1.e4 e5 Repertoire Part 2: The Main Roads After 2.Nf3 Nc6

Part 1 of the series dealt with the King’s Gambit, Danish, Ponziani, Vienna and the Two Knights with 4.d4. The 1.e4 e5 Repertoire Part 2 is where the theory gets heavier. Friedel plays …Nf6 on move three, which means he must answer the Fried Liver and the slow Italian, and he faces the Four Knights and the Scotch head-on rather than sidestepping them. The lesson titles on the Limitless Chess page sum up the attitude — “Fight For Immediate Counterplay,” “Head For Complexity,” “Go For Proven Compensation,” “The Modern and Combative 4…h6.”

What makes this part interesting is how often the coach picks a line he has not played much himself because he thinks it suits the course better. Against 4.Bb5 he admits his own games were mostly with …Bb4 and …Bd6, but he chose …Nd4 because it is “the most active line”; against the Italian he leaves his old setup for 4…h6. You get a GM’s honest comparison of the options, not just a list of moves. More repertoires sit in our chess courses list.

Inside the 1.e4 e5 Repertoire Part 2

Four Knights with 4.Bb5: Rubinstein’s …Nd4

Friedel calls the Four Knights a line that “has never quite been considered like a major test” yet is “very tricky to deal with,” especially as a weapon from players avoiding the Berlin. His answer is 4…Nd4, attacking the bishop and taking away White’s Bxc6 ideas. The lesson covers the drawish 5.Nxd4, White’s attempts to grab material with the king walking to f2 and g3 — where precise queen moves lead to a “deadly mating attack” — and the quieter tries in between.

Four Knights with 4.d4: a Grischuk idea

Against 4.d4 he prefers solid-but-active play with …exd4 and …Bb4, and explains why the sharper alternative he enjoyed as a junior tends to favour a well-prepared White. After the usual Nxc6 bxc6 structure, the key nuance is a move order with early castling so that e4–e5 can be met by …Ng4. For the quiet lines where Black often drifts into a slightly worse position, Friedel shows his own old …Rb8 idea and then the one he now prefers — a rook lift to b6 he credits to Grischuk, which guards the f6-knight and lets the bishop go to b7 without shutting the rook in.

Scotch with 4…Nf6 — plus the Göring

The Scotch lesson starts with history (Kasparov’s revival against Anand in the mid-1990s) and the pawn-structure rule that runs through the whole series: take on d4 when White pushes without c3 support. The early c3 gambit is covered both ways, and taking on c3 is chosen partly because it transposes to Center Game / Danish positions already in Part 1. Then comes the main 4…Nf6 battle, including the Bd3 lines and the e5 thrust met with …Ng4 and …Bc5. If you want a White-side view of the same structures, Krykun’s Scotch Opening is the natural mirror.

Fried Liver with …Na5, and the modern 4.d3 h6

Because …Nf6 allows Ng5, a full 45-minute lesson goes to 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Na5. Friedel mentions his well-known last-round loss to Hikaru Nakamura at the US Championship in this line, but says he has had “quite a bit of success” here overall. Expect the little-known d3 option, the …h6 and …e4 tempo trick, and recurring manoeuvres such as …Ng4 or …Nh5 to free the f-pawn. The Italian finale recommends 4.d3 h6, with plans against both early and delayed castling, the …g5 push, and a model game featuring the Armenian GM Melkumyan. For a wider look at the Two Knights itself, see The Two Knights Defense.

1.e4 e5 Repertoire Part 2: Lesson List

Is Part 2 Right for You?

• Owners of Part 1 who want the Four Knights, Scotch and Italian to complete the repertoire — the 1.e4 e5 Repertoire Part 2 assumes the transpositions from Part 1.
• Two Knights players who play …Nf6 on move three and need a reliable, active answer to Ng5.
• Players who want winning chances with Black — Friedel deliberately steers away from long theoretical lines that fizzle into perpetual check.
• Club and tournament players who face the Four Knights from opponents dodging the Berlin and Italian theory.

If you prefer to meet gambits with a fixed …Bc5 Italian and a fianchetto against the Spanish, the different approach in Gambit Buster: 1.e4 e5 may fit you better.

Questions About Part 2

Do I need Part 1 to use the 1.e4 e5 Repertoire Part 2?

Not strictly, but it helps. In the Scotch lesson Friedel points out that 4.Bc4 transposes to the Two Knights lines in Part 1, and that the Göring Gambit taken with …Nxc3 reaches positions from his Center Game / Danish lesson.

Why 4…h6 against the Italian instead of …Bc5?

Friedel says the …Bc5 positions are reliable and “less risky,” but 4…h6 offers a more ambitious setup with …d6 and, in some lines, …g5. He explains both so you can choose.

What files are included and how do I get them?

Five MP4 lessons (about 698 MB) and one 31 KB PGN. Digital files. Crypto payment only. Fast delivery is handled manually after payment confirmation. Download links remain available for 7 days; save your files locally.