Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation (3… Nf6 4. Bb5)
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5
The Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation is a chess opening classified as ECO C48, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5. It is a line of the Four Knights Game. Black is to move. 4 named lines continue from this position.
In 12.6 million rated Lichess games (blitz and slower), this position was reached 15,522 times by this move order. White won 50%, 5% were drawn and Black won 45%. The most popular continuation is 4… d6 (23% of games).
Engine evaluation: +0.04 (Stockfish, depth 57; best line 4… Nd4 5. Nxd4 exd4 6. e5 dxc3 7. exf6)
- ECO
- C48
- Moves
- 7 plies
- FEN
r1bqkb1r/pppp1ppp/2n2n2/1B2p3/4P3/2N2N2/PPPP1PPP/R1BQK2R b KQkq - 5 4- PGN
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5
Analyse with Stockfish · Board image (SVG) · Open on Lichess
Results by rating
| Average rating | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1499 | 10,077 | |
| 1500-1999 | 4,172 | |
| 2000+ | 1,273 | |
| All | 15,522 |
Most played moves
| Move | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 4… d6 | 3,599 (23%) | |
| 4… Bc5 Spanish Variation, Classical Variation | 3,395 (22%) | |
| 4… a6 | 3,018 (19%) | |
| 4… Bb4 Spanish Variation, Double Spanish (4. Bb5 Bb4) | 2,468 (16%) | |
| 4… Nd4 Spanish Variation, Rubinstein Variation (4. Bb5 Nd4) | 1,249 (8%) | |
| 4… Bd6 | 589 (4%) | |
| 4… d5 | 469 (3%) | |
| 4… Be7 | 259 (2%) |
Master games
2,165 over-the-board games are classified under this line (White 39%, draw 23%, Black 38%). The strongest:
- SlowChess Blitz 2.9 avx2 (3491) – Berserk dev10_20220912 (3509) 1/2-1/2 · TCEC 23 Premier 2022 · 2022-09-30
- Berserk dev10_20220912 (3509) – SlowChess Blitz 2.9 avx2 (3491) 1/2-1/2 · TCEC 23 Premier 2022 · 2022-09-30
- GM Pentala Harikrishna (2766) – GM Magnus Carlsen (2840) 1/2-1/2 · 79th Tata Steel GpA · 2017-01-25
- GM Yi Wei (2758) – GM Magnus Carlsen (2837) 1/2-1/2 · 13th Norway Chess 2025 · 2025-06-03
- GM Jan-Krzysztof Duda (2725) – GM Magnus Carlsen (2837) 1/2-1/2 · SuperUnited CRO Rapid 2025 · 2025-07-02
Search all games of the Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation and its sub-variations
Highest-rated Lichess games
- kuhmft (2849) – Jiordani_Jovanovich (2824) 0-1 · 2026-09-03 · 180 + 0s
- GreenMile2025 (2794) – Sunrise34 (2850) 0-1 · 2026-09-01 · 180 + 0s
- CM Sultai (2693) – GM Dr_Tiger (2950) 0-1 · 2026-09-02 · 180 + 0s
Comes from
Four Knights Game 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6
Continuations
- Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Classical Variation C48 · 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Bc5
- Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Double Spanish (4. Bb5 Bb4) C49 · 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Bb4
- Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Rubinstein Variation (4. Bb5 Nd4) C48 · 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Nd4
- Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Ranken Variation C48 · 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 a6 5. Bxc6
More Four Knights Game lines (all)
- 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
- Four Knights Game: Scotch Variation Accepted 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.