Four Knights GameC47

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6. All four knights come out before anything else, two for each side. It is calm and safe, and a great first opening to learn.

Move by move

3... Nf6: knight to f 6

White: e4, pawn to e 4.
Black: e5, pawn to e 5.
White: Nf3, knight to f 3.
Black: Nc6, knight to c 6.
White: Nc3, knight to c 3.
Black: Nf6, knight to f 6.

What each side wants

⚪ White: Bring the bishops out next, castle, and look for a good moment to push d4.

⚫ Black: Do the same good things: bishops out, castle, and watch out for Nxe5 tricks.

Black made the last move, so after this it is White's turn.

You will also hear it called the Four Knights.

Three things every opening does

The Four Knights Game follows the three ideas strong players use in every opening. Get a pawn or two into the middle of the board, because pieces in the middle can reach more squares. Bring out your knights and bishops before you move the queen a lot, so she is not chased around. And castle early, so your king is tucked behind a wall of pawns and your rook joins the game. When you forget the moves, those three ideas will still help you find a good one.

Try it

Play it against Peabody on Play, then solve today's puzzle. Openings that start the same way:

Name, code and moves from the Lichess openings list (CC0), checked 31 October 2026. The words are Peabody's own, and every move on this page is checked by Peabody's chess engine.