Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Rubinstein Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
586,543 games: White 46.9% / Draw 5.9% / Black 47.1%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Rubinstein Variation Accepted | 170,213170K | |
| 109,034109K | ||
| 99,26299K | ||
| Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Rubinstein Variation, Henneberger Variation | 70,72871K | |
| 69,45469K | ||
| 36,59037K | ||
| 14,64015K | ||
| 11,88512K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 24, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.02 The position is about equal
Best play: 5. Nxd4 exd4 6. e5 dxc3 7. exf6 Qxf6 8. dxc3 Bc5 9. Qe2+ Qe7
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 49% under 1400, 48% at 2200 and up and 47% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 501K | |
| 1400–1799 | 438K | |
| 1800–2199 | 295K | |
| 2200 and up | 107K | |
| Masters, over the board | 2,720 |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – Ding Liren
- Carlsen, M. – Dubov, D.
- Carlsen, M. – Gelfand, B.
- Wei Yi – Caruana, F.
- Kasparov, G. – Dominguez Perez, 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, Rubinstein 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 Nd4 (4 moves).
In 586,543 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 46.9%, Black 47.1% and 5.9% were drawn. White's most played move here is 5. Nxd4, in 29% of those games.
It branches into 4 named variations; the most played are Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Rubinstein Variation Accepted and Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Rubinstein Variation, Marshall Variation. In all, 5 named lines continue from it.
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, Rubinstein Variation
5. Nxe5 scores best for White: 52.5%, with White winning 50.1% and Black 45.0% of 99K games. The most played, 5. Nxd4, scores 47.0% in 170K games, and 5. d3 scores lowest: 46.7%. 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: Spanish Variation, Rubinstein Variation has gained ground since 2016: 0.024% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.02%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.02% | 7,047 |
| 2017 | 0.018% | 10,077 |
| 2018 | 0.018% | 14,272 |
| 2019 | 0.022% | 27,323 |
| 2020 | 0.022% | 63,515 |
| 2021 | 0.02% | 79,911 |
| 2022 | 0.022% | 81,714 |
| 2023 | 0.024% | 91,140 |
| 2024 | 0.025% | 88,435 |
| 2025 | 0.024% | 84,809 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.026% | 28,206 |
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 (4)
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Rubinstein Variation (C48)”. Lichess data as of 24 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/four-knights-game-spanish-variation-rubinstein-variation