Italian Game, Two Knights Defense, Traxler Counterattack

The Traxler Counterattack, also called the Wilkes-Barre Variation, begins with 4...Bc5 after White’s knight reaches g5. White attacks f7 with the knight and bishop, but Black does not defend that pawn with the usual central move ...d5. Instead, Black develops the bishop to c5 and targets f2, a sensitive square beside White’s king.

A counterattack answers a threat by creating an active threat of one’s own instead of merely defending. In many lines, if White captures on f7, Black can play ...Bxf2+, giving or sacrificing material to draw White’s king into danger. The check forces a response and may give Black time to bring the queen and knight into the attack.

The position is extremely concrete. White may consider Nxf7, Bxf7+, or quieter moves, but every choice changes which checks Black has. Black does not automatically receive enough activity for the risk either: accurate calculation is required because f7 remains under pressure and the black king is still in the center.

Why this line is different

The Lolli Attack begins after 4...d5 5.exd5 Nxd5. The Traxler diverges earlier with 4...Bc5, so it is not a reply to a sacrifice already made on f7; it is an earlier decision that changes the entire struggle.