Three Knights Opening 3. Nc3 Bb4
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Statistics from Lichess
1,465,753 games: White 49.7% / Draw 4.9% / Black 45.5%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 369,399369K | ||
| 239,934240K | ||
| 218,491218K | ||
| 214,257214K | ||
| 180,347180K | ||
| 169,809170K | ||
| 29,89030K | ||
| 8,9318,931 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 26, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.56 White is slightly better
Best play: 4. Nd5 Nf6 5. c3 Be7 6. Bd3 d6 7. Bc2 Be6 8. Nxe7 Nxe7
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 50% under 1400, 47% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 3.5M | |
| 1400–1799 | 2.6M | |
| 1800–2199 | 480K | |
| 2200 and up | 24K | |
| Masters, over the board | 97 |
Master games
- Kovalev, V. – Narayanan, S.
- Andreikin, D. – Ghaem Maghami, E.
- Harika, D. – Narayanan, S.
- Michiels, B. – Sokolov, I.
- Lintchevski, D. – Makarian, 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 27, 2026
Overview
Three Knights Opening (ECO C46, Open Games) is a variation of the Three Knights Opening, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Bb4 (3 moves).
In 1,465,753 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.7%, Black 45.5% and 4.9% were drawn. White's most played move here is 4. Bc4, in 25% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Three Knights Opening: Schlechter Variation.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to answer 3…Bb4
4. d4 scores best for White: 56.1%, with White winning 53.5% and Black 41.4% of 170K games. The most played, 4. Bc4, scores 52.3% in 369K games, and 4. a3 scores lowest: 49.2%. Stockfish's first choice is 4. Nd5.
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
This line dipped to 0.04% of Lichess games in 2018 and has recovered since: 0.055% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.058% | 20,732 |
| 2017 | 0.044% | 24,285 |
| 2018 | 0.04% | 31,297 |
| 2019 | 0.047% | 58,128 |
| 2020 | 0.055% | 161,896 |
| 2021 | 0.063% | 245,520 |
| 2022 | 0.06% | 223,721 |
| 2023 | 0.059% | 222,884 |
| 2024 | 0.057% | 203,521 |
| 2025 | 0.055% | 192,305 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.055% | 60,235 |
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. “Three Knights Opening (C46)”. Lichess data as of 26 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/three-knights-opening-2