Vienna Game: Stanley Variation, Three Knights Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
4,898,602 games: White 50.4% / Draw 4.7% / Black 44.9%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Bishop's Opening: Vienna Hybrid | 2,971,2033M | |
| Four Knights Game: Italian Variation | 925,060925K | |
| 326,278326K | ||
| 323,910324K | ||
| 165,261165K | ||
| 46,27646K | ||
| 45,03745K | ||
| 21,88022K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.04 The position is about equal
Best play: 4. d3 Na5 5. Nge2 c6 6. O-O Bc5 7. a3 Nxc4 8. dxc4 a6
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: Black scores 48% both under 1400 and at 2200 and up, and 49% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 3.6M | |
| 1400–1799 | 4.7M | |
| 1800–2199 | 2.3M | |
| 2200 and up | 276K | |
| Masters, over the board | 1,889 |
Master games
- Nakamura, H. – Carlsen, M.
- Nakamura, H. – Carlsen, M.
- Nakamura, H. – Carlsen, M.
- Kasparov, G. – Caruana, F.
- Caruana, F. – Aronian, L.
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
Overview
Vienna Game: Stanley Variation, Three Knights Variation (ECO C28, Open Games) is a variation of the Vienna Game: Max Lange Defense, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 (3 moves).
In 4,898,602 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 50.4%, Black 44.9% and 4.7% were drawn. White's most played move here is 4. d3, in 61% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations; the most played are Bishop's Opening: Vienna Hybrid, Hromádka Variation and Vienna Game: Stanley Variation, Bronstein Gambit.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Vienna Game: Stanley Variation, Three Knights Variation
The most played answer, 4. d3 (Bishop's Opening: Vienna Hybrid), also scores best for White: 53.9%, with White winning 51.5% and Black 43.7% of 3M games. Of the main answers, 4. Nf3 scores lowest: 49.3%. Stockfish's first choice is also 4. d3.
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 Vienna Game: Stanley Variation, Three Knights Variation has gained ground since 2016: 0.21% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.14%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.14% | 51,557 |
| 2017 | 0.14% | 75,352 |
| 2018 | 0.13% | 104,240 |
| 2019 | 0.13% | 165,099 |
| 2020 | 0.15% | 428,987 |
| 2021 | 0.19% | 741,001 |
| 2022 | 0.2% | 757,332 |
| 2023 | 0.21% | 789,288 |
| 2024 | 0.21% | 748,000 |
| 2025 | 0.21% | 723,479 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.21% | 231,217 |
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 (2)
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Vienna Game: Stanley Variation, Three Knights Variation (C28)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/vienna-game-stanley-variation-three-knights-variation