The debut of four horses in chess is one of the oldest principles. If you recently play chess, are not sure of your opening preparation, or simply do not want to think a lot in opening, then this beginning will suit you best. It is simple and reliable.
Debut development
At the moment, at a high level of the game, the debut of four horses is almost never found. Records of theoretical developments are first found in notes by Polerio of the 16th century. In the future, Louis Paulsen, Akiba Kivelevich Rubinstein and Frank James Marshall made a great contribution to its development. The debut of four horses appeared in fights of world champions: Emanuel Lasker, Raul Jose Capablanca and Mikhail Botvinnik. Despite the symmetrical beginning, which leads to a calm positional struggle, sharp continuations are developed in it.
Debut start
The defense of the four knights begins with the advancement of the pawns from the e position by both sides to the e4 and e5 points, respectively. In the next two moves, the opponents alternately bring out two pairs of horses from the initial positions to the cells f3, c6, c3 and f6. According to the theory of chess, a horse is the first light piece to be shifted from its initial position. Subsequently, it will be necessary to withdraw the officer from the kingside, and castling the king in the short side will be possible for both sides. This is a very simple debut, but it is quite reliable. It is great for beginners, because it is almost impossible to make a mistake in it. After several moves in the debut of four horses, several systems with traps were developed, but more on that later. If you don’t have a desire to play debuts you are tired of, such as, for example, a Russian or Spanish party, then you can always choose this simple beginning.
The bishop move on b5
After three initial moves, White activates the officer, attacking them on the knight. The main sequels for Black are the b4-bishop and the d4-knight. The first is called the double Spanish version and leads to a complete equalization of the game. Mutual castling followed by a further positional game. The computer evaluates this position as equal. The debut continues, the rivals continue the development of pieces and the struggle for space in the center of the board. White will exchange his officer for an enemy steed at point c6. Then they take the pawn on e5. Black activates the rook from the kingside, attacking the steed on e5. White takes his mount to d3, after which the black officer exchanges himself for an enemy white knight at c3. White beats dxc3, and the opponent takes the pawn on e4 with his knight.
Rubinstein's Gambling
The knight's move on d4 is called the Spanish version, the Rubinstein counter-gambig. White takes the pawn to e5, and Black exchanges his knight for a white-field white officer at point b5. After which Black kicks the knight with a pawn on c6. He retreats to his former parking lot, after which they spend d5. White is forced to pick up an enemy infantryman. Black puts his steed on d5, which offers his vis-à-vis exchange, after which the queen comfortably goes to the center of the board.
Traps in the debut of four horses
A famous trap called a crooked mirror. After playing this knight's debut four knights for white, Black gets checkmated after a symmetrical game on his part. After the withdrawal of two pairs of horses, the opponents develop the kingside officers. They go to c4 and c5, respectively. Then comes the mutual castling. Behind it is the advancement of d pawns by one square. In this way, the opponents strengthen the e-pawns and prepare the diagonal for their white-winged bishops. Seventh move, the officers exit on g5 and g4, linking the enemy horses. On the eighth move, opponents attack their bound horses with their own, moving them to d5 and d4. In the ninth move, the queens leave the ligaments on d2 and d7. On the tenth move, the officers exchange themselves for enemy horses that defend the king. At the eleventh, the absurdity of the design of the mirror game is revealed. White gives a check with g7, and according to the rules of the game, Black is forced to pick up the bishop, as this is the only possible move. After which White declares checkmate in two moves. First, a check with g5 is declared, and after the king retreats, a checkmate with f6 is placed in the corner of the board.
Rubinstein's countergambit trap
A rather long, but no less beautiful trap when playing for Black in the opening of four knights. After the black horse moves to d4, White takes the pawn to e5. Then the queen goes to e7, and White defends him with a pawn on f4. This move is a mistake. It was better to return it to f3. Following this, the black horse exchanges himself for a white-field elephant from the enemy camp at point b5. Black kicks the enemy horse by d7, and she retreats to f3, where she was before. The black queen with the check takes the infantryman on e4, and the king retreats to f2, where he again receives the check from the enemy horse. He retreats to g3, and the enemy queen chases him, choosing a parking lot for his horse on cage g6, threatening the king with an open check. The white horse attacks the enemy queen, and he retreats to h5. White, taking advantage of the moment, takes the pawn on c7, declares a check to the king and prepares to bite the rook on a8. The king moves back to d8, and White again attacks the piece in the black camp, this time with a pawn from h3. The knight moves to f6, and his counterpart takes the rook to a8. And then suddenly the black queen sacrifices herself, taking the mount on h4. The white king takes the queen, and here the idea with the queen's sacrifice becomes clear. The knight moves to e4, blocking the cage g3 to retreat the king back, and plans to declare a check as a bishop with e7. And, since the king is in real danger, White takes his queen to g5, offering Black to take the material back. They temporarily do not respond to this, declaring a check with e7, and this queen closes the king with the check, and then the bishop and queen are exchanged. Black moves h6 and White folds his pawn, moving it forward on g6. Opponent accepts the challenge by picking it up. White leads the rook to the open vertical f, after which they get a check with g5. They are forced to move on h5, and there they are overtaken by a check with a fork with g3, and Black gets a decisive material advantage, given that the enemy knight is stuck on a8 and will soon fall.