Alekhine Defense: Four Pawns Attack, Cambridge Gambit
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Statistics from Lichess
43,880 games: White 46.3% / Draw 4.4% / Black 49.3%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 13,72414K | ||
| 10,00710K | ||
| 7,7847,784 | ||
| 5,8165,816 | ||
| 3,0613,061 | ||
| 913913 | ||
| 595595 | ||
| 385385 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 10, 2026
Engine evaluation
+1.72 White is clearly better
Even so, Black scores 51.5% here in practice: wins plus half the draws in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500.
Best play: 6. Nc3 Bg7 7. Qh5 dxe5 8. dxe5 O-O 9. Nf3 g4 10. Nh4 Qd4
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Alekhine Defense: Four Pawns Attack, Cambridge Gambit (ECO B03, Semi-Open Games) is a gambit in the Alekhine Defense: Four Pawns Attack, reached after 1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. c4 Nb6 5. f4 g5 (5 moves).
In 43,880 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 46.3%, Black 49.3% and 4.4% were drawn. White's most played move here is 6. Nf3, in 31% of those games.
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How to play against the Alekhine Defense: Four Pawns Attack, Cambridge Gambit
6. Nc3 scores best for White: 54.8%, with White winning 52.5% and Black 42.9% of 5,816 games. The most played, 6. Nf3, scores 51.1% in 14K games, and 6. fxg5 scores lowest: 41.8%. Stockfish's first choice is also 6. Nc3.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: White's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Alekhine Defense: Four Pawns Attack, Cambridge Gambit (B03)”. Lichess data as of 10 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/alekhine-defense-four-pawns-attack-cambridge-gambit