Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Double Spanish (5… O-O 6. d3)
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Bb4 5. O-O O-O 6. d3
The Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Double Spanish is a chess opening classified as ECO C49, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Bb4 5. O-O O-O 6. d3. It is a line of the Four Knights Game. Black is to move. 3 named lines continue from this position.
In 12.6 million rated Lichess games (blitz and slower), this position was reached 180 times by this move order. White won 49%, 7% were drawn and Black won 44%. The most popular continuation is 6… d6 (59% of games).
Engine evaluation: +0.09 (Stockfish, depth 48; best line 6… Bxc3 7. bxc3 d6 8. Bxc6 bxc6 9. a4)
- ECO
- C49
- Moves
- 11 plies
- FEN
r1bq1rk1/pppp1ppp/2n2n2/1B2p3/1b2P3/2NP1N2/PPP2PPP/R1BQ1RK1 b - - 0 6- PGN
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Bb4 5. O-O O-O 6. d3
Analyse with Stockfish · Board image (SVG) · Open on Lichess
Results by rating
| Average rating | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1499 | 48 | |
| 1500-1999 | 35 | |
| 2000+ | 97 | |
| All | 180 |
Most played moves
| Move | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 6… d6 Spanish Variation, Symmetrical Variation (6. d3 d6) | 106 (59%) | |
| 6… Bxc3 Spanish Variation (6. d3 Bxc3) | 34 (19%) | |
| 6… h6 | 13 (7%) | |
| 6… a6 | 10 (6%) | |
| 6… Re8 | 7 (4%) | |
| 6… d5 | 4 (2%) | |
| 6… Nd4 | 4 (2%) | |
| 6… Na5 | 2 (1%) |
Master games
46 over-the-board games are classified under this line (White 50%, draw 26%, Black 24%). The strongest:
- GM Arkadij Naiditsch (2574) – GM Shant Sargsyan (2644) 1/2-1/2 · FIDE World Bl Team Pool C · 2026-06-20
- GM Erik Blomqvist (2552) – GM Daniil Dubov (2648) 1/2-1/2 · 32nd ECC Open 2016 · 2016-11-07
- GM Daniil Lintchevski (2538) – IM Alexandr Triapishko (2502) 1/2-1/2 · Northwest Cup Final A · 2019-12-13
- IM Alexander Moskalenko (2460) – GM Mikhail Mozharov (2555) 1/2-1/2 · Moscow Blitz Final 2014 · 2014-09-06
- GM Arthur Kogan (2547) – IM Jonathan Cruz (2415) 1-0 · TCh-CAT Gp1 2019 · 2019-02-23
Search all games of the Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Double Spanish and its sub-variations
Highest-rated Lichess games
- Juplt3rLlk3 (2708) – T-Stevenson (2650) 1-0 · 2026-09-05 · 180 + 0s
- IM MassterofMayhem (2650) – AlwaysLookingForMore (2708) 1-0 · 2026-09-05 · 180 + 0s
- TregubenkoKolya_2010 (2608) – DikiyDjo (2661) 1-0 · 2026-09-04 · 180 + 0s
Comes from
Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Double Spanish (4. Bb5 Bb4) 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Bb4
Continuations
- Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation (6. d3 Bxc3) C49 · 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Bb4 5. O-O O-O 6. d3 Bxc3
- Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Symmetrical Variation (6. d3 d6) C49 · 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Bb4 5. O-O O-O 6. d3 d6
- Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Alatortsev Variation C49 · 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Bb4 5. O-O O-O 6. d3 Qe7 7. Ne2 d5
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.