Chess opening · ECO C46

Three Knights Opening

The Three Knights Opening starts 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3. It ranks #58 of the 174 openings on this site by how often rated players on Lichess reach it.

The position after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3. Black to move.

Move by move

  1. 1. e4White pushes the e-pawn two squares to e4, staking a claim in the center.
  2. 1... e5Black pushes the e-pawn two squares to e5, staking a claim in the center.
  3. 2. Nf3White develops the kingside knight to f3.
  4. 2... Nc6Black develops the queenside knight to c6.
  5. 3. Nc3White develops the queenside knight to c3.

What players choose next, by rating

The three most common Black moves from this position in rated Lichess games, grouped by the rating of the player making the move. Nf6 is the most popular next move in every rating band.

RatingMost commonSecondThird
Under 1200Nf6 49%Bc5 17%d6 13%
1200–1399Nf6 46%Bc5 19%d6 12%
1400–1599Nf6 45%Bc5 24%Bb4 10%
1600–1799Nf6 47%Bc5 28%d6 9%
1800–1999Nf6 56%Bc5 27%d6 8%
2000 and upNf6 76%Bc5 13%d6 6%

Related openings

King's Knight Opening: Normal VariationThe line this one grows fromFour Knights GameA variation of this line

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