Italian Game

32. Two Knights: 9.Nh3 Variation

After 8.Be2 h6 White does not go back to f3, where the knight would face ...e4, but goes to h3. Black develops with ...Bd6 and ...O-O; White consolidates with d3 and Nc3, keeping the extra pawn.

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.Nh3 Bd6 10.d3 O-O 11.Nc3

Move by move

  1. 1.e4 – Occupies the centre and frees the queen and the f1-bishop, which in the Italian Game goes to c4 to aim at the weak f7 point.
  2. 1...e5 – Black contests the centre at once: the e5 pawn controls d4 and f4 and opens the diagonal for the f8-bishop and the queen.
  3. 2.Nf3 – Development with an attack: the knight hits the e5 pawn, controls d4 and prepares quick kingside castling.
  4. 2...Nc6 – Defends e5 while developing and adds control of d4, the square White wants for a pawn.
  5. 3.Bc4 – The Italian Game move: the bishop aims at f7, defended only by the king, and controls d5, making ...d5 harder to achieve.
  6. 3...Nf6 – The Two Knights Defence: instead of 3...Bc5 Black develops the knight and immediately attacks e4. It is an active choice, but it allows White the 4.Ng5 attack against f7.
  7. 4.Ng5 – The knight attacks f7 together with the c4-bishop: the point is defended only by the king and Black has to answer with ...d5. The price is a knight moved twice in the opening.
  8. 4...d5 – The only reasonable defence of f7: the pawn blocks the c4-bishop's diagonal. Black is ready to sacrifice a pawn in order to gain development tempi.
  9. 5.exd5 – White captures and reopens the c4-f7 diagonal: if now 5...Nxd5, White has 6.Nxf7 or 6.d4, the attacks of chapter 4.
  10. 5...Na5 – The main line: instead of recapturing on d5, the knight attacks the c4-bishop. Black sacrifices a pawn to gain tempi and open lines.
  11. 6.Bb5+ – A check with tempo: the bishop escapes the attack of the a5-knight and forces Black to interpose ...c6, while the d5-pawn stays with White for the moment.
  12. 6...c6 – The natural parry: the pawn attacks both the b5-bishop and the d5-pawn. After the exchanges Black gets rapid development and the semi-open b-file for the sacrificed pawn.
  13. 7.dxc6 – White takes the second pawn: after ...bxc6 he will be a pawn up, while Black will have the more active pieces.
  14. 7...bxc6 – Black recaptures with the b-pawn and attacks the b5-bishop: he is a pawn down but has the e5-c6 centre, the semi-open b-file and faster development.
  15. 8.Be2 – The classical, safe retreat: from e2 the bishop cannot be attacked by Black's pawns and protects the kingside. The g5-knight, however, will have to retreat after ...h6.
  16. 8...h6 – Black drives the g5-knight away with tempo: the knight has to choose between f3, where it will face the ...e4 push, and h3 (line 32).
  17. 9.Nh3 – Instead of 9.Nf3, where it would face ...e4, the knight goes to h3: an old idea (Steinitz) taken up by modern grandmasters. From h3 it supports the f4 push and can come back via f2.
  18. 9...Bd6 – Black develops the bishop, defends e5 and prepares castling: it wants to exploit its lead in development before the h3-knight comes back into play.
  19. 10.d3 – The pawn takes the c4 and e4 squares away from Black's pieces and opens the c1-bishop's diagonal; White consolidates before castling.
  20. 10...O-O – Black completes castling: it is a pawn down but has more space in the centre and its pieces already developed.
  21. 11.Nc3 – White develops the second knight towards e4 and prepares to castle, keeping the extra pawn.

How to exploit the position

White has an extra pawn and a solid structure; Black has more space and development, and White's h3-knight is for now out of play.

Master tips

The knight on h3 is not out of play

From h3 the knight supports f4 and can come back to f2: do not try to bring it straight back to the centre.

Model games