The Two Knights - A tricky repertoire for White

This DVD in the 60 Minute series covers the Modern Variation of the Italian Defense, in which White opens the center early: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. e5!. The variation can be reached by different move sequences, the most common being the Scotch with 3. d4 exd4 4. Bc4. This is a sharp variation and grandmasters such as Evgeny Sveshnikov have used it often and with very good results. The variation is relatively easy to learn, contains many pitfalls and is perfectly suited to the club player. The DVD covers all of Black's important replies, including 5...d5, 5...Ng4 and 5...Ne4, and the conclusion is that Black has problems equalizing directly. As White, you pose problems that are not easy to solve on the board.