Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Ranken Variation
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 a6 5. Bxc6
The Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Ranken Variation is a chess opening classified as ECO C48, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 a6 5. Bxc6. 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 2,196 times by this move order. White won 53%, 5% were drawn and Black won 42%. The most popular continuation is 5… dxc6 (69% of games).
Engine evaluation: +0.29 (Stockfish, depth 40; best line 5… dxc6 6. Nxe5 Nxe4 7. Nxe4 Qd5 8. O-O)
- ECO
- C48
- Moves
- 9 plies
- FEN
r1bqkb1r/1ppp1ppp/p1B2n2/4p3/4P3/2N2N2/PPPP1PPP/R1BQK2R b KQkq - 0 5- PGN
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 a6 5. Bxc6
Analyse with Stockfish · Board image (SVG) · Open on Lichess
Results by rating
| Average rating | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1499 | 1,649 | |
| 1500-1999 | 464 | |
| 2000+ | 83 | |
| All | 2,196 |
Most played moves
| Move | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 5… dxc6 | 1,521 (69%) | |
| 5… bxc6 | 671 (31%) | |
| 5… Be7 | 1 (0%) | |
| 5… Bd6 | 1 (0%) | |
| 5… Bc5 | 1 (0%) | |
| 5… b6 | 1 (0%) |
Master games
148 over-the-board games are classified under this line (White 58%, draw 14%, Black 28%). The strongest:
- GM Karthik Venkataraman (2571) – GM Jan Subelj (2545) 1/2-1/2 · Bundesliga 2025-26 · 2026-04-24
- IM Paulo Bersamina (2411) – GM Lalith, B. (2495) 1/2-1/2 · 22nd BCC Open 2025 · 2025-04-18
- FM Igor L. Vakhlamov (2413) – IM Tologontegin, S. (2337) 1-0 · Titled Tue 29th Oct Early · 2024-10-29
- IM Atanas Dimitrov (2282) – FM Tsvetan Stoyanov (2416) 1/2-1/2 · 1st Tal Mem IM 2019 · 2019-04-30
- IM Bence Pribelszky (2401) – CM Marcel Petersen (2236) 0-1 · Titled Tue 15th Jul Late · 2025-07-15
Highest-rated Lichess games
- GM Niksss2023 (2777) – Superstitions_Guy (2745) 1-0 · 2026-09-03 · 180 + 0s
- SolaceOfNight (2475) – Heisenberg1903 (2442) 1-0 · 2026-09-02 · 180 + 0s
- IM Djager97 (2484) – SuperSayienZ (2394) 1/2-1/2 · 2026-09-07 · 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, Spielmann Variation C48 · 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
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.