The Four Knights Game is one of the oldest chess openings and continues to be a popular choice among beginners and club players. In recent years leading grandmasters such as Alexey Shirov and Emil Sutovsky have injected the Four Knights with numerous fresh ideas and changed its peaceful reputation. White has quite a few ways to create tension and play for the attack. Russian International Master Andrey Obodchuk has written a repertoire book for white players based on the Spanish Four Knights variation (starting with 4.Bb5). Covering a range of positional themes as well as sharp and amazing adventures, Obodchuk has created an easy-to-handle toolbox for amateur chess players of intermediate level, as well as a challenging exposition for stronger players.

A Straightforward and Solid Way to Meet 1.e4 With all the many books and articles on the Sicilian Defense, there is surprisingly little about the Four Knights Variation. Its starting position is reached after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6. It may also be reached after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e6. Some prefer 2...e6 to 2...Nc6 because it avoids 3.Bb5. The fundamentals of the Sicilian Four Knights are not hard to learn. Black reaches the middlegame quickly and safely, with lively piece play in the dynamic positions which arise. There is no easy ride for White here, and, in particular, if he gets over-ambitious, he can find himself on the receiving end of a powerful attack very quickly. The material is very well structured, and the assessments are objective and backed with accurate analysis which will not cause the reader fatigue by becoming exceedingly elaborate ... But, above all, this is an opening that is definitely sound and this work proves it. It will improve your ability to score against both weaker and stronger opposition, offering clear-cut and occasionally bold play. Author David Willis has done a fine job of clearly presenting the analysis, providing us with comprehensive explanations and sound lines in an opening that deserves more attention and popularity. I can wholeheartedly recommend the Four Knights to all levels of players. – From the Foreword by Vassilios Kotronias About the Author Correspondence senior master David Willis is one of the strongest American correspondence chessplayers. He is also a master in over-the-board play and has been relying on the Sicilian Four Knights as his go-to defense against 1.e4 for years. He lives with his family in San Diego. This is his first book for Russell Enterprises.

The Four Knights is an opening with a long and distinguished history. Despite its deceptively quiet appearance, it can lead to extremely sharp play as well as more strategic battles in the main lines.

International Master Jan Pinski delves into the secrets of the Four Knights for the first time, studying the strategic ideas for both white and black players. Pinksi covers both the fashionable main lines and the tricky sidelines, bringing the reaser u

Do you need a new chess opening plan? This book guides you in Four Knights Game after 1.e4 e5 plus both Three Knights Games: 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nc3 and 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3. The Italian Four Knights Game coverage begins 1.e4 e4 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nc6 4.Bc4. It's a reliable method to begin a chess game. Masters of old who won by using this Open Game as White include players such as Winawer, Burn, Albin, Steinitz, Chigorin, Tarrasch, Nimzowitsch, Capablanca, Alekhine, and especially Dr. Tartakower. This book is a tool to manage your opening preparation. The author examined thousands of games and chose the most important positions you need to know to play this. Every position is selected based on what chess masters usually play, based on what has the highest performance rating, or based on the best chess engine evaluation. This Playbook series tells you what to play. There are 200 key positions for White based on what Black usually plays. Five moves for White are added below the diagrams. That gives you hundreds of moves for your preparation. Let the author guide you. It's your move in every diagram. Start well and you will win more games. Be prepared!

Traditionally regarded as a solid, but rather dull opening, the Four Knights has recently been completely transformed by the games of Nigel Short, Murray Chandler and John Nunn. Grandmaster John Nunn looks at this newly revitalized and effective winning weapon and presents his selection of the most theoretically important games. John Nunn is one of the co-winners of the British Chess Federation's Book of the Year Award for Secrets of Grandmaster Play.

Why is this repertoire called simple? For the simple reason that the variations are straightforward, easy to remember and require little or no maintenance. International Master Christof Sielecki has created a reliable set of lines for chess players of almost all levels. The major objective is to dominate Black in the opening, by simple means. You don’t need to sacrifice anything or memorize long tactical lines. Unless Black plays something stupid, when tactics are the simplest punishment. Sielecki developed this repertoire working with students who were looking for something that was easy to understand and to learn. Most of the lines he selected are occasionally played by grandmasters, but on the whole they lie outside the mainstream of opening theory. That means that there is hardly any need to monitor theoretical developments. Sielecki always clearly explains the plans and counterplans and keeps you focussed on what the position requires. Ambitious players rated 1500 or higher will get great value out of studying this extremely accessible book.