King's Indian: The Unprotected e4 Capture
Spot the mistake, then find the punishment
Starting positionWhite to move
0 / 21
- 1.
- 2.
- 3.
- 4.
- 5.
- 6.
- 7.
- 8.
- 9.
- 10.
- 11.
The temptation
9...Nxe4 is the move that springs the trap. The e4 pawn looks loose and ...f5 promises to chase any piece that recaptures. Black expects the pawn thrust to recover the sacrificed knight.
Why it works
10.Nxe4 captures the knight, and 10...f5 11.Ng3 saves White's knight. Black has given a knight for a pawn without a forcing way to recover it. The key is that the c3 knight defends e4 and has a safe retreat once attacked. The normal King's Indian ...f5 break is still useful in many positions, but it does not automatically justify an unsupported ...Nxe4 capture. Count defenders and escape squares before relying on a pawn chase.
A pawn chase is not a forced recapture
After ...f5, Ne4 can retreat to g3. The knight sacrifice has not created a fork or trapped White's recapturing piece.
How to avoid it
At move nine, continue with 9...Nh5 or 9...Nd7 to prepare ...f5. Do not capture e4 until the c3 knight's defence has been addressed.
The opening behind it
Learn the sound version of this line and the trick stops being tempting.