C47

Four Knights Game: Gunsberg Variation

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Statistics from Lichess

765,192 games: White 48.5% / Draw 5.4% / Black 46.1%

The moves played next. Pick one to see it on the board.
Next move	Games	White / Draw / BlackW / D / B
	343,849344K
	151,018151K
	81,00881K
	74,43974K
	51,94352K
	17,23917K
	13,67214K
	13,64714K

Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026

Engine evaluation

−0.06 The position is about equal

Best play: 4... d5 5. exd5 Nxd5 6. Bb5 Nxc3 7. bxc3 Bd6 8. O-O Bd7 9. d4

Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.

By rating

The stronger the players, the better this line does for White: White scores 52% under 1400, 56% at 2200 and up and 54% in master games (wins plus half the draws).

Players	Games	White / Draw / BlackW / D / B
Under 1400	780K
1400–1799	961K
1800–2199	282K
2200 and up	72K
Masters, over the board	793

Master games

Caruana, F. – Kramnik, V. 0–1, 2018
Caruana, F. – Karjakin, S. 0–1, 2018
Caruana, F. – Aronian, L. ½–½, 2018
Nepomniachtchi, I. – Grischuk, A. ½–½, 2019
Dubov, D. – Ding Liren ½–½, 2021

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

Four Knights Game: Gunsberg Variation (ECO C47, Open Games) is a variation of the Four Knights Game, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. a3 (4 moves).

In 765,192 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.5%, Black 46.1% and 5.4% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 4…Bc5, in 45% of those games.

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Description

How to play against the Four Knights Game: Gunsberg Variation

4…d5 scores best for Black: 53.3%, with Black winning 50.2% and White 43.6% of 151K games. The most played, 4…Bc5, scores 47.9% in 344K games, and 4…d6 scores lowest: 46.6%. Stockfish's first choice is also 4…d5.

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 Four Knights Game: Gunsberg Variation has lost ground since 2016: 0.029% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.046%.

0.046%0.029%

Numbers by year

Year	Share of games	Games
2016	0.046%	16,537
2017	0.035%	18,993
2018	0.03%	23,688
2019	0.03%	37,939
2020	0.03%	89,185
2021	0.031%	121,365
2022	0.028%	105,024
2023	0.028%	103,760
2024	0.028%	99,505
2025	0.029%	101,060
2026 (Jan–Apr)	0.031%	33,655

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

Cite this page

Caissa Codex. “Four Knights Game: Gunsberg Variation (C47)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/four-knights-game-gunsberg-variation