Four Knights Game

Four Knights Game is a principled chess opening where both sides develop their knights before other pieces. It starts with King’s Pawn Opening (1.e4 and e5), and both sides develop the Knights (2.Nf3, 2…Nc6, 3.Nc3, and 3…Nf6) and control the central squares.

Four Knights Game originated close to the game’s debut and was adapted by many top players after the 1800s. Due to its positional nature, principled masters like Capablanca used it as a noble weapon. Four Knights Game was considered symmetrical and not an ambitious choice for White before modern times. Nowadays, it is chosen at every level due to its solid lines. It can also transition to very sharp scenes.

Four Knights Game in 30 Seconds

• Defined by the move order 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6, both sides simply develop their knights before anything else.
• From here White picks one of three main roads: 4.d4 (the Scotch Four Knights, open and direct), 4.Bb5 (the Spanish Four Knights, slow and positional), or 4.Bc4 (the Italian, harmless if Black knows the …Nxe4 trick).
• If you remember nothing else, remember this: develop, castle short, and aim for the d4 or d5 break at the right moment.

Winning Percentage on Both Sides

The outcomes are pretty balanced at the master level.

Master Games Statistics

Statistics from 25 Million Amateur Games

Video Tutorial: How to Play the Four Knights Game

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Got the overview from the video? The remaining article below gets you through all tactical and strategic details in the Four Knights Game.

Key Ideas in the Opening

Due to its symmetrical nature, this opening does not have a straightforward plan like other openings. It is often chosen to minimize the risk of sharp lines by both parties. White often wants to utilize its first-move advantage and claim the center. The main goal is to limit the rival from improving pieces. Exchanging pieces is often not beneficial for them. Black, on the other hand, often equalizes quickly. This leads them to choose a solid approach and go for a quick endgame. As long as they can have a safe king, it is hard for the opponent to crack them.

Strategic Ideas, Plans, and Pawn Structures

Most of the long-term play in the Four Knights Game is decided by two recurring pawn structures, and understanding them is far more useful than memorizing moves. The first arises in the Scotch lines after 6.Nxc6 bxc6: Black gets doubled c-pawns and a half-open b-file, while White keeps the bishop pair in an open position. White’s plan is simple: finish development, pin the f6-Knight with Bg5, pile up on the f6/d5 squares, and try to trade into a favorable ending. Black, in return, uses the half-open b-file against the b2-pawn and pushes the c- and d-pawns to claim space.

The second structure appears in the Spanish lines after 7…Bxc3 8.bxc3. Now it is White who carries the doubled c-pawns, but in a closed center the bishop pair more than compensates. White’s typical plan is Qf3, connect the Rooks, and prepare the d4 break to open the position for the two bishops. Black keeps the position closed, reroutes the c6-Knight to e6 via d8 (the classic Metger idea), and looks for the …f5 counter-break on the kingside. The rule of thumb is the same one Capablanca followed: whoever opens the position at the right moment hands the bishop pair its targets.

Four Knights Game’s Theory

1) The Scotch Variation often leads to open positions. White aims to unbalance the pawn structure and restrict the potential squares for the opponent’s pieces.

2) The Spanish Variation is a more positional approach where White puts pressure on the c6-Knight. These games can contain a lot of strategic nuances.

3) The Italian Variation is a principled approach by White. These games can be symmetrical and positional. However, it is not used at the highest level because Black can quickly equalize in the next move.

Move Orders and Transpositions

One practical strength of the Four Knights Game is how often it lets White sidestep Black’s preparation. The most useful transposition is against the Petrov (Petroff) Defense: after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nc3, Black’s healthiest reply is 3…Nc6, which walks straight back into the Four Knights. If Black instead tries 3…Bb4, White can grab a small edge with 4.Nxe5 O-O 5.Nd3 Bxc3 6.dxc3 Nxe4 7.Be2, keeping the bishop pair.

The opening also overlaps with the Scotch Game: the position after 4.d4 exd4 5.Nxd4 is identical to the Scotch line 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3. Finally, if either side skips the fourth knight move, the game becomes the Three Knights Game, for example 3…g6, which White meets energetically with 4.d4. Knowing these doorways means you reach familiar Four Knights positions from several different opening orders.

Scotch Variation: 4.d4

It starts with White claiming the center domination by going 4. d4. From that moment, the enemy has to take the d4-pawn (4…exd4) and not let White occupy the center. Another alternative chosen at the high level is to pin the c3-Knight by going 4…Bb4.

If we examine alternative 4…Bb4 (pinning the c3-Knight), it can be replied to by 5.Nxe5 (capturing the e5-pawn). Then, the natural-looking move 5…Nxe4 would be a mistake due to 6. Qg4 (assault on e4 and g7). After Black aims to release the pin on the e1-h5 diagonal by going 6…Nxc3, 7.Qg7 is a double attack on h7 and f7 with lethal threats. Unfortunately for Black, they don’t have a decent discovered attack with the c3-Knight and b4-Bishop. They can try 7…Ne4 check, which can be replied to by 8.c3. Both the b4-Bishop, f7-pawn, and h8-Rook would be hanging.

After 4…Bb4 and 5.Nxe5, Black can try to avoid the existence of e5-Knight and go for 5…Nxe5 6.dxe5 and then 6…Nxe4. However, that line loses to the same 7. Qg4 because after 7…Nxc3, b4-Bishop is hanging (8. Qxb4), and the rival’s c3-Knight is trapped.

Other than these variations, 5…Qe7 can be chosen to increase the pressure on the e-file. That can be met by 6.Qd3. The Queen serves as a tool to capture whatever will be taken to guard the pawn structure. White is often slightly better due to open bishops.

The opponent often takes on d4 (4…exd4) to avoid these lines. 5.Nxd4 is the only objectively logical move. Then, the mentioned 5…Bb4 is often chosen to ruin White’s pawn structure. Here, White should not try to guard the c3 and instead take on the c6-Knight by going 6…Nxc6. Otherwise, the rival will castle in the short side and put the Rook to e8. White will be down in development, with a fragile King on e1.

After 6.Nxc6, 6…bxc6 is mandatory because 6…dxc6 gives White a significant edge due to Queen trades (7.Qxd8 Kxd8) and a quick long side castle (8.Bd2 would guard the c3-Knight and castling queenside).

After 6…bxc6 is chosen, the tension is almost gone. White needs to guard the e4-pawn since the Knight is pinned. 7.Bd3 is the most common choice for this task. If the opponent ever takes on c3 (Bxc3 bxc3), they would give White a bishop-pain in an open position. Hence, they often castle in the short side (7…O-O). White can meet it by protecting their King (8. O-O).

The main concept for Black here is to go for 9…d5 and hope the rival fixes their pawn structure by taking that pawn. White can take the pawn (10.exd5, 10…cxd5) and pin the f6-Knight by going 11.Bg5.

White often places their Queen to f3, connects their Rooks, and oppresses on f6-Knight. They hope the enemy takes on c3 and gives them the bishop-pair. Black usually improves the Rooks to b8 and e8, puts pressure on the b2-pawn, and tries to utilize c- and d- pawns.

Spanish Variation: 4.Bb5

It begins with White assaulting the c6-Knight (4.Bb5) to ruin the enemy’s pawn structure. Since it is a flexible line, the opponent has several options from here.

The most popular attempts are 4…Bc5 (simply improving the Bishop to a good diagonal and getting ready to castle), 4…Nd4 (avoiding the Bishop to capture on c6), and 4…Bb4 (choosing a symmetrical approach).

4…Bb4 is the most popular option among these. White often resumes the tension and castle in the next move (5. O-O), and Black replicates it (5…O-O). White typically goes for 6.d3 and guards the e4-pawn. The enemy can do the same thing by going 6…d6. Then, 7.Bg5 can be chosen to force the rival to break the symmetry. If the enemy insists and goes 7…Bg4, 8.Bxf6 is a strong edge for White after 8…Qxf6 and 9.Nd5 (assaulting on f6-Queen and b4-Bishop). Bxc6 and Nxb4 are almost preventable in these variations.

Hence, after 7.Bg5, the enemy has to make a decision. They can take on c3-Knight with the Bishop (7…Bxc3 8.bxc3) and ruin the White’s Queenside pawn structure. However, this would give the bishop pair to White. Also, Re1 and d4 would become serious attempts.

Black can also pick to go for a maneuver with the c6-Knight by going 7…Ne7. This can result in a ruined pawn structure for Black’s kingside after 8.Bxf6 and 8…gxf6. However, it is not as bad as it looks because the position is closed, and Black pieces can rapidly transfer themselves in the short side. Also, they can go for the f5-pawn break and launch a kingside assault themselves.

The line 4…Nd4 is the Rubinstein Defense, considered one of Black’s most reliable tries because it forces a wave of trades. After 5.Nxd4 exd4 6.e5 dxc3 7.exf6 Qxf6 8.dxc3, the position is close to a dead draw, which is exactly why ambitious players avoid it as White and prefer 5.Ba4 or 5.Bc4 to keep tension on the board.

When Black answers 4…Bb4 and the play stays mirrored, the resulting setup is called the Symmetrical Variation, and the key follow-up 8…Qe7 is known as the Metger Defense. The idea is elegant: Black reroutes the c6-Knight to e6 through d8, deals with the Bg5 pin, and frees the c-pawn for the center. It was Johannes Metger’s idea back in 1883 and was later trusted by Capablanca, Karpov, Anand, and Nakamura.

4…Bc5 is the third of these options. It is played even at the highest level so far. Black often goes for d6 (to guard the e5-pawn) and Bd7  (to guard the c6-Knight), and castles Kingside. White typically castles in the short side and goes for the d4-pawn break. These games are generally drawish and require high positional understanding.

Italian Variation: 4.Bc4

4.Bc4 is not considered good because a simple tactic equalizes the game for the enemy. After 4…Nxe4 and 5.Nxe4 d5 is forking the c4-Bishop and e4-Knight.

After that, 6.Bd3 (to capture on e4 after dxe4) is the only move that doesn’t lose for White; otherwise, dxe4 would kick the f3-Knight back to g1.

If White plays 6. Bb5 instead, the enemy can play 6…dxe4. 7.Nxe5 (opposing on f6) is losing to 7…Qg5 after 8.Nxc6 and 8…Qxb5 (the Knight can only go to d4 from here). And after 9.Nd4, 9…Qg5 back resumes all the pressure on White’s Kingside (b2-pawn is fragile). 10. O-O also loses due to 10…Bh3 (g2 is undefendable without a g3-pawn push and losing a rook).

Hence, White often battles without its first move advantage after 6.Bd3, 6…dxe4, and 7.Bxe4. The rival often can easily improve the Bishops to d6 and e6. One sample line can be 7…Bd6 (developing the Bishop and preparing to castle on the short side), 8. 0-0 0-0, and 9.Re1 (improving the Rook). Then, the enemy can reply with 9…Re8 (an improving move), and 10.d3 can be chosen to support the e4-Bishop. 10…h6 would prevent Bg5 ideas because the Black Queen is not ready to move. From here, Black can continue with f5 in the next moves, finish its development by going Be6, and launch an assault on the enemy. White can fianchetto the c1-Bishop to b2 by pushing the b-pawn to b3.

These games are open and suitable for tactical battles, but they are mostly solid and hard to generate a plan.

Other Variations: Glek, Halloween, and the Naroditsky Variation

Beyond the three main roads, White has a few offbeat weapons. The Glek Variation begins with 4.g3, fianchettoing the light-squared bishop and steering the game toward King’s-Indian-style positions with a later f2-f4 break. It was the trademark of Igor Glek, once a top-20 player, and it is an excellent way to dodge theory while keeping a clear plan.

The boldest try is the Halloween Gambit, 4.Nxe5, where White sacrifices a knight to chase Black’s pieces backward with d4 and e5. Objectively White is simply worse, but at club level the shock value wins plenty of games, just know that a calm defender will keep the extra piece.

A more modern line is the Naroditsky Variation, 4.Nd5. White immediately offers the e4-pawn, intending to follow up with c2-c3 and d2-d4 and take over the center while the knight sits actively on d5. Black’s main replies are 4…Nxe4 (grabbing the pawn) and the solid 4…Be7. The line owes its name and much of its popularity to Daniel Naroditsky, whose teaching speedruns featured the Four Knights, especially the Scotch, as a model for sound, principled development. It remains a friendly, instructive way to play the opening for the win.

How to Play Against the Four Knights Game

If you are facing the Four Knights Game as Black, the goal is to equalize comfortably and, where possible, take the symmetry away from White. Against the Spanish 4.Bb5, the most ambitious answer is the Rubinstein Defense 4…Nd4, which forces trades and removes White’s first-move pull. If you prefer a calmer route, the Symmetrical 4…Bb4 with the Metger plan (…d6, …Bxc3, …Qe7 and …Nd8-e6) is rock-solid.

Against the Scotch 4.d4, simply take the center pawn with 4…exd4 5.Nxd4 Bb4, pinning the c3-Knight and pressuring White’s structure. The general recipe is the same one we gave in the FAQ: challenge the center with …d5 at the right moment, avoid pointless symmetry, and keep your king safe. Do that, and White’s tiny opening edge usually evaporates.

Which Four Knights Variation Should You Play?

Common Traps

№1

Starting with the Scotch Variation, after 4…exd4 and 5.Nxd4 occurs, and the enemy chooses to improve the c8-Bishop to c5 (5…Bc5). Then, an assaulted d4-Knight is protected by 6.Be3. This move also sets up a fierce trap. If the enemy does not seize the threat and plays a casual move such as 6…O-O, the hidden menace on the unprotected c5-Bishop can be released by forcing 7.Nxc6. Since the Knight is attacking the d8-Queen, it has to be captured (7…bxc6 or dxc6). Then, the hanging Bishop on c5 can be taken with 8.Bxc5.

№2

This one begins similarly to the other trap. Instead of blundering in the sixth move, Black takes on d4 (6…Nxd4), which is replied with Bxd4. Here, 7…Qe7 is chosen to activate the Queen to c5 if it is being taken. White casually improves the Bishop to e2 (8.Be2) and prepares to castle on the short side. This typical move also sets a powerful trap. If the opposing side castles (8…O-O) in the next move, 9.e5 is a killing blow to the enemy. The Knight has to go back to e8 (9…Ne8). Then, 10.Nd5 disconnects the Queen and Bishop’s bind. And the Bishop will be gained in the next turn.

Pros and Cons of Four Knights Game

Quick Tests for Opening’s Revision

№1

The position appears after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. Nxd4 Bb4 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. Bd3 Bxc3+ 8. bxc3 O-O 9. O-O d5 10. exd5 cxd5:

Note: White to play.

Hint: Pin Black’s f6-Knight.

№2

The position appears after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. d4 Bb4 5. Nxe5:

Note: Black to play.

Hint: Your Queen is a key to create tension in the center.

№3

The position appears after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5:

Note: Black to play.

Hint: Exchange the Knights.

№4

The position appears after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bc4 Nxe4 5. Nxe4 d5:

Note: White to play.

Hint: Let Black win the minor piece back, but on your conditions.

Conclusion

The Four Knights Game is a relatively balanced opening where both sides try to outplay the opponent. Most games transition to a strategic battle without concrete plans. Beginners tend to play this move order due to its similarity to fundamental principles. Some lines can be challenging to manage at a low level due to their positional nature. The Italian Variation is often known to be worse than the Scotch and Spanish due to its easy refutation.

Written by

Anton Shuravin

Founder of ChessDoctrine.com and author of most of its content. A FIDE-rated player with more than 14 years of experience, rated 1900+ on Lichess in bullet and blitz. Has recorded 88 lessons for the ChessDoctrine YouTube channel. Currently completing a Bachelor's degree in Linguistics. Plays the Ruy Lopez, English Opening, and Réti as White, and the French Defense and King's Indian as Black.

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Reviewed by

Emre Sancakli, Chess Coach

Chess coach based in Turkey with chess.com ratings of 2410 blitz, 2380 rapid, and 2557 bullet — verifiable on his chess.com profile (mrsnckl). Has coached more than 100 students, from adult beginners to tournament players. Particularly enjoys teaching the Italian Game, French Defense, and King's Indian — openings that reward understanding ideas over memorizing lines.

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Grandmaster games with Four Knights Game

1. Magnus Carlsen vs. Hikaru Nakamura, 2025

[/pgn]

[White “Magnus Carlsen”]
[Black “Hikaru Nakamura”]
[Result “1/2-1/2”]
[WhiteElo “2837”]
[BlackElo “2804”]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Bb4 5. O-O O-O 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. Nxe5 Re8 8.
Nd3 Bxc3 9. dxc3 Nxe4 10. Re1 Nd6 11. Bf4 Rxe1+ 12. Qxe1 Bf5 13. Rd1 Qe8 14. f3
f6 15. Qxe8+ Rxe8 16. Kf2 g5 17. Bg3 Rd8 18. Ke2 Re8+ 19. Kf2 Rd8 20. Ke2 Re8+
21. Kf2 1/2-1/2 [/pgn]

2. Jan-Krzysztof Duda vs. Nodirbek Abdusattorov, 2025

3. Hikaru Nakamura vs. Fabiano Caruana, 2023

4. Rauf Mamedov vs. Vladimir Fedoseev, 2025

FAQ’s

Is the Four Knights Game a good opening?

Yes, the Four Knights Game is a solid and straightforward opening, suitable for players of all levels. It leads to balanced positions and teaches fundamental principles.

How do you counter the Four Knights Game?

To counter the Four Knights Game, consider playing moves that challenge the center, like d5, or opt for asymmetrical structures to disrupt the symmetry, such as fianchettoing your bishop. Studying main line variations and understanding the underlying principles can also be effective.

Is the Four Knights Game good for beginners?

Yes, it is one of the best opening choices for beginners. Every move follows a basic principle (develop knights before bishops, control the center, castle early), so you reach a healthy middlegame without memorizing long theory.

Which Four Knights variation is best for White?

For most players the Scotch Four Knights (4.d4) is the most practical: it leads to clear, open positions with a small but safe edge. The Spanish (4.Bb5) is the choice if you enjoy slow positional play, while the Italian (4.Bc4) is best avoided because Black equalizes at once with 4…Nxe4.

What is the difference between the Scotch Game and the Scotch Four Knights?

They often transpose. The Scotch Game proper is 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4, while the Scotch Four Knights adds the knight moves Nc3 and …Nf6 before d4. If both knights come out, the two openings reach the same positions.