• h3
• Nh3
• h4