Bird Opening: Williams-Zilbermints Gambit
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Statistics from Lichess
18,269 games: White 45.4% / Draw 4.6% / Black 50.0%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 5,9825,982 | ||
| 4,3804,380 | ||
| 2,7302,730 | ||
| 1,9151,915 | ||
| 1,0881,088 | ||
| 440440 | ||
| 406406 | ||
| 267267 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 1, 2026
Engine evaluation
−3.31 Black is clearly better
Even so, White scores 47.7% here in practice: wins plus half the draws in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500.
Best play: 4... Nc6 5. Ng3 Bg4 6. Be2 Bxe2 7. Qxe2 Nd4 8. Qd1 Qd7 9. O-O
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Bird Opening: Williams-Zilbermints 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. Nge2 (4 moves).
In 18,269 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 45.4%, Black 50.0% and 4.6% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 4…Bg4, in 33% 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: Williams-Zilbermints Gambit
4…b6 scores best for Black: 54.8%, with Black winning 52.1% and White 42.5% of 1,088 games. The most played, 4…Bg4, scores 53.4% in 5,982 games, and 4…Bf5 scores lowest: 48.6%. Stockfish's first choice is 4…Nc6.
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-Zilbermints Gambit (A03)”. Lichess data as of 1 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/bird-opening-williams-zilbermints-gambit