Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Rubinstein Variation, Maróczy Variation
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Nd4 5. Be2 Nxf3+ 6. Bxf3 Bc5 7. O-O O-O 8. d3 d6 9. Na4 Bb6
The Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Rubinstein Variation, Maróczy Variation is a chess opening classified as ECO C48, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Nd4 5. Be2 Nxf3+ 6. Bxf3 Bc5 7. O-O O-O 8. d3 d6 9. Na4 Bb6. It is a line of the Four Knights Game. White is to move.
This exact move order didn't appear in our sample of 12.6 million Lichess games: it's a rare line.
Engine evaluation: +0.39 (Stockfish, depth 27; best line 10. Nxb6 axb6 11. c4 h6 12. Be3 Nh7)
- ECO
- C48
- Moves
- 18 plies
- FEN
r1bq1rk1/ppp2ppp/1b1p1n2/4p3/N3P3/3P1B2/PPP2PPP/R1BQ1RK1 w - - 2 10- PGN
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Nd4 5. Be2 Nxf3+ 6. Bxf3 Bc5 7. O-O O-O 8. d3 d6 9. Na4 Bb6
Analyse with Stockfish · Board image (SVG) · Open on Lichess
Comes from
Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Rubinstein Variation (4… Nd4 5. Be2) 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Nd4 5. Be2
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.