Caissa Codex
C23

Bishop's Opening: Thorold Gambit

Chess diagram: Bishop's Opening: Thorold Gambit after 3…f5

Type a move and press Enter: e4, Nf3, O-O, or from and to squares like g1f3 (e7e8q to promote). The board is also played with the mouse.

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Statistics from Lichess

744 games: White 47.2% / Draw 2.6% / Black 50.3%

The moves played next. Pick one to see it on the board.
Next moveGamesWhite / Draw / BlackW / D / B
477477
8585
5151
3838
2424
2020
1313
88

Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 1, 2026

Engine evaluation

+3.01 White is clearly better

Best play: 4. exf5 Nf6 5. d4 exd4 6. Ne2 Bc5 7. Nxd4 c6 8. Be2 Qb6

Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.

Overview

Bishop's Opening: Thorold Gambit (ECO C23, Open Games) is a gambit in the Bishop's Opening, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 b5 3. Bxb5 f5 (3 moves).

In 744 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 47.2%, Black 50.3% and 2.6% were drawn. White's most played move here is 4. exf5, in 64% of those games.

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Other lines from the same position

Instead of 2…b5 3. Bxb5 f5, the position after Bishop's Opening also goes on to:

Cite this page

Caissa Codex. “Bishop's Opening: Thorold Gambit (C23)”. Lichess data as of 1 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/bishops-opening-thorold-gambit

https://chesscodex.org/openings/bishops-opening-thorold-gambit