English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Three Knights, Fianchetto Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
867,164 games: White 48.3% / Draw 7.0% / Black 44.7%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Full Symmetry Line | 321,032321K | |
| 214,420214K | ||
| 175,161175K | ||
| English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Botvinnik System Reversed, with Nf3 | 97,68198K | |
| 15,46215K | ||
| 13,46613K | ||
| 11,78112K | ||
| 3,8173,817 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.15 The position is about equal
Best play: 5... d6 6. O-O Nh6 7. e3 O-O 8. h3 e5 9. d3 f5 10. Rb1
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 53% under 1400, 51% at 2200 and up and 49% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 37K | |
| 1400–1799 | 223K | |
| 1800–2199 | 490K | |
| 2200 and up | 226K | |
| Masters, over the board | 7,222 |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – Vachier Lagrave, M.
- Carlsen, M. – Vachier Lagrave, M.
- Carlsen, M. – So, W.
- Grischuk, A. – Carlsen, M.
- Caruana, F. – So, W.
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, Three Knights, Fianchetto Variation (ECO A37, Flank Openings) is a variation of the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Two Knights, Fianchetto Variation, reached after 1. c4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. g3 g6 4. Bg2 Bg7 5. Nf3 (5 moves).
In 867,164 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.3%, Black 44.7% and 7.0% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 5…Nf6, in 37% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations; the most played are English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Botvinnik System Reversed, with Nf3 and English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Double Fianchetto. In all, 7 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, Three Knights, Fianchetto Variation
5…e6 scores best for Black: 49.9%, with Black winning 46.3% and White 46.6% of 214K games. The most played answer, 5…Nf6, scores lowest: 46.0% in 321K games. Stockfish's first choice is 5…d6.
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: Symmetrical Variation, Three Knights, Fianchetto Variation peaked in 2019 at 0.041% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.033% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.028% | 10,158 |
| 2017 | 0.033% | 18,338 |
| 2018 | 0.039% | 30,366 |
| 2019 | 0.041% | 51,022 |
| 2020 | 0.04% | 117,886 |
| 2021 | 0.032% | 127,135 |
| 2022 | 0.03% | 114,118 |
| 2023 | 0.031% | 117,496 |
| 2024 | 0.032% | 113,064 |
| 2025 | 0.033% | 114,989 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.035% | 38,183 |
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 (2)
Transpositions
All 7 named lines that continue from here
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Three Knights, Fianchetto Variation (A37)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/english-opening-symmetrical-variation-three-knights-fianchetto-variation