Bishop's Opening: Calabrese Countergambit
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Statistics from Lichess
566,153 games: White 48.0% / Draw 3.1% / Black 48.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 251,042251K | ||
| Jaenisch Variation | 94,77095K | |
| 50,93451K | ||
| 46,10946K | ||
| 32,30032K | ||
| Latvian Gambit: Mayet Attack | 28,99429K | |
| 23,67224K | ||
| 16,09616K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+1.20 White is better
Best play: 3. d4 exd4 4. Nh3 Nc6 5. Ng5 Ne5 6. Bxg8 Rxg8 7. Qxd4 d6
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: Black scores 46% under 1400, 48% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 329K | |
| 1800–2199 | 272K | |
| 2200 and up | 7,691 | |
| Masters, over the board | 12 |
Master games
- Bologan, V. – Bednarek, S.
- Magem Badals, J. – Argandona Riveiro, I.
- Rizouk, A. – Argandona Riveiro, I.
- Inkiov, V. – Argandona Riveiro, I.
- Heberla, B. – Citak, S.
Rated blitz, rapid and classical Lichess games by rating band, and over-the-board games of players rated 2200+ from the Lichess masters database, updated Sep 27, 2026
Overview
Bishop's Opening: Calabrese Countergambit (ECO C23, Open Games) is a gambit in the Bishop's Opening, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 f5 (2 moves).
In 566,153 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.0%, Black 48.8% and 3.1% were drawn. White's most played move here is 3. exf5, in 44% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Bishop's Opening: Calabrese Countergambit, Jaenisch Variation.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Bishop's Opening: Calabrese Countergambit
3. Nf3 (Latvian Gambit: Mayet Attack) scores best for White: 53.2%, with White winning 51.9% and Black 45.5% of 29K games. The most played answer, 3. exf5, scores lowest: 47.8% in 251K games. Stockfish's first choice is 3. d4.
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
Popularity by year
The Bishop's Opening: Calabrese Countergambit dipped to 0.017% of Lichess games in 2018 and has recovered since: 0.023% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.02% | 7,249 |
| 2017 | 0.019% | 10,653 |
| 2018 | 0.017% | 13,559 |
| 2019 | 0.02% | 24,732 |
| 2020 | 0.02% | 58,668 |
| 2021 | 0.023% | 88,327 |
| 2022 | 0.022% | 81,756 |
| 2023 | 0.022% | 83,352 |
| 2024 | 0.023% | 82,381 |
| 2025 | 0.023% | 80,107 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.023% | 25,648 |
Share of rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500 (blitz, rapid and classical) that reach this position, by year; 2026: January to April. Which openings are rising and falling
Variations (1)
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Bishop's Opening: Calabrese Countergambit (C23)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/bishops-opening-calabrese-countergambit