FoxyChess › Gambits › Two Knights: 4.Ng5 Sidelines
Two Knights: 4.Ng5 Sidelines
White's answers when Black avoids 4...d5 5.exd5 Nxd5 after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5: 4...h6, 4...Qe7, 4...Nxe4, and the Fritz (5...Nd4) and Ulvestad (5...b5). White punishes the mistakes and keeps an extra pawn.
The idea
White's answers when Black avoids the main line after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5: against 4…Nxe4?, 5.Bxf7+ Ke7 6.d4 wins material; against 4…Bc5 (the Traxler) White takes with 5.Bxf7+ or 5.Nxf7; and other moves let White keep the pressure on f7 and d5.
What happens next
White's play is the same in all of them: hit f7, keep the knight on g5 as long as it's useful, and open the centre with d4 while Black's king is unsafe. Castling early and bringing the rook to e1 adds to the pressure.
How to play against it
Black should know that 4…d5 is the only fully reliable move. 4…Nxe4? loses material and 4…Bc5 needs preparation. After 4…d5 5.exd5 play …Na5 rather than …Nxd5.
A key line
More lines
6.d4 d5 7.Nc3 Nxc3 …
6.d4 h6 7.Nxe4 Kxf7 …
4.Ng5 Qe7 5.Bxf7+ Kd8 …
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All 9 lines in this gambit
- 6.d4 Nxd4 7.c3 Nc6 …
- 6.d4 d5 7.Nc3 Nxc3 …
- 6.d4 h6 7.Nxe4 Kxf7 …
- 4.Ng5 Qe7 5.Bxf7+ Kd8 …
- 5.exd5 Nb4 6.d6 Nbd5 …
- 6.c3 Nf5 7.Qe2 Bd6 …
- 6.c3 b5 7.Bf1 Nxd5 …
- 5.exd5 b5 6.Bf1 Nxd5 …
- 4.Ng5 h6 5.Nxf7 Qe7 …