“Simple, principled chess.”
The Four Knights Game is one of the most principled openings in chess. After 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6, both sides have developed their knights to their natural squares and the position is perfectly balanced. It is an ideal opening for learning how chess is supposed to be played.
Despite its "boring" reputation, the Four Knights contains sharp variations — especially the Belgrade Gambit and Halloween Gambit — that can catch unprepared opponents off guard. And at the top level, the Spanish Four Knights leads to rich strategic play.
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Bb4 5. O-O O-O 6. d3 d6Position after 6 moves · White to move
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 Bb4 5.O-O O-O 6.d3 d6Both sides mirror the Ruy Lopez structure. This is the line in the UltimaChess trainer — strategic and balanced.
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nxe5White sacrifices a knight for central pawns and attacking chances. Extremely risky but practically dangerous.
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.d4 exd4 5.Nd5White offers a pawn for rapid piece activity. Wild and tactically complex — a good surprise weapon.
The UltimaChess opening trainer lets you watch the moves play out with a demo, then practice them yourself. Select Four Knights Game from the opening list to start.