English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Three Knights Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
1,037,170 games: White 50.4% / Draw 7.1% / Black 42.6%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Four Knights Variation | 420,991421K | |
| 188,212188K | ||
| 176,105176K | ||
| 127,403127K | ||
| 65,50166K | ||
| 47,46147K | ||
| 7,2337,233 | ||
| English Opening: Symmetrical Variation | 2,3082,308 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.14 The position is about equal
Best play: 3... Nc6 4. g3 d5 5. d4 cxd4 6. Nxd4 dxc4 7. Nxc6 Qxd1+ 8. Nxd1
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 55% under 1400, 54% at 2200 and up and 58% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 61K | |
| 1400–1799 | 249K | |
| 1800–2199 | 579K | |
| 2200 and up | 294K | |
| Masters, over the board | 20K |
Master games
- Vachier Lagrave, M. – Carlsen, M.
- Carlsen, M. – Giri, A.
- Radjabov, T. – Carlsen, M.
- Aronian, L. – Anand, V.
- Aronian, L. – Carlsen, M.
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 Variation (ECO A34, Flank Openings) is a variation of the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Normal Variation, reached after 1. c4 c5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 (3 moves).
In 1,037,170 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 50.4%, Black 42.6% and 7.1% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 3…Nc6, in 41% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, English Opening: Symmetrical Variation.
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 Variation
3…d5 scores best for Black: 49.0%, with Black winning 45.0% and White 47.1% of 127K games. The most played, 3…Nc6, scores 44.9% in 421K games, and 3…d6 scores lowest: 43.8%. Stockfish's first choice is 3…Nc6.
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 Variation peaked in 2018 at 0.053% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.038% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.04% | 14,268 |
| 2017 | 0.047% | 25,709 |
| 2018 | 0.053% | 41,918 |
| 2019 | 0.053% | 65,552 |
| 2020 | 0.048% | 140,310 |
| 2021 | 0.039% | 153,834 |
| 2022 | 0.036% | 136,072 |
| 2023 | 0.036% | 136,796 |
| 2024 | 0.036% | 129,489 |
| 2025 | 0.038% | 131,630 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.04% | 43,968 |
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Three Knights Variation (A34)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/english-opening-symmetrical-variation-three-knights-variation