Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...e5/2. Nf3/2...Nc6/3. Nc3/3...Nf6/4. Bc4/4...Nxe4

Four Knights Game
a b c d e f g h 8 8 7 7 6 6 5 5 4 4 3 3 2 2 1 1 a b c d e f g h
Position in Forsyth-Edwards Notation (FEN) r1bqkb1r/pppp1ppp/2n5/4p3/2B1n3/2N2N2/PPPP1PPP/R1BQK2R w
Moves: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bc4 Nxe4

Four Knights Game, Italian Variation, 4...Nxe4

Black makes a temporary sacrifice of the knight, and if White plays 5.Nxe4, Black can play ...d5 with a fork which wins back the piece. This tactical trick does not win any material for Black, but knocking out the important White center pawn on e4 has secured Black a good foothold in the center.

Even so, 5.Nxe4, falling in with Black's plan is White's best move. 5.Bxf7+ looks good at first glance because Black's king gets slightly exposed, but White is not developed enough to sustain an attack. 5.O-O can cause problems for black if they are not careful.

The tactic employed by Black is called the "Fork Trick" and pops up in a number of openings, but it is particularly potent in the Four Knights.

Theory table

For explanation of theory tables, see theory table and for notation, see algebraic notation..
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4.Bc4 Nxe4!

.	5	6	7
1	Nxe4 d5	Bd3 dxe4	Bxe4 Bd6	=
2	Bxf7+ Kxf7	Nxe4 d5	Neg5+ Kg8	-/+

References

• Evans, Larry D. The Fork Trick. Published in two parts (April 2000 and May 2000) issues of Chess Life. Online facsimiles of the articles are available at chesscamp.net.