White uses his extra move to thrust forward in the center. Black often continues with 4…exd4 5. Black must prevent white from winning a piece with Nxc6. The most popular line by far continues with 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. Bd3 d5 8. Both sides rush to evacuate the king from the center now that the e-file has opened up. Black may also castle before striking back at the center with …d5, but that will generally result in this same position — just with a different move order!
White will often play Bg5 here, pinning the black knight. Qf3 to increase the pressure. Black has a space advantage for the time being, but white has a more compact pawn structure, easy piece development, and no real weaknesses. The position is roughly equal. White develops the light-squared bishop actively, completing his kingside development.
Black can do the same with 4…Bb4. For example, after 5. Instead both players will generally focus on rapid development. To prevent this, black will usually break the symmetry here and play 7…Bxc3.
This move naturally develops a piece to an important diagonal, where it can control the important d4-square and put pressure in f2. This position does not have as many imbalances and activity as some of the ones we have seen before. However, it is still possible to draw some plans:. This move is considered to be quite passive and not very ambitious: the e2-Bishop is not a very active piece, and the purpose of this move is to safely castle. Be2 is not very frequently played, especially among top-rated players.
However, it is still worth analysing. Both the moves 4… d5 and 4… Bb4 allow Black to at least fully equalize. White needs to respond precisely. Capturing the e4-pawn could be dangerous due to 7. This positions are usually equal or even slightly better for Black, which is why 4.
Be2 is not widely played. This is a rather common waiting mov e, which oblies Black to define the position so the White can choose how to play. Besides this, this move also stops the possible … Bb4 move, which is sometime very dangerous.
In this position, if White eventually plays d2-d4 or d2-d3, Black will now have the possibility to pin the c3-Knight with Bb4. In this position Black has more control of the centre , due to the advanced d5-pawn. The e4-Knight is also very well located. The development is more os less the same and the pawn islands are symmetrical. This is not a good move for White, however, it is important to know how to play against it, in case you have to face it on the chess board.
Black should now be able to normally develop his pieces. White does not have enough counterplay for the lost material. Because of this, always make sure to study possible gambits and dubious lines, even if you know they are refuted: finding that refutation under pressure on the chess board is not always easy.
Congratulations on reaching the end of this article! Hopefully you have now decided if this opening is a good choice for you, either when playing with White or Black pieces, and you have chosen a variation which fits your playing style. The truth is, in this Opening, there is a lot to choose from. This is why it is now easy to define the opening and generalize its plans. If this will be a solid, quiet game, or an aggressive, dynamic one, depends a lot on the variation you choose to play.
If White manages to successfully transpose to a main line of other Opening, then logically the dynamics of the game will be the same of that same opening. For example, if White manages to transpose to a main line of the Ruy Lopez, the game will most likely be very dynamic, with lots of chances for both sides. However, if White plays a more passive move, such as 4. Be2 or 4. The reason why it is so hard to define the spirit of the Four Knights Game is because it is usually not an opening, just a different move order that can be used in a lot of different openings.
Because of this, the Four Knights Game is not for a specific kind of players: from the quieter to the most aggressive players in the world, everyone should be able to find a variation which fits their taste. This versatility and infinite possibilities are what makes this move order so interesting.
Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Skip to content Welcome to another chess opening article! How does the Four Knights Game happen on the chess board? Why play the Four Knights Game? Diagram 1b: position after 3. Nc3 The move 3. The possibilities from Black after the position in the diagram 1b are: 3… d6 3… Be7 3… Bc5 3… Bb4 3… g6 3… Nf6, entering the Four Knights Game However, there is a reason why the move 3… Nf6 is far more played than the other options.
After the move 4. Diagram 1e: Three Knights Game, position after 3… Be7 4. After the move exd4, White would capture Back on e4 with his Knight, and these are the positions that we would be left with: Diagram 1f: Three Knights Game, 3… Be7 4.
Nxd4 Diagram 1g: Three Knights Game, 3… d6 4. Nxd4 In both of these positions, White has a slight advantage, due to the control of the centre and the strong d4-Knight b 3… Bc5 Diagram 1h: Three Knights Opening, position after 3… Bc5 This move attacks the weak f2-square. However, it allows White the following continuation: Nxe5 Nxe5 d4 Bd6 dxe5 Bxe5 Diagram 1i: Three Knights Opening, position after 6… Bxe5 White is left with the centre , and it is easier for him to develop his pieces, since Black will still have to move his d7-pawn in order to develop his c8-Bishop.
Nd5 Although this is probably the most successful line for Black in the Three Knights Opening, this is not something White should worry about: these positions also have a comfortable natural advantage for White. How does White replay to 3… Nf6?
Bb5 4. Bc4 4. Be2 4. Bb5 Diagram 1o: Four Knights Game, position after 4. Bb5 This move is the Spanish variation. This variation usually follows with: a2. Diagram 1t: Rubinstein variation, position after 5. Nxe5 5… Qe7 After 5. Nxd4 position after 9. Qe2 This position is known to lead to equal endgames after the exchange of the Queens. This position is usually followed by: 4… exd4 Nxd4 Diagram 1x: Four Knights Game, transposition to the Four Knights Scotch This position might seem familiar to you: this is because we are in front of a Four Knights variation of the Scotch Opening, which is commonly reached in the following move order: e4 e5 Nf3 Nc6 d4 exd4 Nf6 Nc3 The exact same position is reached.
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