Sicilian Defense: Four Knights Variation
The Four Knights Variation of the Sicilian Defense is 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6. Read the guide
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Statistics from Lichess
3,927,370 games: White 44.5% / Draw 5.5% / Black 50.0%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 903,968904K | ||
| Exchange Variation | 696,575697K | |
| 530,545531K | ||
| 521,855522K | ||
| 302,933303K | ||
| 191,799192K | ||
| 190,642191K | ||
| 180,980181K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 8, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.30 White is slightly better
Best play: 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. e5 Nd5 8. Ne4 Bb7 9. Be2 c5 10. O-O Qc7
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 54% under 1400, 50% at 2200 and up and 43% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 150K | |
| 1400–1799 | 1.3M | |
| 1800–2199 | 2.4M | |
| 2200 and up | 640K | |
| Masters, over the board | 12K |
Master games
- Caruana, F. – Grischuk, A.
- Carlsen, M. – Mamedyarov, S.
- Caruana, F. – Giri, A.
- Caruana, F. – Mamedyarov, S.
- Firouzja, A. – Rapport, R.
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 26, 2026
Description
The Four Knights Variation of the Sicilian Defense is 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6. It can also arise from the Old Sicilian: 2...Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e6.
The idea
The variation can serve as a route into the main line of the Sveshnikov, reached after 6.Ndb5 d6 7.Bf4 e5 8.Bg5 a6 9.Na3 b5. The point of this move order is to avoid White's options against the usual Sveshnikov move order, such as the Rossolimo Variation, 2...Nc6 3.Bb5, or 7.Nd5 in the standard Sveshnikov.
Main lines
- 6.Ndb5 is the main move. Besides 6...d6, heading for the Sveshnikov, Black's main alternative is 6...Bb4. Then 7.a3 Bxc3+ 8.Nxc3 d5 9.exd5 exd5 gives a position where Black has given up the bishop pair but has active pieces and the chance of ...d5-d4.
- 6...Bc5, the Cobra Variation, has the main line 7.Bf4 O-O 8.Bc7 Qe7 9.Bd6 Bxd6 10.Qxd6, often followed by the retreat 10...Qe8.
- 6.Nxc6 bxc6 7.e5 Nd5 8.Ne4 is an option this move order gives White, so White is not obliged to enter the Sveshnikov. It has become more popular over time but is still less popular than 6.Ndb5.
The numbers
On Lichess Black wins 50.0% of the 3.9 million games and White 44.5%. Black leads 51.8% to 44.8% under 1400; from 2200 up the results are close, 46.1% for Black against 45.7% for White. In 11,595 master games over the board White won 35.4%, Black 20.8%, and 43.8% were drawn.
Suggest an improvement or report a mistake
How to play against the Sicilian Defense: Four Knights Variation
6. Ndb5 scores best for White: 53.9%, with White winning 50.4% and Black 42.5% of 531K games. The most played, 6. Be3, scores 45.7% in 904K games, and 6. Bg5 scores lowest: 43.2%. Stockfish's first choice is 6. Nxc6.
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 Sicilian Defense: Four Knights Variation peaked in 2019 at 0.18% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.15% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.13% | 45,796 |
| 2017 | 0.16% | 86,415 |
| 2018 | 0.17% | 137,203 |
| 2019 | 0.18% | 226,247 |
| 2020 | 0.17% | 506,605 |
| 2021 | 0.15% | 583,902 |
| 2022 | 0.14% | 526,429 |
| 2023 | 0.15% | 545,455 |
| 2024 | 0.15% | 528,396 |
| 2025 | 0.15% | 515,045 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.15% | 163,219 |
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)
Sources
- History and theory: adapted from the Wikipedia article Sicilian Defence, version of 27 October 2026, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Results: Lichess opening explorer, figures collected from September to November 2026.
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Sicilian Defense: Four Knights Variation (B45)”. Lichess data as of 8 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-four-knights-variation