Play Black in the English Opening: King's English – Four Knights with e4

With your bishop boldly placed on c5 and both knights developed, you've already claimed your share of the centre. The position after 4...Bc5 is neither cramped nor passive — you are ready to castle and start active operations. The engine evaluates the spot at +0.18, which is a hair-thin edge for White. In human terms that means you are essentially equal out of the opening. Your key trumps are the open lines for your pieces and the fact that White's centre (pawns on c4 and e4) can come under pressure with moves like ...d5 or ...Bb4. The game is wide open, and the statistics confirm it: 50.2% wins for Black is a healthy score that tells you there is nothing to fear.

Stockfish recommends Nxe5, which looks like an outrageous knight sacrifice — White grabs your e5 pawn and dares you to take back. After 5.Nxe5 Nxe5 6.d4, White regroups with tempo and threatens to kick your bishop or knight. Yet, despite the flashy appearance, the engine says this is White's best try. Even so, Black is fine: after 6...Bb4, the position remains roughly level. Many club players avoid this line because it feels risky, but if you face an opponent who knows their theory, you should be ready for 5.Nxe5 and know that 5...Nxe5 followed by 6...Bb4 is a solid response.

The Lichess database shows over 413,000 games from this exact position. Let's look at how White's common moves actually perform: d3 is played most often (131,973 games) but is actually a mistake — it loses about 1.9 pawns worth of advantage, and White scores only 45.5% from it. h3 (72,367 games) and Be2 (64,171 games) are both inaccuracies, each giving away about 0.6 pawns; White scores 48.1% and 50.5% respectively. a3 (48,940 games) is interesting — White scores a poor 42.6% from it, so you should be happy to see this move. Meanwhile g3 (16,429 games) gives White only 41.0%. The lesson is clear: unless your opponent plays the tricky 5.Nxe5, the statistics strongly favour you. Most amateurs play d3, h3, or Be2, and all three are suboptimal.

When White plays d3, they block their own bishop on c1 and waste a tempo. Your plan is straightforward: castle, then look to push ...d5 to strike the centre. This explains the poor 45.5% score — White is already slightly worse after this move. Against h3, White's move is just a waiting gesture. You can simply castle and continue developing (...d6 or ...0-0), enjoying the extra tempo. Be2 is more natural but still an inaccuracy; White should have played Nxe5. Your bishop on c5, which looks at f2, remains a thorn in White's side. In all these lines, remember that your 50.2% win rate is not a fluke — Black has real chances for attack, especially if White fails to put pressure early.