Two Pawns Attack

The Two Pawns Attack, 1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. c4, has White kick the knight a second time before committing the d-pawn. This keeps the choice between d2-d4 and further queenside expansion open. The name is also applied more narrowly to the 4. c5 continuation, which some sources call the Lasker Attack and others the Chase Variation. Black nearly always retreats with 3...Nb6, by far the most frequent reply and the move theory recommends.

After 3...Nb6, White often plays 4. d4, rejoining familiar territory: 4...d6 5. exd6 is the Exchange Variation, while 4...d6 5. f4 is the Four Pawns Attack. The independent try is 4. c5, the Lasker Variation, which drives the knight back to d5 but leaves that square permanently without pawn support. White's pawns on c5 and e5 claim space and restrict Black's pieces, and the bet is that this mobility outweighs the hole on d5. Black answers 4...Nd5 and normally props up the knight with ...e6, ...c6, or both. Pawn levers follow with ...d6 and ...b6 against the advanced pawns. One reference line runs 5. Bc4 e6 6. d4 b6 7. cxb6 axb6, which is regarded as equal. The Mikenas Variation, 5. Bc4 e6 6. Nc3 d6, has White bring the queen's knight to bear on d5 first. Black then strikes at e5 without delay. Compared with the Four Pawns Attack, the center is less mobile and the play more strategic, turning on whether White's space or Black's grip on d5 counts for more. Practical statistics cited by Cox show 4. c5 scoring poorly for White. A less common deviation on move four is the Tate Variation, 4. a4, which threatens to harass the b6-knight with a4-a5.

Black's other third moves are rare. 3...Nb4 risks having the knight chased around: 4. d4 d6 runs into 5. Qa4+, and 4. d4 c5 5. d5 d6 6. a3 N4a6 leaves White better. 3...Nf4, known as the Squirrel, also sees little practice, and White scores noticeably better against both knight moves than against 3...Nb6.

The engine gives White a slight edge, yet in practice results are dead level, with White and Black winning equally often in a large sample of online games. Many games transpose to the 3. d4 complexes, so the independent value of the move order rests chiefly on 4. c5 and its sidelines.