Chess lessons › Chess openings
The Two Knights Defence
Black hits e4 instead of guarding f7. Learn 4.Ng5 d5, the Fried Liver, the Traxler and 4.d4.
The idea
Black hits the pawn on e4 instead of guarding f7.
- The knight on g5 and the bishop on c4 both attack f7.
- Only the king defends f7, so Nxf7 would fork queen and rook.
- Block the bishop with d5, which also attacks it.
In a game: When a knight and a bishop both aim at f7, look for a pawn move that blocks the bishop.
How the lesson begins
After 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4, the move 3...Nf6 is the Two Knights Defence. Black attacks the pawn on e4 instead of guarding f7. Among players rated 1200 to 1599 on Lichess it is chosen in 32% of games after 3.Bc4.
The most direct answer is 4.Ng5, the Knight Attack. Now the knight on g5 and the bishop on c4 both attack f7, and only the king defends it.
- 4. Ng5
Find the move
Black to move. White threatens Nxf7, forking your queen and your rook. Block the bishop’s diagonal to f7 with a pawn.
A hint
Which pawn can step in front of the bishop?
Show the answer
4... d5
4...d5 blocks the line from c4 to f7 and attacks the bishop. White’s best answer is 5.exd5. Then Black must decide how to take back, or whether to take back at all.
In numbers
How often it is played
| Rating | Value |
|---|---|
| Under 800 | 7.9 |
| 800 to 1199 | 18 |
| 1200 to 1599 | 13 |
| 1600 to 1999 | 7.1 |
| 2000 and up | 4.7 |
How the games ended
White won 51%, 3% were drawn and Black won 46%, over 19,695 games that start this way, in a sample of rated Lichess games from 2026.