Four Knights Game: Scotch Variation, Belgrade Gambit
The Belgrade Gambit is 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.d4 exd4 5.Nd5: in the Scotch Variation of the Four Knights Game White does not take back on d4 but plays the knight to d5 instead, leaving the pawn for the moment. Read the guide
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Statistics from Lichess
219,513 games: White 54.4% / Draw 5.6% / Black 40.0%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 47,79948K | ||
| 36,99237K | ||
| 35,69236K | ||
| 35,10235K | ||
| 29,78030K | ||
| 12,58813K | ||
| 11,65112K | ||
| 8,1018,101 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 7, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.18 The position is about equal
Best play: 5... Nb4 6. Nxf6+ Qxf6 7. a3 Nc6 8. Bd3 d6 9. O-O Bg4 10. Be2
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 50% under 1400, 55% at 2200 and up and 45% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 68K | |
| 1400–1799 | 83K | |
| 1800–2199 | 131K | |
| 2200 and up | 45K | |
| Masters, over the board | 484 |
Master games
- Svidler, P. – Morozevich, A.
- Sax, G. – Karpov, A.
- Robson, R. – Onischuk, A.
- Naroditsky, D. – Hansen, E.
- Bernadskiy, V. – Predke, 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 27, 2026
Description
The Belgrade Gambit is 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.d4 exd4 5.Nd5: in the Scotch Variation of the Four Knights Game White does not take back on d4 but plays the knight to d5 instead, leaving the pawn for the moment.
The idea
The knight on d5 attacks the knight on f6, and White leaves the pawn on d4 in Black's hands for the moment. Black's most common replies are 5...Be7, 5...Nb4, 5...Nxd5 and 5...Nxe4.
Main lines
- 5...Be7 6.Bf4 d6 7.Nxd4 O-O 8.Nb5 Nxd5 9.exd5 Ne5 is the main line.
- 5...Nb4. White usually answers 6.Bc4, 6.Nxf6+ or 6.Nxd4. After 6.Nxd4 Nbxd5 7.exd5 Nxd5 Black is a pawn up, and both sides have only one knight developed. 6...Nxe4 avoids the exchange of knights.
- 5...Nxd5 6.exd5 Bb4+ 7.Bd2 Qe7+ 8.Qe2 Bxd2+ 9.Kxd2 Qxe2+ 10.Bxe2, followed by 10...Ne7 or 10...Nb4: an early queen exchange.
- 5...Nxe4 6.Qe2 f5 is a more modern continuation. White also has 6.Bc4 and 6.Bd3.
The move 4.Nd5, the Naroditsky Variation, has a similar idea.
The numbers
On Lichess White wins 54.4% of the 219,513 games and Black 40.0%. Under 1400 Black is slightly ahead, 48.4% against 47.9%, but from 1400 up White wins clearly: 55.3% against 39.2% between 1800 and 2199, and 50.9% against 41.2% from 2200 up. In 484 master games over the board Black won 32.6%, White 22.5%, and 44.8% were drawn.
Suggest an improvement or report a mistake
How to play against the Four Knights Game: Scotch Variation, Belgrade Gambit
5…Nb4 scores best for Black: 52.6%, with Black winning 48.8% and White 43.7% of 13K games. The most played, 5…Nxe4, scores 38.3% in 48K games, and 5…Nxd5 scores lowest: 34.7%. Stockfish's first choice is also 5…Nb4.
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, Belgrade Gambit has gained ground since 2016: 0.0095% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.0068%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.0068% | 2,444 |
| 2017 | 0.0077% | 4,252 |
| 2018 | 0.0098% | 7,679 |
| 2019 | 0.0096% | 12,001 |
| 2020 | 0.0091% | 26,578 |
| 2021 | 0.0073% | 28,627 |
| 2022 | 0.0072% | 26,909 |
| 2023 | 0.0084% | 31,436 |
| 2024 | 0.0091% | 32,600 |
| 2025 | 0.0095% | 32,934 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.0094% | 10,348 |
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)
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: Scotch Variation, Belgrade Gambit (C47)”. Lichess data as of 7 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/four-knights-game-scotch-variation-belgrade-gambit