Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Symmetrical Variation, Blake Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
20 games: White 35.0% / Draw 30.0% / Black 35.0%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 1111 | ||
| 77 | ||
| 11 | ||
| 11 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.07 The position is about equal
Best play: 11. f4 Bxc3 12. bxc3 dxe4 13. fxe5 Qxe5 14. Qd2 Ng4 15. Qf4 Qxf4
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Symmetrical Variation, Blake Variation (ECO C49, Open Games) is a variation of the Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Symmetrical Variation, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Bb4 5. O-O O-O 6. d3 d6 7. Bg5 Ne7 8. Nh4 c6 9. Bc4 d5 10. Bb3 Qd6 (10 moves).
In 20 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 35.0%, Black 35.0% and 30.0% were drawn. White's most played move here is 11. f4, in 55% of those games. That is too few games for the percentages to mean much.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Symmetrical Variation, Blake Variation (C49)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/four-knights-game-spanish-variation-symmetrical-variation-blake-variation