Subscribe

Italian Game: Two Knights, Modern Attack 5.e5

Jones–L'Ami, Remco Heite GM 2014 · So–Abdusattorov, Sinquefield Cup 2025 · 7:24 · ECO C55

Open on YouTube ↗

In this video

Game 1: Gawain Jones (2661) vs Erwin L'Ami (2618)

Remco Heite GM 2014, 14 November 2014 · Black won (0-1) · 38 moves

Click a move to jump the video to it. Dotted moves are the opening line the video is about.

  1. 1.
  2. 2.
  3. 3.
  4. 4.
  5. 5.
  6. 6.
  7. 7.
  8. 8.
  9. 9.
  10. 10.
  11. 11.
  12. 12.
  13. 13.
  14. 14.
  15. 15.
  16. 16.
  17. 17.
  18. 18.
  19. 19.
  20. 20.
  21. 21.
  22. 22.
  23. 23.
  24. 24.
  25. 25.
  26. 26.
  27. 27.
  28. 28.
  29. 29.
  30. 30.
  31. 31.
  32. 32.
  33. 33.
  34. 34.
  35. 35.
  36. 36.
  37. 37.
  38. 38.

Key moments

  1. 6.Bb5The first move after the opening line0:29
  2. 20.Qxg7The evaluation moves from −0.31 to −1.451:29
  3. 26.Qh6The evaluation moves from −1.05 to −2.26, and Black stays more than two pawns ahead from here1:59
  4. 33.Qxf7The evaluation moves from −5.39 to −10.002:34
  5. 38...Bxf3#Black wins after 38 moves3:02

Evaluation

Above the line, White is better; below it, Black. Scores are in pawns, capped at five either way.

Game 2: Wesley So (2745) vs Nodirbek Abdusattorov (2771)

Sinquefield Cup 2025 · White won (1-0) · 52 moves

Click a move to jump the video to it. Dotted moves are the opening line the video is about.

  1. 1.
  2. 2.
  3. 3.
  4. 4.
  5. 5.
  6. 6.
  7. 7.
  8. 8.
  9. 9.
  10. 10.
  11. 11.
  12. 12.
  13. 13.
  14. 14.
  15. 15.
  16. 16.
  17. 17.
  18. 18.
  19. 19.
  20. 20.
  21. 21.
  22. 22.
  23. 23.
  24. 24.
  25. 25.
  26. 26.
  27. 27.
  28. 28.
  29. 29.
  30. 30.
  31. 31.
  32. 32.
  33. 33.
  34. 34.
  35. 35.
  36. 36.
  37. 37.
  38. 38.
  39. 39.
  40. 40.
  41. 41.
  42. 42.
  43. 43.
  44. 44.
  45. 45.
  46. 46.
  47. 47.
  48. 48.
  49. 49.
  50. 50.
  51. 51.
  52. 52.

Key moments

  1. 6.Bb5The first move after the opening line3:30
  2. 41.Rf1The evaluation moves from +3.49 to +1.816:15
  3. 41...Rxf4White stays more than two pawns ahead from here6:18
  4. 44...Kg8The evaluation moves from +2.57 to +4.046:32
  5. 50...Qh6The evaluation moves from +6.08 to +7.177:02
  6. 52.g5White wins after 52 moves7:10

Evaluation

Above the line, White is better; below it, Black. Scores are in pawns, capped at five either way.

About these games

After 4.d4 exd4 White plays 5.e5 instead of recapturing, hitting the f6 knight, and Black answers 5...d5, attacking the bishop. White usually continues with Bb5 and regains the d4 pawn with the knight, keeping an e5 wedge that cramps Black's kingside, while Black gets free piece play and often the bishop pair.

Jones–L'Ami followed the main line 6.Bb5 Ne4 7.Nxd4 Bd7 8.Bxc6 bxc6, leaving Black doubled c-pawns but two bishops and a knight on e4. L'Ami pushed ...c5 and ...d4, and when Jones took on g7 with 20.Qxg7, Black castled queenside at −1.24 and used the open g-file and the d-pawn, which reached d3 at move 25. After 26.Qh6 the score fell from −1.05 to −2.26, and Black stayed more than two pawns ahead from there. The h-pawn ran to h3, 33.Qxf7 took the evaluation from −5.39 to −10.00, and 37...Qxf3+ 38.Rxf3 Bxf3# ended it. Black won.

So–Abdusattorov went 6...Nd7, and after 8.Bxc6 bxc6 9.Nxd4 the play was positional. White kept the e5 wedge, removed Black's light-squared bishop with 15.Ndxe6 and later 21.Bxb4, leaving a knight against a passive dark-squared bishop. So gained kingside space with g4, f4 and h4–h5 and walked the king to b3; the score rose from +0.80 at move 30 to +3.49 at move 40. After 41.Rf1 it dipped to +1.81, but following 41...Rxf4 White stayed more than two pawns ahead, and 44...Kg8 lifted it to +4.04. White won at move 52, a slow squeeze rather than Game 1's direct attack.

Chapters

  1. 0:00Introduction and the opening line
  2. 0:10Game 1: Jones vs L'Ami, Remco Heite GM 2014
  3. 3:10Game 2: So vs Abdusattorov, Sinquefield Cup 2025

The opening line

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. e5 d5

See every video from this position →