Italian Game: Traxler Counterattack
The wildest Two Knights line: ...Bc5!? and the incredible ...Bxf2+ king hunts.
If you want an opening that fights from the very first moves, Italian Game: Traxler Counterattack is a superb candidate — principled, sharp and endlessly instructive.
After 7.Ke3 the position resolves into a fluid centre — one side has staked a central pawn the other must decide how to challenge, so the structure is still being negotiated, with the f-file fully open and the e-file half-open for White, white is ahead by 2 points of material.
This is a branch of the Italian Game. If you are new to the system, start with the parent guide and return here when you want to go one move deeper.
The moves
After 7. Ke3 — Italian Game: Traxler Counterattack main line
Position breakdown
A factual read of the position after the main line — the files, the centre, the pawn structure and king safety that decide how the middlegame is played. These are computed from the actual board, not generic advice.
Files
Centre control
Fluid centre
The d4/d5/e4/e5 squares — who occupies the centre decides how open the game becomes.
Pawn skeleton
Pawns only — the structure that explains every open file and majority at a glance.
White +2
Queenside pawns 3–3
Kingside pawns 2–2
Development
Knight & light-squared bishop active
2 knights active
King safety
White king e3
Uncastled — take care
Black king e8
Uncastled — take care
Computed from the final position of the main line above — 13 plies, black to move.
Strategic ideas
Ideas for White
Build the c3-d3 pawn shell, regroup with Nbd2-f1-g3,the a4 and d4 breaks to perfection.
Ideas for Black
Mirror with ...Be7/...d6/...Re8, counterattack with ...a6 and ...Na5 hitting the c4 bishop, and fight for d4 with ...Bb6 regrouping.
Plans & pawn structures
- 1Fight for the f-file: it is the only fully open line in the position, and the side that doubles rooks on it first controls the game.
- 2White plays down the e-file — with no White pawn there, a rook lift and pawn lever turn this file into direct pressure on e7.
- 3The centre is still fluid: decide early whether to lock it with a pawn advance or dissolve it with an exchange, because that choice picks the whole middlegame plan for you.
Typical middlegame structures
The main line leads to a fluid centre — one side has staked a central pawn the other must decide how to challenge, so the structure is still being negotiated. It leaves the f-file open, the e-file half-open for White — that is where the rooks belong and where the middlegame is decided. On the pawns, White holds a queenside pawn majority, while Black holds a queenside pawn majority — the long-term trump to nurse into the endgame.
Traps & tactical motifs
The Blackburne Shilling Gambit: after 3...Nd4?! 4.Nxe5?, Black wins material with ...Qg5! — the classic beginner trap.
In the Møller Attack, White's Bg5 sacrifice exploits the f6-pin and the f7 weakness for a raging initiative.
How to Play Against the Traxler Counterattack
- Neutralise the e-file before White owns it: challenge with your own rook, or close the file with a pawn so the opponent's main artery of play dries up.
- As Black, strike at the fluid centre immediately with your own central pawn or piece pressure, before the opponent locks it into a shape that favours them.
Masters & history
Study plan & who it's for
Solidly intermediate. The main lines require real study, but the payoff is positions you can play for a lifetime. Best investment for White players around 1400–2000.
Play through the main line above until the piece setup feels natural.
Learn the two or three critical pawn breaks for both sides.
Drill one variation at a time — always connecting moves to plans.