Four Knights Game
The Four Knights Game (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6) is a classical open game in which both sides develop their knights first. Read the guide
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Statistics from Lichess
18,650,462 games: White 49.0% / Draw 5.3% / Black 45.7%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Four Knights Game: Italian Variation | 5,849,6715.8M | |
| Scotch Variation | 4,834,4364.8M | |
| Spanish Variation | 4,409,7234.4M | |
| 1,278,5431.3M | ||
| Halloween Gambit | 676,998677K | |
| Gunsberg Variation | 511,606512K | |
| 408,042408K | ||
| 287,840288K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 4, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.12 The position is about equal
Best play: 4. d4 exd4 5. Nxd4 Bb4 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. Bd3 d5 8. exd5 O-O
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 48% under 1400, 47% at 2200 and up and 48% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 29.1M | |
| 1400–1799 | 21.2M | |
| 1800–2199 | 8.5M | |
| 2200 and up | 1.2M | |
| Masters, over the board | 17K |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – Caruana, F.
- Nakamura, H. – Carlsen, M.
- Nakamura, H. – Carlsen, M.
- Carlsen, M. – Ding Liren
- Carlsen, M. – Nakamura, H.
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 26, 2026
Description
The Four Knights Game (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6) is a classical open game in which both sides develop their knights first. It is solid and symmetrical, and fairly popular with beginners, but it also contains some sharp lines.
Origins
The Four Knights was a popular member of the open games in the 19th century. By the First World War its popularity had fallen, as players turned to the Ruy Lopez and other openings. In the 1990s it had a renaissance and is again seen in grandmaster repertoires; Nigel Short, Michael Adams and Alexei Shirov are among those who have played its Double Spanish line. It even appeared in game 5 of Deep Blue versus Kasparov in 1996.
The idea
Both sides follow the principle "knights before bishops". White's usual plans are to pin the c6-knight with Bb5 (the Spanish Four Knights), open the centre with d4 (the Scotch Four Knights) or play Bc4. Many lines lead to quiet positional play with exchanges on an open file.
Main lines
- Spanish Four Knights 4.Bb5: the main line. Black can mirror with 4...Bb4, play 4...Bc5, or choose the Rubinstein Countergambit 4...Nd4.
- Scotch Four Knights 4.d4: after 4...exd4 5.Nxd4 the main line follows. The Belgrade Gambit 5.Nd5 is a distant second in popularity.
- Italian Four Knights 4.Bc4: Black can use the "fork trick" 4...Nxe4, a pseudo-sacrifice of the knight that regains the piece after 5.Nxe4 d5.
- Halloween Gambit 4.Nxe5: a dubious sacrifice of a knight for a pawn to build a big centre.
- The Glek System 4.g3, a modern fianchetto approach.
Strengths and weaknesses
Strengths
- Easy to learn and very solid: natural development with few early traps for White.
- Avoids a lot of the theory of the Ruy Lopez and Petrov.
- It has several sharper options, such as the Scotch Four Knights and the Belgrade Gambit.
Weaknesses
- A drawish reputation: Black equalises fairly easily with accurate play.
- The symmetry can make it hard for White to create winning chances.
- Black has active counters such as the Rubinstein Countergambit and the fork trick.
Who should play it
The Four Knights is ideal for beginners and improving players who want sound, principled development, and for players who want a solid game with White against 1...e5. It is effective against opponents who don't know the specific tricks in the Spanish and Italian lines. It gives the least against well-prepared players who are happy to equalise and hold.
The numbers
On Lichess White wins 48–49% and Black 45.5–46.5% below 2200, and 48% against 43% above it. In master games over the board 50% of games are drawn, White wins 27% and Black 23%.
Suggest an improvement or report a mistake
How to play against the Four Knights Game
4. d4 (Scotch Variation) scores best for White: 54.8%, with White winning 51.8% and Black 42.3% of 4.8M games. The most played, 4. Bc4, scores 48.7% in 5.8M games, and 4. d3 scores lowest: 47.5%. Stockfish's first choice is also 4. d4.
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 Four Knights Game dipped to 0.59% of Lichess games in 2017 and has recovered since: 0.7% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.64% | 229,451 |
| 2017 | 0.59% | 322,291 |
| 2018 | 0.61% | 478,591 |
| 2019 | 0.65% | 805,950 |
| 2020 | 0.77% | 2,241,545 |
| 2021 | 0.79% | 3,103,617 |
| 2022 | 0.73% | 2,724,775 |
| 2023 | 0.72% | 2,720,924 |
| 2024 | 0.71% | 2,541,732 |
| 2025 | 0.7% | 2,425,821 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.7% | 772,277 |
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 (6)
Transpositions
All 40 named lines that continue from here
No line matches.
- C47 Glek System 4 moves
- C47 Gunsberg Variation 4 moves
- C47 Halloween Gambit 4 moves
- C47 Naroditsky Variation 4 moves
- C47 Scotch Variation 4 moves
- C48 Spanish Variation 4 moves
- C47 Glek System 7 moves
- C47 Oldtimer Variation 8 moves
- C47 Plasma Variation 11 moves
- C47 Four Knights Game: Scotch Variation Accepted 4 moves
- C47 Krause Gambit 5 moves
- C47 Oxford Gambit 5 moves
- C48 Classical Variation 4 moves
- C49 Double Spanish 4 moves
- C48 Ranken Variation 5 moves
- C48 Rubinstein Variation 4 moves
- C47 Main Line 9 moves
- C47 Four Knights Game: Scotch Variation, Belgrade Gambit 5 moves
- C47 Leonhardt Defense 5 moves
- C47 Four Knights Game: Scotch Variation, Schmid Defense 5 moves
- C48 Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Bardeleben Variation 9 moves
- C49 Double Spanish 6 moves
- C49 Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Nimzowitsch Variation 6 moves
- C48 Rubinstein Variation 5 moves
- C48 Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Rubinstein Variation Accepted 5 moves
- C48 Marshall Gambit 6 moves
- C48 Marshall Variation 6 moves
- C48 Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Spielmann Variation 10 moves
- C47 Modern Defense 6 moves
- C49 Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation 6 moves
- C49 Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Alatortsev Variation 7 moves
- C48 Maróczy Variation 9 moves
- C49 Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Symmetrical Variation 6 moves
- C49 Janowski Variation 8 moves
- C49 Svenonius Variation 7 moves
- C49 Symmetrical Variation 7 moves
- C49 Symmetrical Variation 7 moves
- C49 Metger Unpin 8 moves
- C49 Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Symmetrical Variation 10 moves
- C49 Blake Variation 10 moves
Sources
- History and theory: adapted from the Wikipedia article Four Knights Game, version of 26 October 2026, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Results: Lichess opening explorer, figures collected from September to November 2026.
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Four Knights Game (C47)”. Lichess data as of 4 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/four-knights-game