Four Knights Game: Scotch Variation Accepted, Main Line
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Statistics from Lichess
215,158 games: White 45.0% / Draw 11.0% / Black 44.0%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 164,997165K | ||
| 41,89842K | ||
| 4,5554,555 | ||
| 2,8572,857 | ||
| 213213 | ||
| 188188 | ||
| 129129 | ||
| 114114 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 28, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.07 The position is about equal
Best play: 9... cxd5 10. h3 c6 11. Qf3 Re8 12. Bf4 Bd6 13. b3 Be6 14. Ne2
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 47% under 1400, 51% at 2200 and up and 48% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 4,341 | |
| 1400–1799 | 27K | |
| 1800–2199 | 101K | |
| 2200 and up | 95K | |
| Masters, over the board | 2,080 |
Master games
- Nakamura, H. – Carlsen, M.
- Carlsen, M. – Ding Liren
- Kramnik, V. – Aronian, L.
- Carlsen, M. – Giri, A.
- 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 27, 2026
Overview
Four Knights Game: Scotch Variation Accepted, Main Line (ECO C47, Open Games) is a variation of the Four Knights Game: Scotch Variation Accepted, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. Nxd4 Bb4 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. Bd3 d5 8. exd5 O-O 9. O-O (9 moves).
In 215,158 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 45.0%, Black 44.0% and 11.0% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 9…cxd5, in 77% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Four Knights Game: Scotch Variation Accepted, Main Line
9…Bg4 scores best for Black: 53.5%, with Black winning 45.8% and White 38.8% of 42K games. The most played answer, 9…cxd5, scores lowest: 48.9% in 165K games. Stockfish's first choice is 9…cxd5.
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: Scotch Variation Accepted, Main Line is played more than twice as often as in 2016: 0.0097% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.0037%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.0037% | 1,335 |
| 2017 | 0.0041% | 2,274 |
| 2018 | 0.0069% | 5,447 |
| 2019 | 0.0073% | 9,131 |
| 2020 | 0.0088% | 25,730 |
| 2021 | 0.0075% | 29,389 |
| 2022 | 0.0078% | 29,120 |
| 2023 | 0.0084% | 31,717 |
| 2024 | 0.0091% | 32,576 |
| 2025 | 0.0097% | 33,571 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.01% | 11,314 |
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: Scotch Variation Accepted, Main Line (C47)”. Lichess data as of 28 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/four-knights-game-scotch-variation-accepted-main-line