ECO family guide

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 main line

Position after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 (C47). Open this line on Lichess → · Four Knights Game on Lichess

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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Win/draw/loss rate by rating band
Rating band	Games	White / draw / Black	Score for black
1400-1600	11,758,876	48.8% / 4.4% / 46.7%	48.9%
1600-1800	8,716,982	49.2% / 4.7% / 46.1%	48.5%
1800-2000	5,625,262	49.1% / 5.2% / 45.6%	48.2%
2000+	3,924,389	48.5% / 6.9% / 44.5%	48.0%

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 System — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.g3
C47Glek System — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.g3 d5 5.exd5 Nxd5 6.Bg2 Nxc3 7.bxc3
C47Gunsberg Variation — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.a3
- C47Provincial Opening — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.a3 d6 5.h3
C47Halloween Gambit — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nxe5
- C47Oldtimer Variation — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nxe5 Nxe5 5.d4 Ng6 6.e5 Ng8 7.Bc4 Bb4 8.Qf3 f5
- C47Plasma Variation — 1.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 Variation — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3
C50Italian Variation — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Nc3 Nf6
- C47Noa Gambit — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Nxe4 5.Bxf7+
C47Naroditsky Variation — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nd5
C47Scotch Variation — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.d4
- C47Belgrade Gambit — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.d4 exd4 5.Nd5
  - C47Modern Defense — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.d4 exd4 5.Nd5 Nxe4 6.Qe2 f5
- C47Krause Gambit — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.d4 Bb4 5.Nxe5
  - C47Leonhardt Defense — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.d4 Bb4 5.Nxe5 Qe7
- C47Oxford Gambit — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.d4 Bb4 5.d5 Nd4
- C47Schmid Defense — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.d4 exd4 5.Nxd4 Nxe4
C47Scotch Variation Accepted — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.d4 exd4
- C47Main Line — 1.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 Variation — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5
C49Spanish Variation — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 Bb4 5.O-O O-O 6.d3 Bxc3
- C48Bardeleben Variation — 1.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 Variation — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 Bc5
- C48Ranken Variation — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 a6 5.Bxc6
- C48Rubinstein Variation — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 Nd4
  C48Rubinstein Variation — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 Nd4 5.Be2
  C48Rubinstein Variation — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nc3 Nc6 4.Bb5 Nd4 5.Nxe5 Qe7 6.f4
  - C48Henneberger Variation — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nc3 Nc6 4.Bb5 Nd4 5.O-O
  - C48Marshall Gambit — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 Nd4 5.Ba4 Bc5 6.Nxe5 O-O
  - C48Marshall Variation — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 Nd4 5.Nxe5 Bc5 6.O-O O-O
  - C48Maróczy Variation — 1.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 Accepted — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 Nd4 5.Nxd4
- C48Spielmann Variation — 1.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 Variation — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 Bb4 5.O-O O-O 6.d3 Qe7 7.Ne2 d5
- C49Double Spanish — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 Bb4
  C49Double Spanish — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 Bb4 5.O-O O-O 6.d3
- C49Gunsberg Counterattack — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nc3 Nc6 4.Bb5 Bb4 5.O-O O-O 6.Nd5 Nxd5 7.exd5 e4
- C49Janowski Variation — 1.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 Variation — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 Bb4 5.O-O O-O 6.Bxc6
- C49Svenonius Variation — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 Bb4 5.O-O O-O 6.d3 Bxc3 7.bxc3 d5
- C49Symmetrical Variation — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 Bb4 5.O-O O-O 6.d3 d6
  C49Symmetrical Variation — 1.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 Bg4
  C49Symmetrical Variation — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 Bb4 5.O-O O-O 6.d3 d6 7.Bg5 Ne7
  C49Symmetrical Variation — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 Bb4 5.O-O O-O 6.d3 d6 7.Ne2
  - C49Blake Variation — 1.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 Unpin — 1.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 Variation — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nc3 Nc6 4.Bb5 Bb4 5.O-O O-O 6.d3 d6 7.Bg5 Be6