Two Knights Defense, Max Lange Attack, Krause Variation
- 1.e4e5
- 2.Nf3Nc6
- 3.Bc4Nf6
- 4.d4exd4
- 5.O-OBc5
- 6.e5Ng4
- 7.c3
857 games
A sharp Max Lange Attack line in which White meets 6...Ng4 with 7. c3, offering a further pawn to open lines and speed up development.
Train it in TheoriaAbout the Krause Variation
The Krause Variation answers the knight sortie 6...Ng4 with 7. c3. Instead of defending e5 or chasing the knight, White strikes at the d4-pawn. Already a pawn down, White offers more material for rapid development and open central files. Black most often accepts with 7...dxc3. The main alternatives are 7...O-O and 7...Ngxe5, which captures the e5-pawn. White scores heavily in online games, and the engine assesses the position as a slight edge for White.