Bird Opening: Sturm Gambit
Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.
Statistics from Lichess
133,153 games: White 50.4% / Draw 4.0% / Black 45.6%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 44,78445K | ||
| 27,81828K | ||
| 20,32520K | ||
| 14,68015K | ||
| 13,16613K | ||
| 3,3143,314 | ||
| 3,0903,090 | ||
| 2,9432,943 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.75 Black is better
Best play: 2... d4 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 h5 5. d3 h4 6. Nxh4 e5 7. Nf3
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Bird Opening: Sturm Gambit (ECO A03, Flank Openings) is a gambit in the Bird Opening: Dutch Variation, reached after 1. f4 d5 2. c4 (2 moves).
In 133,153 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 50.4%, Black 45.6% and 4.0% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 2…dxc4, in 34% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
Write a description or report a mistake
How to play against the Bird Opening: Sturm Gambit
2…c6 scores best for Black: 50.4%, with Black winning 48.0% and White 47.2% of 20K games. The most played answer, 2…dxc4, scores lowest: 45.9% in 45K games. Stockfish's first choice is 2…d4.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: Black's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Bird Opening: Sturm Gambit (A03)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/bird-opening-sturm-gambit