Bishop's Opening: McDonnell Gambit, La Bourdonnais-Denker Gambit
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Statistics from Lichess
13,131 games: White 53.5% / Draw 3.1% / Black 43.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 6,9246,924 | ||
| 3,2423,242 | ||
| 2,1572,157 | ||
| 712712 | ||
| 8181 | ||
| 55 | ||
| 33 | ||
| 11 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.17 The position is about equal
Best play: 4... Ba5 5. d4 Ne7 6. dxe5 O-O 7. Nf3 Nbc6 8. O-O d6 9. exd6
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Bishop's Opening: McDonnell Gambit, La Bourdonnais-Denker Gambit (ECO C23, Open Games) is a gambit in the Bishop's Opening: McDonnell Gambit, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Bc5 3. b4 Bxb4 4. c3 (4 moves).
In 13,131 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 53.5%, Black 43.4% and 3.1% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 4…Bc5, in 53% 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: McDonnell Gambit, La Bourdonnais-Denker Gambit
4…Ba5 scores best for Black: 48.7%, with Black winning 47.2% and White 49.8% of 3,242 games. The most played answer, 4…Bc5, scores lowest: 42.3% in 6,924 games. Stockfish's first choice is also 4…Ba5.
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. “Bishop's Opening: McDonnell Gambit, La Bourdonnais-Denker Gambit (C23)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/bishops-opening-mcdonnell-gambit-la-bourdonnais-denker-gambit