Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Classical Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
1,658,433 games: White 48.9% / Draw 4.9% / Black 46.2%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 593,416593K | ||
| 467,621468K | ||
| 366,928367K | ||
| 111,988112K | ||
| 79,81980K | ||
| 12,78113K | ||
| 8,3408,340 | ||
| 4,0134,013 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 1, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.19 The position is about equal
Best play: 5. O-O O-O 6. Nxe5 Nxe5 7. d4 Bd6 8. f4 Neg4 9. h3 Bb4
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 worse this line does for Black: Black scores 51% under 1400, 46% at 2200 and up and 46% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 2.5M | |
| 1400–1799 | 2M | |
| 1800–2199 | 762K | |
| 2200 and up | 84K | |
| Masters, over the board | 574 |
Master games
- Vachier Lagrave, M. – Caruana, F.
- Naiditsch, A. – Yu Yangyi
- Wei Yi – Bu Xiangzhi
- Kovalev, V. – Aronian, L.
- Kovalev, V. – Aronian, L.
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: Spanish Variation, Classical Variation (ECO C48, Open Games) is a variation of the Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Bc5 (4 moves).
In 1,658,433 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.9%, Black 46.2% and 4.9% were drawn. White's most played move here is 5. O-O, in 36% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Bardeleben Variation.
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: Spanish Variation, Classical Variation
5. Nxe5 scores best for White: 60.3%, with White winning 57.9% and Black 37.3% of 112K games. The most played, 5. O-O, scores 52.1% in 593K games, and 5. Bxc6 scores lowest: 49.8%. Stockfish's first choice is 5. O-O.
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: Spanish Variation, Classical Variation peaked in 2021 at 0.075% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.058% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.055% | 19,550 |
| 2017 | 0.05% | 27,544 |
| 2018 | 0.055% | 43,335 |
| 2019 | 0.057% | 71,282 |
| 2020 | 0.069% | 201,513 |
| 2021 | 0.075% | 294,138 |
| 2022 | 0.068% | 255,039 |
| 2023 | 0.064% | 242,505 |
| 2024 | 0.061% | 218,654 |
| 2025 | 0.058% | 200,197 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.057% | 62,301 |
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)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Classical Variation (C48)”. Lichess data as of 1 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/four-knights-game-spanish-variation-classical-variation