Bird Opening: Thomas Gambit
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Statistics from Lichess
1,790 games: White 54.7% / Draw 5.2% / Black 40.1%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 860860 | ||
| 676676 | ||
| 192192 | ||
| 1818 | ||
| 99 | ||
| 88 | ||
| 66 | ||
| 66 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 23, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.68 White is slightly better
Best play: 5... g6 6. exd4 cxd4 7. Na3 Bg7 8. Bb5+ Bd7 9. Bxd7+ Qxd7 10. Bxd4
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Bird Opening: Thomas Gambit (ECO A03, Flank Openings) is a gambit in the Bird Opening: Dutch Variation, reached after 1. f4 d5 2. b3 Nf6 3. Bb2 d4 4. Nf3 c5 5. e3 (5 moves).
In 1,790 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 54.7%, Black 40.1% and 5.2% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 5…Nc6, in 48% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Bird Opening: Thomas Gambit
The most played answer, 5…Nc6, also scores best for Black: 44.1%, with Black winning 41.9% and White 53.6% of 860 games. Of the main answers, 5…Bg4 scores lowest: 40.9%. Stockfish's first choice is 5…g6.
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Bird Opening: Thomas Gambit (A03)”. Lichess data as of 23 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/bird-opening-thomas-gambit