Bishop's Opening: Horwitz Gambit
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Statistics from Lichess
5,161 games: White 52.5% / Draw 3.0% / Black 44.5%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 3,3783,378 | ||
| 1,0941,094 | ||
| 353353 | ||
| 9393 | ||
| 6363 | ||
| 5252 | ||
| 4141 | ||
| 2323 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+1.54 White is clearly better
Even so, Black scores 46.0% here in practice: wins plus half the draws in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500.
Best play: 4. Bxb5 c6 5. Ba4 Bc5 6. Nf3 d6 7. d3 O-O 8. O-O Qc7
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Bishop's Opening: Horwitz Gambit (ECO C26, Open Games) is a gambit in the Bishop's Opening: Berlin Defense, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. Nc3 b5 (3 moves).
In 5,161 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 52.5%, Black 44.5% and 3.0% were drawn. White's most played move here is 4. Bxb5, in 65% 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 Bishop's Opening: Horwitz Gambit
4. Bb3 scores best for White: 55.9%, with White winning 54.8% and Black 43.1% of 1,094 games. The most played, 4. Bxb5, scores 54.9% in 3,378 games, and 4. Nxb5 scores lowest: 53.5%. Stockfish's first choice is 4. Bxb5.
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
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Bishop's Opening: Horwitz Gambit (C26)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/bishops-opening-horwitz-gambit