Bishop's Opening: McDonnell Gambit
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Statistics from Lichess
22,359 games: White 52.5% / Draw 3.2% / Black 44.3%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 15,34315K | ||
| 4,6374,637 | ||
| 1,0571,057 | ||
| 622622 | ||
| 143143 | ||
| 138138 | ||
| 118118 | ||
| 7777 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.13 The position is about equal
Best play: 3... Bb6 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O c6 7. Nxe5 d5 8. exd5
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Bishop's Opening: McDonnell Gambit (ECO C23, Open Games) is a gambit in the Bishop's Opening: Boi Variation, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Bc5 3. b4 (3 moves).
In 22,359 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 52.5%, Black 44.3% and 3.2% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 3…Bxb4, in 69% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations; the most played are Bishop's Opening: McDonnell Gambit, La Bourdonnais-Denker Gambit and Bishop's Opening: McDonnell Gambit, McDonnell Double Gambit. In all, 3 named lines continue from it.
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: McDonnell Gambit
3…Bb6 scores best for Black: 50.8%, with Black winning 49.1% and White 47.5% of 4,637 games. The most played answer, 3…Bxb4, scores lowest: 45.3% in 15K games. Stockfish's first choice is also 3…Bb6.
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
Variations (2)
All 3 named lines that continue from here
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Bishop's Opening: McDonnell Gambit (C23)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/bishops-opening-mcdonnell-gambit