Bird Opening: Williams Gambit 3…Nf6 4. Qe2
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Statistics from Lichess
30,427 games: White 49.1% / Draw 3.9% / Black 47.0%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 11,15811K | ||
| 7,3467,346 | ||
| 4,0984,098 | ||
| 3,2683,268 | ||
| 2,0352,035 | ||
| 1,0181,018 | ||
| 356356 | ||
| 289289 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
−2.18 Black is clearly better
Even so, White scores 51.0% here in practice: wins plus half the draws in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500.
Best play: 4... Bf5 5. Qb5+ Bd7 6. Qe2 Bg4 7. Qe3 Bf5 8. h3 h5 9. b3
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Bird Opening: Williams Gambit (ECO A03, Flank Openings) is a gambit in the Bird Opening: Williams Gambit, reached after 1. f4 d5 2. e4 dxe4 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Qe2 (4 moves).
In 30,427 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.1%, Black 47.0% and 3.9% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 4…Bf5, in 37% of those games.
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How to answer 4. Qe2
4…Qd4 scores best for Black: 54.8%, with Black winning 52.2% and White 42.7% of 3,268 games. The most played answer, 4…Bf5, scores lowest: 43.1% in 11K games. Stockfish's first choice is 4…Bf5.
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: Williams Gambit (A03)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/bird-opening-williams-gambit-2