Four Knights Game: Scotch Variation, Belgrade Gambit, Modern Defense
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. Nd5 Nxe4 6. Qe2 f5
The Four Knights Game: Scotch Variation, Belgrade Gambit, Modern Defense is a chess opening classified as ECO C47, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. Nd5 Nxe4 6. Qe2 f5. It is a line of the Four Knights Game. White is to move.
In 12.6 million rated Lichess games (blitz and slower), this position was reached 51 times by this move order. White won 61%, 2% were drawn and Black won 37%. The most popular continuation is 7. Ng5 (82% of games).
Engine evaluation: −0.25 (Stockfish, depth 44; best line 7. Nd2 d3 8. Qxd3 Nb4 9. Nxb4 Bxb4)
- ECO
- C47
- Moves
- 12 plies
- FEN
r1bqkb1r/pppp2pp/2n5/3N1p2/3pn3/5N2/PPP1QPPP/R1B1KB1R w KQkq - 0 7- PGN
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. Nd5 Nxe4 6. Qe2 f5
Analyse with Stockfish · Board image (SVG) · Open on Lichess
Results by rating
| Average rating | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1499 | 10 | |
| 1500-1999 | 31 | |
| 2000+ | 10 | |
| All | 51 |
Most played moves
| Move | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 7. Ng5 | 42 (82%) | |
| 7. Nd2 | 4 (8%) | |
| 7. Bg5 | 3 (6%) | |
| 7. g4 | 1 (2%) |
Master games
9 over-the-board games are classified under this line (White 33%, draw 23%, Black 44%). The strongest:
- IM Rahman Mohammad Fahad (2416) – IM Reja Neer Manon (2369) 1/2-1/2 · 49th ch-BAN 2025 · 2025-09-29
- IM Jonathan Tayar (2325) – IM Khagan Ahmad (2405) 0-1 · Titled Tue 20th May Late · 2025-05-20
- FM Matfey Rogov (2348) – CM Marcel Petersen (2236) 1-0 · Titled Tue 9th Sep 2025 · 2025-09-09
- CM Ilya Khakhinov (2236) – FM Sergey Kim (2295) 1-0 · Titled Tue 25th Jun Late · 2024-06-25
- FM Matfey Rogov (2348) – CM Jack Mizzi (2130) 1-0 · Titled Tue 12th Aug Late · 2025-08-12
Highest-rated Lichess games
- CM lisyender (2419) – Microphone_Theory (2248) 1-0 · 2026-09-06 · 180 + 0s
- mbu2610 (2313) – FM MrBini (2320) 1-0 · 2026-09-04 · 180 + 2s
- NeTer0 (2228) – Arschbier (2401) 0-1 · 2026-09-01 · 180 + 2s
Comes from
Four Knights Game: Scotch Variation, Belgrade Gambit 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. Nd5
More Four Knights Game lines (all)
- Four Knights Game C47
- Four Knights Game: Glek System (3… Nf6 4. g3) C47
- Four Knights Game: Glek System (6… Nxc3 7. bxc3) C47
- Four Knights Game: Gunsberg Variation C47
- Four Knights Game: Gunsberg Variation, Provincial Opening 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
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.