Four Knights: The Centre Fork Trap
Spot the mistake, then find the punishment
Starting positionWhite to move
0 / 12
- 1.
- 2.
- 3.
- 4.
- 5.
- 6.
The temptation
6.Bb3 is the move that springs the trap. Retreating the bishop feels natural after ...d5. White sees the bishop attack but forgets that the same pawn also attacks the e4 knight.
Why it works
6...dxe4 wins the knight. The preliminary 4...Nxe4 5.Nxe4 d5 is a standard fork trick, not an unsound pawn grab: Black sacrificed a knight temporarily to attack White's bishop and knight together. White must choose a reply that protects the knight as well as saving the bishop. The key lesson is to identify both targets of a pawn fork before deciding which piece to move.
One pawn attacks two minor pieces
Before Bb3 the d5 pawn attacks c4 and e4. After the bishop retreats, ...dxe4 recovers the sacrificed knight; Black retains an extra pawn.
How to avoid it
After 5...d5, 6.Bd3 protects the e4 knight while saving the bishop, so ...dxe4 can be met by Bxe4. Do not retreat to b3 without checking the second target.
The opening behind it
Learn the sound version of this line and the trick stops being tempting.