Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Double Spanish (4. Bb5 Bb4)

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Bb4

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. It is a line of the Four Knights Game. White is to move. 2 named lines continue from this position.

In 12.6 million rated Lichess games (blitz and slower), this position was reached 2,468 times by this move order. White won 51%, 6% were drawn and Black won 43%. The most popular continuation is 5. Bxc6 (33% of games).

Engine evaluation: +0.14 (Stockfish, depth 50; best line 5. O-O O-O 6. d3 Bxc3 7. bxc3 d6)

ECO: C49
Moves: 8 plies
FEN: r1bqk2r/pppp1ppp/2n2n2/1B2p3/1b2P3/2N2N2/PPPP1PPP/R1BQK2R w KQkq - 6 5
PGN: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Bb4

Analyse with Stockfish · Board image (SVG) · Open on Lichess

Results by rating

Average rating	Games	White / draw / Black
0-1499	1,636	51%43%
1500-1999	532	52%43%
2000+	300	49%43%
All	2,468	51%43%

Most played moves

Move	Games	White / draw / Black
5. Bxc6	825 (33%)	50%44%
5. O-O	673 (27%)	52%42%
5. d3	540 (22%)	53%41%
5. a3	253 (10%)	49%47%
5. Nd5	80 (3%)	51%43%
5. d4	36 (1%)	36%56%
5. Qe2	13 (1%)	62%38%
5. Na4	6 (0%)	67%33%

Master games

659 over-the-board games are classified under this line (White 46%, draw 22%, Black 32%). The strongest:

GM Magnus Carlsen (2837) – GM Hans Moke Niemann (2736) 1-0 · Titled Tue 10th Jun Late · 2025-06-10
GM Pranesh M (2628) – GM Hikaru Nakamura (2810) 1-0 · 1st 3-0 Thu 8th Jan 2026 · 2026-01-08
GM Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus (2658) – GM Gukesh D (2754) 0-1 · 88th Tata Steel Masters · 2026-01-28
GM Neuris Delgado Ramirez (2614) – GM So, W. (2773) 1/2-1/2 · 44th Olympiad 2022 · 2022-07-30
GM David W L Howell (2701) – GM Bassem Amin (2685) 1/2-1/2 · Bundesliga 2019-20 · 2019-11-24

Search all games of the Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Double Spanish and its sub-variations

Highest-rated Lichess games

CM Sultai (2693) – GM Dr_Tiger (2950) 0-1 · 2026-09-02 · 180 + 0s
D40R3T5KY (2729) – kuhmft (2856) 0-1 · 2026-09-04 · 180 + 0s
Juplt3rLlk3 (2708) – T-Stevenson (2650) 1-0 · 2026-09-05 · 180 + 0s

Comes from

Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation (3… Nf6 4. Bb5) 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5

Continuations

Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Double Spanish (5… O-O 6. d3) C49 · 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Bb4 5. O-O O-O 6. d3
Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Nimzowitsch Variation C49 · 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Bb4 5. O-O O-O 6. Bxc6

More Four Knights Game lines (all)

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.