Four Knights Game: Gunsberg Variation
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. a3
The Four Knights Game: Gunsberg Variation is a chess opening classified as ECO C47, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. a3. It is a line of the Four Knights Game. Black is to move. 1 named line continues from this position.
In 12.6 million rated Lichess games (blitz and slower), this position was reached 1,837 times by this move order. White won 51%, 4% were drawn and Black won 45%. The most popular continuation is 4… Bc5 (41% of games).
Engine evaluation: 0.00 (Stockfish, depth 60; best line 4… d5 5. exd5 Nxd5 6. Bb5 Nxc3 7. bxc3)
- ECO
- C47
- Moves
- 7 plies
- FEN
r1bqkb1r/pppp1ppp/2n2n2/4p3/4P3/P1N2N2/1PPP1PPP/R1BQKB1R b KQkq - 0 4- PGN
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. a3
Analyse with Stockfish · Board image (SVG) · Open on Lichess
Results by rating
| Average rating | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1499 | 895 | |
| 1500-1999 | 543 | |
| 2000+ | 399 | |
| All | 1,837 |
Most played moves
| Move | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 4… Bc5 | 757 (41%) | |
| 4… d5 | 396 (22%) | |
| 4… d6 | 193 (11%) | |
| 4… Be7 | 154 (8%) | |
| 4… a6 | 133 (7%) | |
| 4… h6 | 49 (3%) | |
| 4… g6 | 46 (3%) | |
| 4… Bd6 | 32 (2%) |
Master games
1,734 over-the-board games are classified under this line (White 45%, draw 23%, Black 32%). The strongest:
- GM Magnus Carlsen (2835) – GM Alireza Firouzja (2777) 1/2-1/2 · Bullet Chess Losers 2023 · 2023-07-21
- GM Magnus Carlsen (2835) – GM Alireza Firouzja (2777) 0-1 · Bullet Chess Winners 2023 · 2023-07-19
- GM Fabiano Caruana (2816) – GM Vladimir Kramnik (2792) 0-1 · GCT Blitz Paris 2018 · 2018-06-23
- GM Fabiano Caruana (2816) – GM Sergey Karjakin (2782) 0-1 · GCT Blitz Paris 2018 · 2018-06-23
- GM Fabiano Caruana (2816) – GM Levon Aronian (2764) 1/2-1/2 · GCT Blitz Paris 2018 · 2018-06-23
Search all games of the Four Knights Game: Gunsberg Variation and its sub-variations
Highest-rated Lichess games
- IM mmsanchezchess (2741) – NM Andrey11976 (2791) 0-1 · 2026-09-07 · 180 + 0s
- Sciencer (2585) – Superstitions_Guy (2842) 0-1 · 2026-09-07 · 180 + 0s
- IM PseudoBenko (2709) – Normal_one (2672) 1-0 · 2026-09-02 · 180 + 0s
Comes from
Four Knights Game 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6
Continuations
- Four Knights Game: Gunsberg Variation, Provincial Opening C47 · 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. a3 d6 5. h3
More Four Knights Game lines (all)
- Four Knights Game: Glek System (3… Nf6 4. g3) C47
- Four Knights Game: Glek System (6… Nxc3 7. bxc3) C47
- Four Knights Game: Halloween Gambit C47
- Four Knights Game: Halloween Gambit, Oldtimer Variation C47
- Four Knights Game: Halloween Gambit, Plasma Variation C47
- Four Knights Game: Italian Variation (3… Nf6 4. Nc3) C47
- Four Knights Game: Italian Variation, Noa Gambit C47
- Four Knights Game: Naroditsky Variation C47
- Four Knights Game: Scotch Variation C47
- Four Knights Game: Scotch Variation Accepted C47
- Four Knights Game: Scotch Variation Accepted, Main Line C47
- Four Knights Game: Scotch Variation, Belgrade Gambit C47
Opening names and moves from the Lichess openings dataset; statistics from the Lichess open database, 2026-09 (CC0), sample of 12.6 million games, bots excluded; evaluations from Lichess cloud analysis (all CC0). Master games from The Week in Chess #920–#1664 by Mark Crowther, used with permission.