Chess Openings Lab
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Four Knights Game: Halloween Gambit

The Halloween Gambit is 4.Nxe5 in the Four Knights, giving a whole knight for the e5 pawn. White hopes to chase Black's knights with d4 and e5 and grab the center, while Black should take the piece and return to solid ground.

Moves
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nxe5
ECO
C47
Engine
−1.80 · a large advantage for Black (Stockfish 17.1, depth 20)
Played
1,698 games in our lichess sample
White scores
53.6%

Key ideas for both sides

White

  • After 4...Nxe5, push 5.d4 at once. The knight on e5 must move, and e5 next hits the f6-knight.
  • Keep the pawns rolling: in the engine line, 6.e5 drives the f6-knight back to g8, leaving Black with almost nothing developed.
  • Bc4, Qe2 or Qf3 and quick castling give White play against f7 in return for the piece.
  • If Black does not take the knight, punish it: 4...Nxe4 5.Qh5 and 4...Bb4 5.Nxc6 both leave White better.

Black

  • Take the knight with 4...Nxe5. Other moves throw away the chance to be a piece up, and 4...Nxe4 runs into 5.Qh5.
  • After 5.d4 Ng6 6.e5 Ng8, Black keeps the extra piece. Then ...c6 and ...d5 build a wall in front of the king.
  • Give back a pawn or two if it speeds up development. A piece up, simple moves like ...Be7, ...d6 and castling are enough.

Plans and pawn structure

White's whole game is time and pawns. With d4 and e5 White gets two central pawns, and Bc4, Qe2 and O-O point at f7 and at the knight that has lost its square. Black's plan is to unwind: ...c6, ...d5 or ...d6, ...Be7 and castling, then trade pieces. Once Black's king is safe and the knights find squares again, the extra piece decides. That gap between club results and the objective verdict is why the line survives.

What the engine plays from here

Stockfish 17.1 at depth 20 rates the position −1.80: a large advantage for Black. Its three top choices for Black:

  1. −1.80 4...Nxe5 5.d4 Ng6 6.e5 Ng8 7.Bc4
  2. +0.63 4...Nxe4 5.Qh5 Qf6 6.Qxf7+ Qxf7 7.Nxf7
  3. +1.34 4...Bb4 5.Nxc6 bxc6 6.e5 Qe7 7.Qe2

Pawns, from White's side.

How it scores on lichess

1,698 rated lichess games reached this position; White scored 53.6%.

under 120052.4%
1200–159953.4%
1600–199954.6%
2000 and up55.3%

Light: White wins. Grey: draws. Dark: Black wins. About the sample.

Where it goes next

  • Halloween Gambit, Plasma Variation4...Nxe5 · rare

How to play against it

Take the knight with 4...Nxe5 and then play calmly. After 5.d4 Ng6 6.e5 the f6-knight goes back to g8, and moves like ...c6, ...Be7 and ...d6 rebuild the position. Avoid 4...Nxe4, which gives White the better game after 5.Qh5, and don't grab more pawns while your king is still in the center.

Questions

What are the moves of the Four Knights Game: Halloween Gambit?

The Four Knights Game: Halloween Gambit starts 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nxe5. Its ECO code is C47.

Is the Four Knights Game: Halloween Gambit good for White?

Stockfish 17.1 rates the position −1.80 at depth 20, which is a large advantage for Black. In 1,698 lichess games from our sample, White scored 53.6%. A practical shock weapon for fast games; it is unsound and fails against a defender who takes the knight and stays calm.

What is the main idea of the Four Knights Game: Halloween Gambit?

White gives a knight for a pawn to gain time with d4 and e5 against Black's knights. The attack is dangerous at the board, but if Black takes and develops carefully, the extra piece should win.

What should Black play next?

The engine's first choice is Nxe5, with Nxe4 and Bb4 close behind. 4...Nxe5 grabs the piece, and when d4 kicks the knight it drops to g6, leaving Black clearly ahead.

Updated October 2026. Sources and method.