Three Knights Opening: Winawer Defense
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Statistics from Lichess
451,679 games: White 47.9% / Draw 3.9% / Black 48.2%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 145,265145K | ||
| 86,90587K | ||
| 71,55572K | ||
| Ruy Lopez: Schliemann Defense, Dyckhoff Variation | 67,12767K | |
| 65,26365K | ||
| 3,0353,035 | ||
| 2,7272,727 | ||
| 2,5352,535 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+2.11 White is clearly better
Even so, Black scores 50.1% here in practice: wins plus half the draws in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500.
Best play: 4. d4 exd4 5. Nxd4 Nf6 6. Nxf5 d5 7. exd5 Bxf5 8. dxc6 Qxd1+
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 49% under 1400, 46% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 396K | |
| 1400–1799 | 395K | |
| 1800–2199 | 241K | |
| 2200 and up | 19K | |
| Masters, over the board | 18 |
Master games
- Martin Gonzalez, A. – Vera Gonzalez Quevedo, R.
- Ninov, N. – Dimitrov, P.
- Esserman, M. – Zaikov, O.
- Antonio, R. – Andador, R.
- Biyiasas, P. – Frankle, J.
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: Winawer Defense (ECO C46, Open Games) is a variation of the Three Knights Opening, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 f5 (3 moves).
In 451,679 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 47.9%, Black 48.2% and 3.9% were drawn. White's most played move here is 4. exf5, in 32% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Three Knights Opening: Winawer Defense
4. d4 scores best for White: 55.8%, with White winning 53.6% and Black 42.0% of 87K games. The most played, 4. exf5, scores 49.1% in 145K games, and 4. Bc4 scores lowest: 46.5%. Stockfish's first choice is also 4. d4.
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 Three Knights Opening: Winawer Defense has gained ground since 2016: 0.024% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.013%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.013% | 4,509 |
| 2017 | 0.013% | 7,072 |
| 2018 | 0.012% | 9,557 |
| 2019 | 0.013% | 16,386 |
| 2020 | 0.013% | 39,226 |
| 2021 | 0.014% | 53,199 |
| 2022 | 0.016% | 59,183 |
| 2023 | 0.019% | 70,400 |
| 2024 | 0.021% | 74,208 |
| 2025 | 0.024% | 82,203 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.025% | 27,153 |
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
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Three Knights Opening: Winawer Defense (C46)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/three-knights-opening-winawer-defense