As White

Four Knights Game

The Four Knights Game is a chess opening for White that starts with 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6.

A classic for learners. Symmetrical and safe, ideal for understanding opening principles.

Reviewed on November 6, 2026 · Prepared by Josep Serrano Ballestero

Basic · Elo Under 400

Train this level

  1. Deadly mate · 7...h6

    1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bc4 Bc5 5.d3 O-O 6.Bg5 d6 7.Nd5 h6 8.Nxf6+ gxf6 9.Bxh6 Re8 10.Nh4 f5 11.Bxf7+ Kxf7 12.Qh5+ Ke6 13.Qxf5+ Ke7 14.Ng6#

  2. Deadly mate · 7...b6

    1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bc4 h6 5.d4 exd4 6.Nxd4 Nxd4 7.Qxd4 b6 8.e5 Bc5 9.Qf4 Nh5 10.Qxf7#

  3. Opponent's mistake · 5...Nxd5

    1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bc4 d5 5.exd5 Nxd5 6.Bxd5 Nd4 7.Nxe5

  4. Opponent's mistake · 8...Qxe6

    1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bc4 d6 5.Ng5 Be6 6.Nxe6 fxe6 7.Bxe6 Qe7 8.Nd5 Qxe6 9.Nxc7+ Kd7 10.Nxe6 Kxe6 11.h4

  5. Opponent's mistake · 8...c6

    1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bc4 Bc5 5.d3 d6 6.Bg5 Bg4 7.Nd5 Nd4 8.c3 c6 9.Nxf6+ gxf6 10.cxd4 exd4 11.Bh4

  6. Opponent's mistake · 5...h6

    1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bc4 d6 5.Ng5 h6 6.Nxf7 Qe7 7.Nxh8

  7. 6.bxc3 d5

    1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bc4 Bb4 5.d3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 d5 7.exd5

  8. 6.bxc3 d6

    1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bc4 Bb4 5.d3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 d6 7.Bb3 Bg4 8.h3

  9. Italian Variation · 8.Nd5 Qd6

    1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bc4 Bc5 5.d3 O-O 6.Bg5 h6 7.Bxf6 Qxf6 8.Nd5 Qd6 9.O-O

  10. Italian Variation · 8.Nd5 Qd8

    1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bc4 Bc5 5.d3 O-O 6.Bg5 h6 7.Bxf6 Qxf6 8.Nd5 Qd8 9.c3 d6 10.b4 Bb6 11.a4

  11. Italian Variation · 6.Bg5 O-O

    1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bc4 Bc5 5.d3 d6 6.Bg5 O-O 7.Nd5

  12. Italian Variation · 6.Bg5 Bg4

    1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bc4 Bc5 5.d3 d6 6.Bg5 Bg4 7.Nd5

  13. 5.d3 d6

    1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bc4 Bb4 5.d3 d6 6.h3 O-O 7.a3

Intermediate · Elo 400 – 600

Train this level

  1. Deadly mate · 7...h6

    1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bc4 Bc5 5.d3 O-O 6.Bg5 d6 7.Nd5 h6 8.Nxf6+ gxf6 9.Bxh6 Re8 10.Nh4 f5 11.Bxf7+ Kxf7 12.Qh5+ Ke6 13.Qxf5+ Ke7 14.Ng6#

  2. Deadly mate · 7...b6

    1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bc4 h6 5.d4 exd4 6.Nxd4 Nxd4 7.Qxd4 b6 8.e5 Bc5 9.Qf4 Nh5 10.Qxf7#

  3. Opponent's mistake · 5...Nxd5

    1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bc4 d5 5.exd5 Nxd5 6.Bxd5 Nd4 7.Nxe5

  4. Opponent's mistake · 8...Qxe6

    1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bc4 d6 5.Ng5 Be6 6.Nxe6 fxe6 7.Bxe6 Qe7 8.Nd5 Qxe6 9.Nxc7+ Kd7 10.Nxe6 Kxe6 11.h4

  5. Opponent's mistake · 8...c6

    1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bc4 Bc5 5.d3 d6 6.Bg5 Bg4 7.Nd5 Nd4 8.c3 c6 9.Nxf6+ gxf6 10.cxd4 exd4 11.Bh4

  6. Italian Variation · 6.Bg5 h6

    1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bc4 Bc5 5.d3 O-O 6.Bg5 h6 7.Bxf6 Qxf6 8.Nd5 Qd8 9.c3 d6 10.b4 Bb6 11.a4 a6 12.Nxb6 cxb6 13.O-O

  7. 6.O-O Bxc3

    1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bc4 Bb4 5.d3 O-O 6.O-O Bxc3 7.bxc3 d5 8.exd5

  8. 6.bxc3 d6

    1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bc4 Bb4 5.d3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 d6 7.Bb3 Bg4 8.h3

  9. Italian Variation · 6.Bg5 h6

    1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bc4 Bc5 5.d3 d6 6.Bg5 h6 7.Bxf6 Qxf6 8.Nd5

  10. Italian Variation · 5.d3 h6

    1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bc4 Bc5 5.d3 h6 6.Be3 Bxe3 7.fxe3 d6 8.a3 Bg4 9.Rf1

  11. 6.bxc3 O-O

    1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bc4 Bb4 5.d3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 O-O 7.Bg5 h6 8.Bh4 d6 9.Bb3

  12. Italian Variation · 6.Bg5 Bg4

    1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bc4 Bc5 5.d3 d6 6.Bg5 Bg4 7.Nd5 Nd4 8.c3

  13. 6.O-O d6

    1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bc4 Bb4 5.d3 O-O 6.O-O d6 7.Ne2 Bg4 8.Ng3

Advanced · Elo 1200 – 1400

Train this level

  1. Italian Variation · 6.Bg5 Bg4

    1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bc4 Bc5 5.d3 d6 6.Bg5 Bg4 7.Nd5 Nd4 8.c3 Nxf3+ 9.gxf3 Bh5 10.d4 exd4 11.Bxf6

  2. Italian Variation · 6.Bg5 Be6

    1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bc4 Bc5 5.d3 d6 6.Bg5 Be6 7.Nd5 Bxd5 8.Bxd5 h6 9.Bxc6+ bxc6 10.Bd2

  3. 5.d3 O-O

    1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bc4 Be7 5.d3 O-O 6.O-O d6 7.a4 Bg4 8.h3 Bh5 9.Nd5 Nd4 10.Nxe7+ Qxe7 11.g4

  4. Two Knights Defense · 7.Bxe4 Bc5

    1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bc4 Nxe4 5.Nxe4 d5 6.Bd3 dxe4 7.Bxe4 Bc5 8.O-O O-O 9.d3

  5. Two Knights Defense · 7.Bxe4 Bd6

    1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bc4 Nxe4 5.Nxe4 d5 6.Bd3 dxe4 7.Bxe4 Bd6 8.O-O O-O 9.Re1

  6. Italian Variation · 6.Bg5 h6

    1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bc4 Bc5 5.d3 O-O 6.Bg5 h6 7.Bxf6 Qxf6 8.Nd5 Qd8 9.c3 d6 10.b4 Bb6 11.a4 a6 12.Nxb6 cxb6 13.O-O

  7. Italian Variation · 6.Bg5 h6

    1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bc4 Bc5 5.d3 d6 6.Bg5 h6 7.Bxf6 Qxf6 8.Nd5 Qd8 9.O-O

  8. Italian Variation · 5.d3 h6

    1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bc4 Bc5 5.d3 h6 6.Be3 Bxe3 7.fxe3 O-O 8.h3 d6 9.a4

  9. 5.d3 d6

    1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bc4 Be7 5.d3 d6 6.h3 O-O 7.a4 Be6 8.O-O Bxc4 9.dxc4

  10. Italian Variation · 6.Bg5 Be7

    1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bc4 Bc5 5.d3 O-O 6.Bg5 Be7 7.O-O d6 8.a4 Bg4 9.h3

Frequently asked questions

Is the Four Knights Game good for beginners?

Yes. On OpeningCraft you learn it in these levels: Basic (Elo under 400), Intermediate (Elo 400 – 600), Advanced (Elo 1200 – 1400). It suits players who prefer long-term plans and pawn structure.

What traps are there in the Four Knights Game?

OpeningCraft teaches 6 traps and opponent mistakes in this opening, for example: Deadly mate (7...h6); Deadly mate (7...b6); Opponent's mistake (5...Nxd5).

How many lines of the Four Knights Game do you need to learn?

OpeningCraft teaches 29, in blocks of 5. They come from real Lichess games at each rating band, and the traps and opponent mistakes most common at your level come first.

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