English Opening: King's English Variation, Three Knights System
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Statistics from Lichess
1,289,498 games: White 52.0% / Draw 5.3% / Black 42.6%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation | 473,299473K | |
| 251,574252K | ||
| 180,174180K | ||
| 131,727132K | ||
| 98,54699K | ||
| 89,44789K | ||
| 22,07822K | ||
| 9,2199,219 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.10 The position is about equal
Best play: 3... Nf6 4. e4 Bb4 5. d3 d6 6. a3 Bc5 7. b4 Bb6 8. Be3
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: White scores 54% both under 1400 and at 2200 and up, and 54% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 401K | |
| 1400–1799 | 689K | |
| 1800–2199 | 682K | |
| 2200 and up | 244K | |
| Masters, over the board | 3,046 |
Master games
- Svidler, P. – Carlsen, M.
- So, W. – Mamedyarov, S.
- Nepomniachtchi, I. – Carlsen, M.
- Praggnanandhaa, R. – Erigaisi, A.
- Nepomniachtchi, I. – Aronian, L.
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: King's English Variation, Three Knights System (ECO A27, Flank Openings) is a variation of the English Opening: King's English Variation, Reversed Closed Sicilian, reached after 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Nf3 (3 moves).
In 1,289,498 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 52.0%, Black 42.6% and 5.3% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 3…Nf6, in 37% 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: King's English Variation, Three Knights System
3…g6 scores best for Black: 48.6%, with Black winning 45.1% and White 47.9% of 89K games. The most played, 3…Nf6, scores 44.8% in 473K games, and 3…d6 scores lowest: 43.2%. Stockfish's first choice is 3…Nf6.
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: King's English Variation, Three Knights System peaked in 2019 at 0.056% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.048% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.044% | 15,870 |
| 2017 | 0.047% | 25,864 |
| 2018 | 0.051% | 39,770 |
| 2019 | 0.056% | 69,901 |
| 2020 | 0.054% | 158,868 |
| 2021 | 0.05% | 197,348 |
| 2022 | 0.049% | 184,473 |
| 2023 | 0.049% | 185,115 |
| 2024 | 0.048% | 172,208 |
| 2025 | 0.048% | 165,809 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.049% | 54,182 |
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
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “English Opening: King's English Variation, Three Knights System (A27)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/english-opening-kings-english-variation-three-knights-system