Four Knights Game: all variations and ECO codes
49 named lines across 4 ECO codes (C47–C50). Source: the CC0-licensed lichess.org opening database.
The idea
Both sides develop their knights to the most natural squares before committing to any particular plan, producing a solid but famously drawish structure - so reliably level that sharper tries like the Scotch Four Knights or the Belgrade Gambit exist specifically to reinject imbalance into what’s otherwise one of the quietest ways to answer 1...e5.
The main line
How the main line scores at your rating
Real Lichess win rates for 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6, playing as black: the family’s other variations are not separately tracked for win rate yet, main line only.
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| Rating band | Games | White / draw / Black | Score for black | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1400-1600 | 1,484 | 50.1% / 4.0% / 46.0% | 47.9% | ||
| 1600-1800 | 1,273 | 49.7% / 4.2% / 46.1% | 48.2% | ||
| 1800-2000 | 900 | Not enough games at this band yet. | |||
| 2000+ | 697 | Not enough games at this band yet. | |||
All 49 named variations
Every named line in the Four Knights Game family, from the CC0-licensed ECO classification: not separately tracked for win rate, but every ECO code and move sequence is real, sourced data.
- C47Four Knights Game (main line)1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6
- C47Glek System1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.g3C47Glek System1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.g3 d5 5.exd5 Nxd5 6.Bg2 Nxc3 7.bxc3
- C47Gunsberg Variation1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.a3
- C47Provincial Opening1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.a3 d6 5.h3
- C47Halloween Gambit1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nxe5
- C47Oldtimer Variation1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nxe5 Nxe5 5.d4 Ng6 6.e5 Ng8 7.Bc4 Bb4 8.Qf3 f5
- C47Plasma Variation1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nxe5 Nxe5 5.d4 Nc6 6.d5 Ne5 7.f4 Ng6 8.e5 Ng8 9.d6 cxd6 10.exd6 Qf6 11.Nb5 Rb8
- C47Italian Variation1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3C50Italian Variation1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Nc3 Nf6
- C47Noa Gambit1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Nxe4 5.Bxf7+
- C47Naroditsky Variation1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nd5
- C47Scotch Variation1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.d4
- C47Belgrade Gambit1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.d4 exd4 5.Nd5
- C47Modern Defense1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.d4 exd4 5.Nd5 Nxe4 6.Qe2 f5
- C47Krause Gambit1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.d4 Bb4 5.Nxe5
- C47Leonhardt Defense1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.d4 Bb4 5.Nxe5 Qe7
- C47Oxford Gambit1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.d4 Bb4 5.d5 Nd4
- C47Schmid Defense1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.d4 exd4 5.Nxd4 Nxe4
- C47Scotch Variation Accepted1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.d4 exd4
- C47Main Line1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.d4 exd4 5.Nxd4 Bb4 6.Nxc6 bxc6 7.Bd3 d5 8.exd5 O-O 9.O-O
- C48Spanish Variation1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5C49Spanish Variation1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 Bb4 5.O-O O-O 6.d3 Bxc3
- C48Bardeleben Variation1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 Bc5 5.O-O O-O 6.Nxe5 Nxe5 7.d4 Bd6 8.f4 Nc6 9.e5 Bb4
- C48Classical Variation1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 Bc5
- C48Ranken Variation1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 a6 5.Bxc6
- C48Rubinstein Variation1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 Nd4C48Rubinstein Variation1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 Nd4 5.Be2C48Rubinstein Variation1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nc3 Nc6 4.Bb5 Nd4 5.Nxe5 Qe7 6.f4
- C48Henneberger Variation1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nc3 Nc6 4.Bb5 Nd4 5.O-O
- C48Marshall Gambit1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 Nd4 5.Ba4 Bc5 6.Nxe5 O-O
- C48Marshall Variation1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 Nd4 5.Nxe5 Bc5 6.O-O O-O
- C48Maróczy Variation1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 Nd4 5.Be2 Nxf3+ 6.Bxf3 Bc5 7.O-O O-O 8.d3 d6 9.Na4 Bb6
- C48Rubinstein Variation Accepted1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 Nd4 5.Nxd4
- C48Spielmann Variation1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 a6 5.Bxc6 dxc6 6.Nxe5 Nxe4 7.Nxe4 Qd4 8.O-O Qxe5 9.Re1 Be6 10.d4 Qd5
- C49Alatortsev Variation1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 Bb4 5.O-O O-O 6.d3 Qe7 7.Ne2 d5
- C49Double Spanish1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 Bb4C49Double Spanish1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 Bb4 5.O-O O-O 6.d3
- C49Gunsberg Counterattack1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nc3 Nc6 4.Bb5 Bb4 5.O-O O-O 6.Nd5 Nxd5 7.exd5 e4
- C49Janowski Variation1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 Bb4 5.O-O O-O 6.d3 Bxc3 7.bxc3 d6 8.Re1
- C49Nimzowitsch Variation1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 Bb4 5.O-O O-O 6.Bxc6
- C49Svenonius Variation1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 Bb4 5.O-O O-O 6.d3 Bxc3 7.bxc3 d5
- C49Symmetrical Variation1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 Bb4 5.O-O O-O 6.d3 d6C49Symmetrical Variation1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 Bb4 5.O-O O-O 6.d3 d6 7.Bg5 Bxc3 8.bxc3 Qe7 9.Re1 Nd8 10.d4 Bg4C49Symmetrical Variation1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 Bb4 5.O-O O-O 6.d3 d6 7.Bg5 Ne7C49Symmetrical Variation1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 Bb4 5.O-O O-O 6.d3 d6 7.Ne2
- C49Blake Variation1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 Bb4 5.O-O O-O 6.d3 d6 7.Bg5 Ne7 8.Nh4 c6 9.Bc4 d5 10.Bb3 Qd6
- C49Metger Unpin1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 Bb4 5.O-O O-O 6.d3 d6 7.Bg5 Bxc3 8.bxc3 Qe7
- C49Tarrasch Variation1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nc3 Nc6 4.Bb5 Bb4 5.O-O O-O 6.d3 d6 7.Bg5 Be6
Browse more
ECO Volume C: Open Games and the French Defense → · All ECO families → · Search and play every line in the interactive explorer →
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