Tree path 5 levels King's Pawn Game › King's Knight Opening › Normal Variation › Three Knights Opening › Steinitz Defense
- Chess Codex
- King's Pawn Game C20
- King's Knight Opening C40
- Normal Variation C44
- Three Knights Opening C46
- Steinitz Defense C46 you are here
Three Knights Opening: Steinitz Defense
Overview
Three Knights Opening: Steinitz Defense is a named branch in the Open Games group of chess theory, classified under ECO C46.
The Open Games group covers open games — classical 1.e4 e5 openings where both sides contest the centre directly with pawns.
It begins with 6 plies and takes 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 g6 to reach the canonical position.
In the opening tree, this line branches off from Three Knights Opening, part of the broader King's Pawn Game system.
It continues primarily into one named line, Three Knights Opening: Steinitz-Rosenthal Variation.
Use the board to walk through every move, check how the position has scored on Lichess, or take it head-to-head against Stockfish.
- ECO code
- C46
- Group
- Open Games (C)
- Plies
- 6
- Parent
- Three Knights Opening
- Direct variations
- 1
This overview is generated automatically from the opening's metadata. Know this line well? Write a description — submissions are reviewed before publishing.
Statistics from Lichess
165,729 games · White 48.8% / Draw 5.2% / Black 45.9%
| Moves | Games | W / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| d4 | 61,592 | |
| Bc4 | 47,545 | |
| Bb5 | 31,416 | |
| d3 | 9,255 | |
| a3 | 3,338 | |
| Be2 | 3,152 | |
| g3 | 2,491 | |
| h3 | 2,270 |
Source: Lichess Opening Explorer · cached 2026-09-26 01:26:51
Write a description
Markdown supported (headings ###, bold, lists, links).
Submissions are reviewed before publishing.