English Opening: Four Knights System, Nimzowitsch Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
446,009 games: White 50.1% / Draw 5.5% / Black 44.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 189,750190K | ||
| 147,748148K | ||
| 58,77859K | ||
| 18,03318K | ||
| 10,09410K | ||
| 6,9006,900 | ||
| 5,6865,686 | ||
| 3,4413,441 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 1, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.13 The position is about equal
Best play: 4... Bb4 5. d3 d6 6. a3 Bc5 7. b4 Bb6 8. Be3 Bg4 9. Be2
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
The stronger the players, the better this line does for White: White scores 49% under 1400, 56% at 2200 and up and 52% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 456K | |
| 1400–1799 | 416K | |
| 1800–2199 | 191K | |
| 2200 and up | 74K | |
| Masters, over the board | 2,806 |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – Caruana, F.
- Carlsen, M. – Giri, A.
- Carlsen, M. – Nepomniachtchi, I.
- Carlsen, M. – Giri, A.
- Carlsen, M. – Giri, A.
Rated blitz, rapid and classical Lichess games by rating band, and over-the-board games of players rated 2200+ from the Lichess masters database, updated Sep 27, 2026
Overview
English Opening: Four Knights System, Nimzowitsch Variation (ECO A28, Flank Openings) is a variation of the English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, reached after 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. e4 (4 moves).
In 446,009 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 50.1%, Black 44.4% and 5.5% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 4…Bc5, in 43% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the English Opening: Four Knights System, Nimzowitsch Variation
4…Bb4 scores best for Black: 48.5%, with Black winning 45.6% and White 48.5% of 148K games. The most played, 4…Bc5, scores 46.8% in 190K games, and 4…d6 scores lowest: 45.2%. Stockfish's first choice is also 4…Bb4.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: Black's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings
Popularity by year
The English Opening: Four Knights System, Nimzowitsch Variation peaked in 2019 at 0.019% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.016% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.019% | 6,655 |
| 2017 | 0.017% | 9,604 |
| 2018 | 0.016% | 12,188 |
| 2019 | 0.019% | 23,943 |
| 2020 | 0.019% | 55,867 |
| 2021 | 0.018% | 70,587 |
| 2022 | 0.019% | 69,527 |
| 2023 | 0.017% | 62,612 |
| 2024 | 0.016% | 55,763 |
| 2025 | 0.016% | 54,647 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.016% | 17,141 |
Share of rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500 (blitz, rapid and classical) that reach this position, by year; 2026: January to April. Which openings are rising and falling
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “English Opening: Four Knights System, Nimzowitsch Variation (A28)”. Lichess data as of 1 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/english-opening-four-knights-system-nimzowitsch-variation