Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...e5/2. Nf3/2...Nc6/3. Nc3/3...Nf6/4. Bc4/4...Nxe4
Appearance
Four Knights Game | |
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Position in Forsyth-Edwards Notation (FEN) | |
Moves: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bc4 Nxe4 |
Four Knights Game, Italian Variation, 4...Nxe4
[edit | edit source]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
[edit | edit source]
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
[edit | edit source]- 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.