\\
For a three body potential, if $V_{ij}$ is not equal to $V_{ji}$, the derivative is of the form
\begin{equation}
\nabla_{{\bf r}_i} E = \frac{1}{2} \big[ \sum_j ( \nabla_{{\bf r}_i} V_{ij} + \nabla_{{\bf r}_i} V_{ji} ) + \sum_k \sum_j \nabla_{{\bf r}_i} V_{jk} \big] \textrm{ .}
\end{equation}
\\
For a three body potential, if $V_{ij}$ is not equal to $V_{ji}$, the derivative is of the form
\begin{equation}
\nabla_{{\bf r}_i} E = \frac{1}{2} \big[ \sum_j ( \nabla_{{\bf r}_i} V_{ij} + \nabla_{{\bf r}_i} V_{ji} ) + \sum_k \sum_j \nabla_{{\bf r}_i} V_{jk} \big] \textrm{ .}
\end{equation}