Four Knights Game traps: the most-played mistakes
1 mistakes actually played in the Four Knights Game, each verified by the engine: the position is playable before, the punishment wins material, and the player share comes from real Lichess games.
Method: Stockfish screening (depth 14 then 22), refutation = best engine moves. Frequencies: real Lichess games 1400-2200+, blitz, rapid and classical. Whatever failed verification is not published.
- Nd4 ?22.8% of players35,888 games
Nd4 concedes about 1.9 pawn. Nxe5 immediately exploits the mistake: Nxe5 captures a pawn. Precise line: Nxe5 c5 a3 Ba5 Bd3 d6.
Punishment: Nxe5 Qe7 Qxd4 c5 dxc6
+5 points of material, evaluation 3.0 after the punishment.