Bishop's Opening: Lewis Gambit
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Statistics from Lichess
390,520 games: White 58.3% / Draw 3.6% / Black 38.1%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 229,325229K | ||
| 149,324149K | ||
| 3,8643,864 | ||
| 1,9711,971 | ||
| 1,4011,401 | ||
| 1,3031,303 | ||
| 730730 | ||
| 693693 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 20, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.16 The position is about equal
Best play: 3... Bxd4 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. Nxd4 Nxd4 6. Be3 Nc6 7. Qg4 Qf6 8. Qe2
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
The stronger the players, the worse this line does for White: White scores 61% under 1400, 53% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 148K | |
| 1400–1799 | 370K | |
| 1800–2199 | 180K | |
| 2200 and up | 3,389 | |
| Masters, over the board | 2 |
Master games
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: Lewis Gambit (ECO C23, Open Games) is a gambit in the Bishop's Opening: Boi Variation, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Bc5 3. d4 (3 moves).
In 390,520 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 58.3%, Black 38.1% and 3.6% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 3…exd4, in 59% 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: Lewis Gambit
3…Bxd4 scores best for Black: 50.2%, with Black winning 48.4% and White 47.9% of 149K games. The most played answer, 3…exd4, scores lowest: 33.9% in 229K games. Stockfish's first choice is also 3…Bxd4.
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
Popularity by year
The Bishop's Opening: Lewis Gambit is played more than twice as often as in 2016: 0.016% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.0078% (its peak: 0.019% in 2022).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.0078% | 2,783 |
| 2017 | 0.0091% | 4,998 |
| 2018 | 0.011% | 8,493 |
| 2019 | 0.011% | 13,945 |
| 2020 | 0.0096% | 28,068 |
| 2021 | 0.015% | 59,359 |
| 2022 | 0.019% | 72,011 |
| 2023 | 0.018% | 67,980 |
| 2024 | 0.016% | 57,911 |
| 2025 | 0.016% | 54,563 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.014% | 15,536 |
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Bishop's Opening: Lewis Gambit (C23)”. Lichess data as of 20 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/bishops-opening-lewis-gambit