Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Rubinstein Variation 5…Qe7 6. f4
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Statistics from Lichess
11,534 games: White 38.8% / Draw 4.9% / Black 56.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 8,7948,794 | ||
| 1,9731,973 | ||
| 587587 | ||
| 104104 | ||
| 4444 | ||
| 1010 | ||
| 66 | ||
| 44 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 27, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.45 Black is slightly better
Best play: 6... Nxb5 7. Nxb5 d6 8. Nf3 Qxe4+ 9. Kf2 Ng4+ 10. Kg1 Qc6 11. a4
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Rubinstein Variation (ECO C48, Open Games) is a variation of Petrov's Defense: Three Knights Game, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. Bb5 Nd4 5. Nxe5 Qe7 6. f4 (6 moves).
In 11,534 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 38.8%, Black 56.4% and 4.9% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 6…Nxb5, in 76% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to answer 6. f4
The most played answer, 6…Nxb5, also scores best for Black: 61.7%, with Black winning 59.0% and White 35.6% of 8,794 games. Of the main answers, 6…c6 scores lowest: 46.7%. Stockfish's first choice is also 6…Nxb5.
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Rubinstein Variation (C48)”. Lichess data as of 27 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/four-knights-game-spanish-variation-rubinstein-variation-3