English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Four Knights Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
839,285 games: White 51.5% / Draw 6.8% / Black 41.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 345,720346K | ||
| 206,170206K | ||
| 184,642185K | ||
| 42,81943K | ||
| 42,54143K | ||
| 7,1587,158 | ||
| 6,4196,419 | ||
| 1,6001,600 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.14 The position is about equal
Best play: 4. g3 d5 5. d4 cxd4 6. Nxd4 dxc4 7. Nxc6 Qxd1+ 8. Nxd1 bxc6
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: Black scores 45% both under 1400 and at 2200 and up, and 42% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 76K | |
| 1400–1799 | 283K | |
| 1800–2199 | 490K | |
| 2200 and up | 171K | |
| Masters, over the board | 8,164 |
Master games
- Aronian, L. – Anand, V.
- Carlsen, M. – Radjabov, T.
- So, W. – Vachier Lagrave, M.
- Nakamura, H. – Caruana, F.
- Nakamura, H. – Caruana, F.
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: Symmetrical Variation, Four Knights Variation (ECO A35, Flank Openings) is a variation of the English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, King's Knight Variation, reached after 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nf3 c5 3. Nc3 Nc6 (3 moves).
In 839,285 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 51.5%, Black 41.8% and 6.8% were drawn. White's most played move here is 4. g3, in 41% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Full Symmetry Line. In all, 2 named lines continue from it.
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: Symmetrical Variation, Four Knights Variation
4. d4 scores best for White: 56.8%, with White winning 53.1% and Black 39.6% of 206K games. The most played, 4. g3, scores 55.6% in 346K games, and 4. e4 scores lowest: 49.0%. Stockfish's first choice is 4. g3.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: White'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: Symmetrical Variation, Four Knights Variation peaked in 2019 at 0.041% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.031% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.031% | 10,937 |
| 2017 | 0.035% | 19,018 |
| 2018 | 0.039% | 30,741 |
| 2019 | 0.041% | 50,835 |
| 2020 | 0.038% | 111,570 |
| 2021 | 0.033% | 127,763 |
| 2022 | 0.03% | 113,041 |
| 2023 | 0.03% | 114,390 |
| 2024 | 0.029% | 105,726 |
| 2025 | 0.031% | 106,299 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.032% | 35,066 |
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
Variations (1)
Transpositions
All 2 named lines that continue from here
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Four Knights Variation (A35)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/english-opening-symmetrical-variation-four-knights-variation