The Four Knights Game arises after 1. 2. 3. , with all four knights out and your e5 pawn guarded by the c6 knight. As Black you score 48.2% across 565,518 Lichess games between 900 and 1700 (September 2026 data). Your opponent's edge out of the opening is small; what decides things is how you meet 4., 4. and 4..
Lichess games from September 2026 (30,577,162 rated 900 to 1700) and 31,791 over-the-board games rated 2300+ from the last 12 months. Data updated: October 14, 2026.
40 named lines in this family; 2 with their own page.
The opening's share in each Lichess rating band.
At your level, 38 in 100 opponents go for 4., 22 for 4. and 21 for 4.. Among online players rated over 2200 the picture changes: 4. and 4. account for more than half the games between them, 4. rises to 14 in 100 and 4. drops to 11. The gap that matters most for you comes after 4. 5.: strong players choose 80 times in 100, the public only 25. The popular choice at your level is , and with it you score 44 in 100; with you score 52.
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 38.4% | 50.1% | 10.8% | no data | |
| 21.7% | 54.6% | 28.7% | 34.3% | |
| 20.9% | 52.6% | 28.1% | 42.4% | |
| 8.8% | 48.7% | no data | no data | |
| 2.5% | 54.1% | no data | no data | |
| 2.0% | 51.7% | 14.1% | 4.8% | |
| no data | no data | 4.9% | 11.8% | |
| no data | no data | 4.7% | 3.1% | |
| no data | no data | no data | 3.6% |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 69.5% | 54.0% | 90.4% | 93.0% | |
| 10.3% | 51.4% | 8.4% | 7.0% | |
| 9.9% | 56.7% | 0.8% | no data | |
| 3.8% | 61.5% | no data | no data | |
| 2.3% | 58.2% | 0.2% | no data | |
| 2.2% | 52.1% | 0.2% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 97.5% | 54.3% | 88.0% | 100.0% | |
| 1.8% | 53.1% | 12.0% | no data | |
| 0.3% | 49.2% | no data | no data | |
| 0.2% | 41.5% | no data | no data | |
| 0.1% | 10.8% | no data | no data | |
| 0.1% | 26.8% | no data | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45.6% | 56.5% | 1.5% | no data | |
| 24.6% | 48.1% | 79.8% | 92.4% | |
| 17.4% | 54.3% | 8.8% | 7.6% | |
| 4.1% | 54.0% | 2.0% | no data | |
| 2.3% | 54.6% | 0.3% | no data | |
| 2.3% | 55.5% | no data | no data | |
| no data | no data | 7.3% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 70.9% | 51.5% | 98.4% | 100.0% | |
| 5.1% | 43.3% | 0.5% | no data | |
| 5.0% | 38.3% | no data | no data | |
| 4.1% | 46.4% | 0.9% | no data | |
| 3.2% | 35.9% | no data | no data | |
| 2.9% | 46.6% | 0.2% | no data |
Against 4., the line strong players choose has one target: the pawn on e4. You keep hitting it until your opponent has to tie pieces to its defence, then you challenge it with a pawn. The sequence runs 4. 5. 6. 7. .
trades your e5 pawn for the d-pawn and opens the centre. Once 5. recaptures, d2 is empty, so pins the c3 knight to the king. That knight was the only guard on e4, and a pinned knight can't recapture, so your f6 knight now threatens to grab the pawn. Your c6 knight is also attacking the one on d4. At your level 70 in 100 players take on d4; among strong players it's 90. Holding the pawn with is worse, because 5. drives your c6 knight away.
6. deals with one of those problems. Take back with , towards the centre: the new c6 pawn will support d5, and your d-pawn is still at home, ready to advance. Your rook picks up a half-open b-file as well.
7. gives e4 a second defender. Now comes : backed by the c6 pawn, it hits e4 head-on and clears d7 for your light-squared bishop. The order matters. Without the pin, the c3 knight would simply hold e4; without , the pawn on d5 would have no pawn behind it.
Strong players hardly deviate: after 6., 98 in 100 recapture with , and after 7., 68 in 100 play . At your level, though, only 25 in 100 find . The most common move is , which scores 44 in 100 for you, against 52 with . Whatever the line, both kings end up castled short in 51 in 100 games at your level.
Bear in mind that 4. isn't what you'll face most often. At your level 38 in 100 opponents play 4., which aims at f7 and leaves e4 guarded only by the c3 knight. There your strongest reply is , and you score 58 in 100 with it. Against 4., which leans on the c6 knight, the strongest reply is , hitting the bishop.
| Move | Strong games | Chosen by |
|---|---|---|
| 13,458 | 28.9% | |
| 3,861 | 90.5% | |
| 3,482 | 88.5% | |
| 4,101 | 80.2% | |
| 3,251 | 98.4% | |
| 3,174 | 97.9% | |
| 3,156 | 94.2% | |
| 2,925 | 68.2% |
After 4., does nothing for f7, which is still defended only by your king. 5. hits it with knight and bishop, and after 6. 7. you're a pawn down. You score 47 in 100 after it, against 58 with .
8 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1.6 pawns of advantage. It scores 46.6%; scores 58.1%.
Against 4., covers g5 so the knight can't jump there, but it costs you a tempo. It's an inaccuracy: after 5. 6. 7. material is still level. You score 50 in 100, against 58 with .
11 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.7 pawns of advantage. It scores 49.5%; scores 58.1%.
Against 4., opens the diagonal and pins your c6 knight to the king. After 5. 6. you spend breaking the pin, and after 7. your bishop sits behind the d6 pawn. At your level it rarely gets punished: 48 in 100 for you, 50 with .
23 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.7 pawns of advantage. It scores 48.3%; scores 50.0%.
Against 4., just gives away a pawn. 5. takes it and attacks your c6 knight, while the c3 knight and the c4 bishop guard d5. After 6. 7. you're still a pawn down. You score 40 in 100, against 58 with .
3 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1.5 pawns of advantage. It scores 39.6%; scores 58.1%.
Against 4., pins your c6 knight, the piece holding e5, and 5. picks up the pawn. After 6. 7. you win it back, but the e-file is open with your king still on e8. You score 45 in 100; with , 50.
3 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 2.5 pawns of advantage. It scores 45.2%; scores 50.0%.
Against 4., holds e5 but lets 5. kick your c6 knight. After 6. 7. your opponent has gained space while your knight took two moves to reach g6. It's an inaccuracy that often goes unpunished at your level: 43 in 100 for you, 46 with .
10 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.6 pawns of advantage. It scores 43.3%; scores 46.0%.
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 291,093 | ||
| Not castled | 65,934 | |
| Not castled | 49,537 | |
| 44,665 | ||
| Not castled | Not castled | 44,308 |
| 36,439 |
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 378 | ||
| Not castled | 19 | |
| Not castled | Not castled | 18 |
| 15 | ||
| Not castled | 11 | |
| 11 |
1. 2. 3. 4. · 258,377 amateur games · 9 over the board
The bishop on c4 eyes f7; your strongest reply is , scoring 58 in 100.
1. 2. 3. 4. · 120,742 amateur games · 187 over the board
4. leans on the c6 knight that guards e5; answer with , hitting the bishop.
1. 2. 3. 4. · 64,020 amateur games · 128 over the board
After 5., pins the c3 knight and puts e4 under fire.
1. 2. 3. 4. · 31,896 amateur games · 18 over the board
4. opens the centre; 90 in 100 strong players take with .
1. 2. 3. 4. · 14,828 amateur games · 23 over the board
4. covers b4, taking away the square your bishop wants for the pin.
1. 2. 3. 4. · 5,419 amateur games · 20 over the board
4. clears g2 for the bishop; you score 52 in 100 against it.
1. 2. 3. 4. · C47
2,221 amateur games · White's score: 47.6%
It's the position after 1. 2. 3. , with all four knights developed. You can also reach it through 3. . It turns up in about 3 in 100 games between 900 and 1100 and 1 in 100 between 1500 and 1700. As Black you score 48 in 100.
It's 4., opening the centre, and 22 in 100 opponents at your level play it. Strong players take with 90 times in 100, then answer 5. with , pinning the c3 knight and aiming at e4. That pin scores 52 in 100 for you; the popular scores 44.
This is the line you'll face most: 38 in 100 opponents at your level put the bishop on c4, aiming at f7. Your strongest reply is , which scores 58 in 100. Avoid , which allows 5. against f7, and , which loses a pawn to 5..