Bishop's Opening: McDonnell Gambit, McDonnell Double Gambit
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Statistics from Lichess
1,142 games: White 53.0% / Draw 3.1% / Black 44.0%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 657657 | ||
| 211211 | ||
| 9898 | ||
| 4040 | ||
| 3030 | ||
| 2929 | ||
| 1616 | ||
| 1616 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 23, 2026
Engine evaluation
−1.57 Black is clearly better
Even so, White scores 54.5% here in practice: wins plus half the draws in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500.
Best play: 4... exf4 5. c3 Qh4+ 6. Kf1 Be7 7. Nf3 Qh5 8. d4 c6 9. e5
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Bishop's Opening: McDonnell Gambit, McDonnell Double 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. f4 (4 moves).
In 1,142 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 53.0%, Black 44.0% and 3.1% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 4…exf4, in 58% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Bishop's Opening: Four Pawns Gambit.
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, McDonnell Double Gambit
4…d6 scores best for Black: 49.1%, with Black winning 46.9% and White 48.8% of 211 games. The most played answer, 4…exf4, scores lowest: 43.5% in 657 games. Stockfish's first choice is 4…exf4.
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 (1)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Bishop's Opening: McDonnell Gambit, McDonnell Double Gambit (C23)”. Lichess data as of 23 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/bishops-opening-mcdonnell-gambit-mcdonnell-double-gambit