Editing Two Knights Defense (section)

====Traxler Variation: 4...Bc5 <span class="anchor" id="Traxler Variation"></span><span class="anchor" id="Traxler Counterattack"></span>====
{{Main|Two Knights Defense, Traxler Counterattack}}
This bold move ignores White's attack on f7 and leads to wild play.  Czech [[chess problem|problemist]] [[Karel Traxler]] played it against Reinisch in [[Prague]] in 1890.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1224609 |title=J. Reinisch vs. Karel Traxler, Hostoun 1890 |website=[[Chessgames.com]] |access-date=2019-03-24 |archive-date=2019-03-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190313055524/http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1224609 |url-status=live }}</ref> Later it was named after [[Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania]] by [[Frank Marshall (chess player)|Frank Marshall]], who claimed to be first to analyze and publish it,<ref>Hooper & Whyld (1996), p. 448. ''Wilkes-Barre variation''.</ref> so today 4...Bc5 is known as both the Traxler Variation and (in the United States and the United Kingdom<ref>{{Cite web | last =Elburg | first =John | title =New in Chess Year book issue 65 | work =Chessbook Reviews | publisher =Chess Books | year =2002 | url =http://chessbooks.nl/elburg59.html | access-date =2010-04-30 | url-status =dead | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20100924182622/http://chessbooks.nl/elburg59.html | archive-date =2010-09-24 }}</ref> only) the Wilkes-Barre Variation.

White can play 5.d4, 5.Nxf7, or 5.Bxf7+:
* After 5.d4 d5!, White's best move is 6.Bxd5, reapplying the pressure on f7.
* 5.Nxf7 is very complicated after 5...Bxf2+. The current main lines all are thought to lead to drawn or equal positions, e.g. after 6.Kxf2 Nxe4+ 7.Kg1, or even 7.Ke3.
* White's best try for an advantage is probably 5.Bxf7+ Ke7 6.Bb3 (although 6.Bd5 was the move recommended by [[Lawrence Trent]]),<ref name=LT>{{cite web |url=http://chessbase-shop.com/en/products/two_knight%E2%80%98s_defence |title=Two Knight's Defence |website=chessbase-shop.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111129060958/http://chessbase-shop.com/en/products/two_knight%E2%80%98s_defence |archive-date=2011-11-29}}</ref> as this poses Black the most problems. No grandmasters have regularly adopted the Wilkes-Barre as Black, but [[Alexander Beliavsky]] and [[Alexei Shirov]] have played it occasionally even in top competition. No clear refutation is known. {{pb}}A tricky variation is 5.Bxf7+ Kf8!?, where Black plays for one last trick with 6.Bb3 d6 7.Nf7 Qe7. If White plays the seemingly standard 8.Nxh8{{chesspunc|??}}, Black is now winning after 8...Bg4{{chesspunc|!!}} 9.f3 Nxe4, making use of the pinned f3-pawn. This pawn cannot capture the bishop as 10.fxg4?? Qh4+ 11.g3 Bf2+ wins by force for Black.