Four Knights Game

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6

The Four Knights Game is a chess opening classified as ECO C47, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6. White is to move. 6 named lines continue from this position.

In 12.6 million rated Lichess games (blitz and slower), this position was reached 78,003 times by this move order. White won 48%, 5% were drawn and Black won 47%. The most popular continuation is 4. Bc4 (37% of games).

Engine evaluation: +0.07 (Stockfish, depth 65; best line 4. d4 exd4 5. Nxd4 Bb4 6. Nxc6 bxc6)

ECO: C47
Moves: 6 plies
FEN: r1bqkb1r/pppp1ppp/2n2n2/4p3/4P3/2N2N2/PPPP1PPP/R1BQKB1R w KQkq - 4 4
PGN: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6

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

Results by rating

Average rating	Games	White / draw / Black
0-1499	53,339	48%48%
1500-1999	20,032	50%45%
2000+	4,632	50%43%
All	78,003	48%47%

Most played moves

Move	Games	White / draw / Black
4. Bc4	28,724 (37%)	46%49%
4. d4 Scotch Variation	17,226 (22%)	51%44%
4. Bb5 Spanish Variation (3… Nf6 4. Bb5)	15,522 (20%)	50%45%
4. d3	6,634 (9%)	45%50%
4. Nxe5 Halloween Gambit	2,850 (4%)	54%42%
4. a3 Gunsberg Variation	1,837 (2%)	51%45%
4. Be2	1,318 (2%)	49%47%
4. h3	1,063 (1%)	50%44%

Master games

3,735 over-the-board games are classified under this line (White 45%, draw 19%, Black 36%). The strongest:

GM Magnus Carlsen (2863) – GM Fabiano Caruana (2835) 1/2-1/2 · Carlsen Inv Prelim · 2020-04-22
GM Magnus Carlsen (2839) – GM Hikaru Nakamura (2807) 1-0 · Titled Tue 12th Aug Late · 2025-08-12
GM Magnus Carlsen (2847) – GM So, W. (2770) 1/2-1/2 · Magnus Carlsen Inv KO · 2021-03-20
GM Magnus Carlsen (2835) – GM Alireza Firouzja (2777) 1/2-1/2 · Bullet Chess Losers 2023 · 2023-07-21
GM Fabiano Caruana (2803) – GM Hikaru Nakamura (2802) 0-1 · Titled Tue 25th Feb Late · 2025-02-25

Search all games of the Four Knights Game and its sub-variations

Highest-rated Lichess games

winx_m (2933) – vistagusta (2819) 1-0 · 2026-09-01 · 180 + 0s
GM Chewbacca18 (2791) – winx_m (2949) 1-0 · 2026-09-02 · 180 + 0s
GM Chewbacca18 (2796) – winx_m (2945) 1-0 · 2026-09-02 · 180 + 0s

Comes from

Three Knights Opening (2… Nc6 3. Nc3) 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3

Continuations

Four Knights Game: Glek System (3… Nf6 4. g3) C47 · 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. g3
Four Knights Game: Gunsberg Variation C47 · 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. a3
Four Knights Game: Halloween Gambit C47 · 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nxe5
Four Knights Game: Naroditsky Variation C47 · 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nd5
Four Knights Game: Scotch Variation C47 · 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. d4
Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation (3… Nf6 4. Bb5) C48 · 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5

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.