Blackmar-Diemer Gambit
The Blackmar-Diemer Gambit (1.d4 d5 2.e4) is an aggressive gambit for White; its main line continues 2...dxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3. Read the guide
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Statistics from Lichess
8,943,496 games: White 51.5% / Draw 3.9% / Black 44.7%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 6,364,7686.4M | ||
| French Defense | 880,003880K | |
| Caro-Kann Defense | 734,179734K | |
| 402,636403K | ||
| Nimzowitsch Defense: Scandinavian Variation | 247,310247K | |
| 141,977142K | ||
| King's Pawn Game: Beyer Gambit | 91,23091K | |
| 21,26621K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 8, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.62 Black is slightly better
Best play: 2... dxe4 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. f3 exf3 5. Nxf3 c6 6. Bd3 Bg4 7. Be3
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 better this line does for White: White scores 49% under 1400, 52% at 2200 and up and 42% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 7.2M | |
| 1400–1799 | 8.1M | |
| 1800–2199 | 4.5M | |
| 2200 and up | 280K | |
| Masters, over the board | 301 |
Master games
- Haugen, A. – Weisskohl, J.
- Vauquelin, S. – Volkov, S.
- Haugen, A. – Donnelly, D. M. J.
- Haugen, A. – Bastos, P. R. L.
- Seel, C. – Van Foreest, J.
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 26, 2026
Description
The Blackmar-Diemer Gambit (1.d4 d5 2.e4) is an aggressive gambit for White; its main line continues 2...dxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3. White gives up a pawn to open the f-file and get rapid development and attacking chances on the kingside. It is controversial: popular with club players, but rarely seen in master chess.
Origins
It grew out of the earlier Blackmar Gambit, named after Armand Blackmar, a little-known New Orleans player of the late 19th century. The original form 1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.f3 proved unsound. In 1889 Ignatz von Popiel introduced 3.Nc3. The modern form owes much to the German master Emil Josef Diemer (1908–1990), who popularised 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3. International Master Gary Lane has advocated it for club players.
The idea
After 4...exf3 5.Nxf3, White has a tempo and a half-open f-file for the pawn and aims for rapid development and an attack. Typical ideas are Qe1–h4 with Bh6 against a kingside fianchetto, and sacrifices on e6 and f7. Black has an extra pawn and, in the view of many, good chances of defending and converting it in the endgame.
Main lines
Black's five main defences after 5.Nxf3:
- Ziegler Defence 5...c6: considered Black's most critical answer today.
- Teichmann Defence 5...Bg4: pins the knight.
- Euwe Defence 5...e6: a French-style setup.
- Bogoljubov Defence 5...g6: fianchettoes the bishop.
- Gunderam Defence 5...Bf5: White's main reply is 6.Ne5.
Black can also deviate on move three, for example with the Lemberger Countergambit 3...e5 or the Zeller Defence 3...Bf5.
Strengths and weaknesses
Strengths
- Fast development and attacking chances from the first moves.
- Many opponents answering 1.d4 with 1...d5 don't expect it.
- Clear, repeatable attacking plans.
Weaknesses
- Its soundness is heavily debated. Many masters dismiss it, and Andrew Martin compared playing it to "shopping for a tombstone".
- Well-prepared opponents (especially with 5...c6) keep the extra pawn and a good position.
- It only works against 1...d5; against 1...Nf6 White needs a different plan.
Who should play it
The BDG suits attacking club players who enjoy gambits and open kingside attacks and are ready to be a pawn down. It is effective against defensive players who don't know the specific lines. It is less suitable for players who want objectively sound openings or who play against strong, well-prepared opposition.
The numbers
On Lichess the BDG depends heavily on rating. Below 1400 Black wins more often, 48.6% against 47%. From 1400 to 2200 White does better, 50.9–51.6% against 44.3–45.7%. Above 2200 it is 49% against 45%. There are only about 300 master games, too few to draw firm conclusions.
Suggest an improvement or report a mistake
How to play against the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit
The most played answer, 2…dxe4, also scores best for Black: 47.1%, with Black winning 45.2% and White 50.9% of 6.4M games. Of the main answers, 2…c6 scores lowest: 45.8%. Stockfish's first choice is also 2…dxe4.
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 Blackmar-Diemer Gambit has gained ground since 2016: 0.46% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.3%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.3% | 106,915 |
| 2017 | 0.27% | 150,580 |
| 2018 | 0.26% | 204,009 |
| 2019 | 0.29% | 359,266 |
| 2020 | 0.29% | 845,471 |
| 2021 | 0.3% | 1,174,507 |
| 2022 | 0.3% | 1,117,594 |
| 2023 | 0.32% | 1,204,217 |
| 2024 | 0.42% | 1,511,942 |
| 2025 | 0.46% | 1,586,201 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.47% | 515,229 |
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
Variations (8)
- D00 Blackmar-Diemer Gambit 2…dxe4 3. Nc3 Nf6
- D00 Blackmar Gambit 2…dxe4 3. f3
- D00 Diemer-Rosenberg Attack 2…dxe4 3. Be3
- D00 Fritz Attack 2…dxe4 3. Bc4
- D00 Lemberger Countergambit 2…dxe4 3. Nc3 e5
- D00 Netherlands Variation 2…dxe4 3. Nc3 f5
- D00 Reversed Albin Countergambit 2…dxe4 3. Nc3 c5
- D00 Zeller Defense 2…dxe4 3. Nc3 Bf5
Transpositions
All 46 named lines that continue from here
No line matches.
- D00 Blackmar-Diemer Gambit 3 moves
- D00 Blackmar Gambit 3 moves
- D00 Diemer-Rosenberg Attack 3 moves
- D00 Fritz Attack 3 moves
- D00 Lemberger Countergambit 3 moves
- D00 Netherlands Variation 3 moves
- D00 Reversed Albin Countergambit 3 moves
- D00 Zeller Defense 3 moves
- D00 Blackmar-Diemer Gambit Accepted 4 moves
- D00 Blackmar-Diemer Gambit Declined: Brombacher Countergambit 4 moves
- D00 Blackmar-Diemer Gambit Declined: Elbert Countergambit 4 moves
- D00 Blackmar-Diemer Gambit Declined: Gedult Defense 4 moves
- D00 Blackmar-Diemer Gambit Declined: Lamb Defense 4 moves
- D00 Blackmar-Diemer Gambit Declined: Langeheinicke Defense 4 moves
- D00 Blackmar-Diemer Gambit Declined: O'Kelly Defense 4 moves
- D00 Blackmar-Diemer Gambit Declined: Vienna Defense 4 moves
- D00 Blackmar-Diemer Gambit Declined: Weinsbach Defense 4 moves
- D00 Endgame Variation 4 moves
- D00 Lange Gambit 4 moves
- D00 Rasmussen Attack 4 moves
- D00 Sneiders Attack 4 moves
- D00 Soller Attack 4 moves
- D00 Rasa-Studier Gambit 4 moves
- D00 von Popiel Gambit 4 moves
- D00 Soller Attack 5 moves
- D00 Bogoljubow Defense 5 moves
- D00 Euwe Defense 5 moves
- D00 Gunderam Defense 5 moves
- D00 Holwell Defense 5 moves
- D00 Kaulich Defense 5 moves
- D00 Pietrowsky Defense 5 moves
- D00 Ritter Defense 5 moves
- D00 Ryder Gambit 5 moves
- D00 Schlutter Defense 5 moves
- D00 Teichmann Defense 5 moves
- D00 Ziegler Defense 5 moves
- D00 Zilbermints Variation 8 moves
- D00 Kloss Attack 8 moves
- D00 Mad Dog Attack 7 moves
- D00 Nimzowitsch Attack 7 moves
- D00 Studier Attack 8 moves
- D00 Zilbermints Gambit 9 moves
- D00 Stader Variation 7 moves
- D00 Ciesielski Variation 8 moves
- D00 Classical Variation 8 moves
- D00 Seidel-Hall Attack 8 moves
Sources
- History and theory: adapted from the Wikipedia article Blackmar–Diemer Gambit, version of 23 October 2026, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Results: Lichess opening explorer, figures collected from September to November 2026.
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Blackmar-Diemer Gambit (D00)”. Lichess data as of 8 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/blackmar-diemer-gambit