New Ideas in the Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Polerio Defense

It’s always nice when the top chess players in the world use a chess opening commonly seen in scholastic chess. This was the case in Round 9 of the Tata Steel Masters when Women’s World Chess Champion GM Ju Wenjun avoided possible Fried Liver or Lolli Attack complications by using the Polerio Defense (1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Nf6 4 Ng5 d5 5 exd5 Na5) in the same way most chess coaches teach their students. Indian Grandmaster Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa was up for the challenge and unveiled an innovative attacking line that players in local scholastic quads and grandmasters should study.

The Polerio Defense which is part of the Two Knights Defense (1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6) to the Italian Structure (e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4) is an essential defensive strategy for youth chess players to understand. Employing The Polerio Defense can prove invaluable in avoiding white’s main assaults on the Two Knights Defense, the Fried Liver Attack and the Lolli Attack.

The Fried Liver Attack (1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Nxd5 6. Nxf7!) is a highly aggressive opening in which White sacrifices a knight to initiate a devastating attack on Black’s position. While it can be thrilling to play as White, it can be equally devastating to be caught in its grip as Black. Similarly, the Lolli Atrack (1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Nxd5?! 6. d4!) is another aggressive assault that aims to give Black a difficult position in the early going. By gaining a tactical advantage early in the game, both attacks place Black under immense pressure. By studying the Polerio Defense, chess players can equip themselves with a repertoire to navigate away from the dangerous complexities of the Fried Lived and Lolli Attacks.

Below are my personal notes to the epic Round 9 battle between Praggnanandhaa and Wenjun at the 2024 Tata Steel Masters chess tournament. For the beginner, I recommend just learning the basics of how to use the Polerio Defense to avoid danger in the Knight Attack lines of The Italian Two Knights Defense. Intermediate players should play through all of the variation games and pick their favorites to study more. Advanced players can use my notes as a starting point to test Pragg’s innovative 10. b3 attack and add to the theory of the Polerio Defense Bishop Check Line.

One might wonder why I willingly share all my lectures, without any hesitation or reservation. The answer is simple: by disseminating knowledge, I hope to empower individuals and inspire them to further explore the beautiful realm of the chessboard. I believe that when we as chess coaches eliminate barriers to learning, we encourage a diverse community of chess students, tournament players, and chess professionals to collectively push the boundaries of our current understanding.

So if you are a chess coach, go ahead and use my lesson plans and have your students checkout my lesson entitled “Think this is Kid’s Stuff” on a game between Wesley So and Magnus Carlsen which contains other important variations in the Fried Liver Atrack, Lolli Attack and Polerio Defense.