Opening family
Four Knights Game Lines and Variations
The Four Knights Game family contains 48 named lines in this opening book, spanning ECO C47 to C50. Use this page as the map, then open individual lines for exact move orders and diagrams.
How to study this family
White
White should use the move order as a checkpoint: finish development, identify the central break, and compare the continuations below before memorizing moves.
Black
Black should ask what White is threatening in the center, then choose development moves that prepare a clean pawn break or a useful exchange.
Start with the shortest line, then branch to the variations that change the pawn structure or tactical target. Memorizing every branch before understanding the family plan is usually wasted work.
Main named lines
- C47 · Four Knights Game
- C47 · Four Knights Game: Glek System
- C47 · Four Knights Game: Gunsberg Variation
- C47 · Four Knights Game: Halloween Gambit
- C47 · Four Knights Game: Italian Variation
- C47 · Four Knights Game: Naroditsky Variation
- C47 · Four Knights Game: Scotch Variation
- C48 · Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation
- C47 · Four Knights Game: Scotch Variation Accepted
- C48 · Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Classical Variation
- C48 · Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Rubinstein Variation
- C49 · Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Double Spanish
- C50 · Four Knights Game: Italian Variation
- C47 · Four Knights Game: Italian Variation, Noa Gambit
- C47 · Four Knights Game: Scotch Variation, Belgrade Gambit
- C47 · Four Knights Game: Scotch Variation, Krause Gambit
- C48 · Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Ranken Variation
- C48 · Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Rubinstein Variation
- C48 · Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Rubinstein Variation Accepted
- C48 · Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Rubinstein Variation, Henneberger Variation
- C47 · Four Knights Game: Scotch Variation, Krause Gambit, Leonhardt Defense
- C47 · Four Knights Game: Scotch Variation, Oxford Gambit
- C47 · Four Knights Game: Scotch Variation, Schmid Defense
- C48 · Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Rubinstein Variation
Deep theory branches
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nxe5 Nxe5 5. d4 Nc6 6. d5 Ne5 7. f4 Ng6 8. e5 Ng8 9. d6 cxd6 10. exd6 Qf6 11. Nb5 Rb8 — Four Knights Game: Halloween Gambit, Plasma Variation
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 a6 5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. Nxe5 Nxe4 7. Nxe4 Qd4 8. O-O Qxe5 9. Re1 Be6 10. d4 Qd5 — Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Spielmann Variation
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Bb4 5. O-O O-O 6. d3 d6 7. Bg5 Bxc3 8. bxc3 Qe7 9. Re1 Nd8 10. d4 Bg4 — Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Symmetrical Variation
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Bb4 5. O-O O-O 6. d3 d6 7. Bg5 Ne7 8. Nh4 c6 9. Bc4 d5 10. Bb3 Qd6 — Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Symmetrical Variation, Blake Variation
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Bc5 5. O-O O-O 6. Nxe5 Nxe5 7. d4 Bd6 8. f4 Nc6 9. e5 Bb4 — Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Bardeleben Variation
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Nd4 5. Be2 Nxf3+ 6. Bxf3 Bc5 7. O-O O-O 8. d3 d6 9. Na4 Bb6 — Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Rubinstein Variation, Maróczy Variation
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. Nxd4 Bb4 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. Bd3 d5 8. exd5 O-O 9. O-O — Four Knights Game: Scotch Variation Accepted, Main Line
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nxe5 Nxe5 5. d4 Ng6 6. e5 Ng8 7. Bc4 Bb4 8. Qf3 f5 — Four Knights Game: Halloween Gambit, Oldtimer Variation
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Bb4 5. O-O O-O 6. d3 d6 7. Bg5 Bxc3 8. bxc3 Qe7 — Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Symmetrical Variation, Metger Unpin
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Bb4 5. O-O O-O 6. d3 Bxc3 7. bxc3 d6 8. Re1 — Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Janowski Variation
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Bb4 5. O-O O-O 6. d3 Qe7 7. Ne2 d5 — Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Alatortsev Variation
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. Bb5 Bb4 5. O-O O-O 6. Nd5 Nxd5 7. exd5 e4 — Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Gunsberg Counterattack
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Bb4 5. O-O O-O 6. d3 Bxc3 7. bxc3 d5 — Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Svenonius Variation
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Bb4 5. O-O O-O 6. d3 d6 7. Bg5 Ne7 — Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Symmetrical Variation
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. Bb5 Bb4 5. O-O O-O 6. d3 d6 7. Bg5 Be6 — Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Symmetrical Variation, Tarrasch Variation
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. g3 d5 5. exd5 Nxd5 6. Bg2 Nxc3 7. bxc3 — Four Knights Game: Glek System