Four Knights Game: Scotch Variation Accepted
Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.
Statistics from Lichess
4,052,804 games: White 51.4% / Draw 5.9% / Black 42.7%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 3,818,1383.8M | ||
| Four Knights Game: Scotch Variation, Belgrade Gambit | 218,243218K | |
| 7,0137,013 | ||
| 4,1374,137 | ||
| 2,2432,243 | ||
| 896896 | ||
| 810810 | ||
| 270270 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.04 The position is about equal
Best play: 5. Nxd4 Bb4 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. Bd3 d5 8. Bd2 O-O 9. O-O Bxc3
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 47% under 1400, 46% at 2200 and up and 51% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 3.5M | |
| 1400–1799 | 3.8M | |
| 1800–2199 | 1.9M | |
| 2200 and up | 345K | |
| Masters, over the board | 5,710 |
Master games
- Nakamura, H. – Carlsen, M.
- Carlsen, M. – Ding Liren
- So, W. – Carlsen, M.
- Carlsen, M. – Aronian, L.
- Carlsen, M. – Giri, A.
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
Overview
Four Knights Game: Scotch Variation Accepted (ECO C47, Open Games) is a variation of the Four Knights Game: Scotch Variation, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 (4 moves).
In 4,052,804 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 51.4%, Black 42.7% and 5.9% were drawn. White's most played move here is 5. Nxd4, in 94% of those games.
It branches into 3 named variations; the most played are Four Knights Game: Scotch Variation, Belgrade Gambit and Four Knights Game: Scotch Variation Accepted, Main Line. In all, 4 named lines continue from it.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
Write a description or report a mistake
How to play against the Four Knights Game: Scotch Variation Accepted
5. Nd5 (Four Knights Game: Scotch Variation, Belgrade Gambit) scores best for White: 57.2%, with White winning 54.4% and Black 39.9% of 218K games. The most played answer, 5. Nxd4, scores lowest: 54.3% in 3.8M games. Stockfish's first choice is 5. Nxd4.
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: Scotch Variation Accepted has gained ground since 2016: 0.16% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.12%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.12% | 44,567 |
| 2017 | 0.12% | 64,838 |
| 2018 | 0.13% | 103,045 |
| 2019 | 0.14% | 177,257 |
| 2020 | 0.16% | 482,367 |
| 2021 | 0.16% | 644,263 |
| 2022 | 0.16% | 594,755 |
| 2023 | 0.16% | 599,279 |
| 2024 | 0.16% | 563,642 |
| 2025 | 0.16% | 542,057 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.16% | 173,723 |
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 (3)
All 4 named lines that continue from here
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Four Knights Game: Scotch Variation Accepted (C47)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/four-knights-game-scotch-variation-accepted