- ECO code
- C48
- Moves
- 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5
- Family
- Four Knights Game
- To move
- Black
- Master games
- 501
- Average game length
- 41 moves
- Years covered
- 1857–2026
Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation is the opening filed under ECO code C48, reached after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5. It belongs to the Four Knights Game family and is known as the Spanish Variation; in the resulting position it is Black to move.
Katuranga's collection of 138,070 master games contains 501 games on this line — the 211th most played opening in the collection. The oldest game on this line is from 1857 and the most recent from 2026. The busiest decade in this collection is the 2020s, with 118 games. An average game here lasts 41 moves.
White wins 27% of those games, 50% end in a draw, and Black wins 23%. Compared with the collection average (White 37%, draws 35%, Black 28%), Black scores worse here by 5 percentage points. Draws are more common here than usual, by 15 points.
From this position the most popular move is 4...Bb4, played in 213 games, followed by 4...Nd4 (167) and 4...Bd6 (50). After 4...Bb4 White scores 30% and Black 25%.
The name that appears most often on the White side of this line is Wei Yi (36 games); on the Black side, Rubinstein, Akiba (35).
Reading about an opening is not the same as knowing it. Play this line against the Katuranga bot, then let the engine mark your brilliant moves, mistakes and blunders in Analysis — the fastest way to find out which of these moves you actually understand.
Results in master games
- White 27% (134)
- Draws 50% (252)
- Black 23% (115)
Most played continuations
| Move | Games | White / draws / Black | Leads into |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4...Bb4 | 213 | 30/45/25 | — |
| 4...Nd4 | 167 | 22/64/14 | — |
| 4...Bd6 | 50 | 30/38/32 | — |
| 4...Bc5 | 29 | 17/38/45 | — |
| 4...d6 | 29 | 34/42/24 | — |
| 4...a6 | 9 | 33/56/11 | — |
| 4...Be7 | 4 | 0/75/25 | — |
How the position is reached
- King's Pawn Game · 1.e4 · 62,859 games
- King's Pawn Game · 1.e4 e5 · 24,632 games
- King's Knight Opening · 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 · 21,895 games
- King's Knight Opening: Normal Variation · 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 · 19,295 games
- Three Knights Opening · 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 · 1,180 games
- Four Knights Game · 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 · 1,058 games
Played most often by
As White
- Wei Yi 36
- Nimzowitsch, Aaron 21
- Spielmann, Rudolf 16
As Black
- Rubinstein, Akiba 35
- Marshall, Frank James 27
- Spielmann, Rudolf 19
Games per decade
- 1850s 1
- 1880s 3
- 1890s 3
- 1900s 49
- 1910s 52
- 1920s 55
- 1930s 23
- 1940s 14
- 1950s 8
- 1960s 7
- 1970s 4
- 1980s 14
- 1990s 32
- 2000s 26
- 2010s 92
- 2020s 118
Master games on this line
| White | Black | Result | Year | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashraf,Artin | Caruana,F | 1-0 | 2026 | 2nd 3-0 Thu 1st Jan 2026 |
| Ashraf,Artin | Caruana,F | 0-1 | 2026 | 2nd 3-0 Thu 23rd Apr 2026 |
| Pranesh,M | Nakamura,Hi | 1-0 | 2026 | 1st 3-0 Thu 8th Jan 2026 |
| Starozhilov,L | Erigaisi,Arjun | 0-1 | 2026 | 1st 3-0 Thu 8th Jan 2026 |
| Erdogmus,Yagiz Kaan | Gukesh,D | 0-1 | 2026 | 88th Tata Steel Masters |
| Ashraf,Artin | Erigaisi,Arjun | 0-1 | 2026 | Titled Tue 3rd Feb 2026 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation?
It is the opening with ECO code C48, reached after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5. It belongs to the Four Knights Game family.
Is the Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation good for White or for Black?
In 501 master games on this line White wins 27%, 50% are drawn and Black wins 23%. The collection average is White 37%, draws 35%, Black 28% — so this line is no worse than usual for White than the field as a whole.
What is the main continuation of the Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation?
4...Bb4 — played in 213 of the master games on this line.
Which grandmasters play the Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation?
On the White side Wei Yi (36), Nimzowitsch, Aaron (21), Spielmann, Rudolf (16); on the Black side Rubinstein, Akiba (35), Marshall, Frank James (27), Spielmann, Rudolf (19).
Every number on this page is computed from Katuranga's master game collection; names and ECO codes follow the lichess opening book (CC0).
Try this line on the board
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