Blackmar-Diemer Gambit 3. Nc3 Nf6
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Statistics from Lichess
3,822,509 games: White 51.3% / Draw 3.9% / Black 44.7%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 2,811,2062.8M | ||
| von Popiel Gambit | 665,105665K | |
| 107,480107K | ||
| Rasa-Studier Gambit | 66,97167K | |
| 51,87152K | ||
| 40,73541K | ||
| 21,81822K | ||
| 18,49018K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.66 Black is slightly better
Best play: 4. f3 exf3 5. Nxf3 g6 6. Bf4 Bg7 7. Qd2 Bg4 8. Be2 Nc6
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: Black scores 50% under 1400, 48% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 2M | |
| 1400–1799 | 2.8M | |
| 1800–2199 | 2.1M | |
| 2200 and up | 217K | |
| Masters, over the board | 261 |
Master games
- Haugen, A. – Weisskohl, J.
- Vauquelin, S. – Volkov, S.
- Haugen, A. – Donnelly, D. M. J.
- Haugen, A. – Bastos, P. R. L.
- Mellado Trivino, J. – Sandipan, C.
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
Overview
Blackmar-Diemer Gambit (ECO D00, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a gambit in the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit, reached after 1. d4 d5 2. e4 dxe4 3. Nc3 Nf6 (3 moves).
In 3,822,509 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 51.3%, Black 44.7% and 3.9% were drawn. White's most played move here is 4. f3, in 74% of those games.
It branches into 11 named variations; the most played are Blackmar-Diemer Gambit Accepted and Blackmar-Diemer Gambit: von Popiel Gambit. In all, 32 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 answer 3…Nf6
The most played answer, 4. f3, also scores best for White: 54.0%, with White winning 52.0% and Black 44.1% of 2.8M games. Of the main answers, 4. Bg5 scores lowest: 53.7%. Stockfish's first choice is also 4. f3.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: White'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
This line has gained ground since 2016: 0.2% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.13%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.13% | 47,273 |
| 2017 | 0.12% | 66,359 |
| 2018 | 0.12% | 93,070 |
| 2019 | 0.12% | 153,093 |
| 2020 | 0.12% | 361,699 |
| 2021 | 0.12% | 477,450 |
| 2022 | 0.12% | 445,485 |
| 2023 | 0.13% | 494,963 |
| 2024 | 0.18% | 662,997 |
| 2025 | 0.2% | 708,117 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.22% | 236,530 |
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 (11)
- D00 Blackmar-Diemer Gambit Accepted 4. f3 exf3
- D00 Blackmar-Diemer Gambit Declined: Brombacher Countergambit 4. f3 c5
- D00 Blackmar-Diemer Gambit Declined: Elbert Countergambit 4. f3 e5
- D00 Blackmar-Diemer Gambit Declined: Gedult Defense 4. f3 a6
- D00 Blackmar-Diemer Gambit Declined: Lamb Defense 4. f3 Nc6
- D00 Blackmar-Diemer Gambit Declined: Langeheinicke Defense 4. f3 e3
- D00 Blackmar-Diemer Gambit Declined: O'Kelly Defense 4. f3 c6
- D00 Blackmar-Diemer Gambit Declined: Vienna Defense 4. f3 Bf5
- D00 Blackmar-Diemer Gambit Declined: Weinsbach Defense 4. f3 e6
- D00 Rasa-Studier Gambit 4. Be3
- D00 von Popiel Gambit 4. Bg5
Transpositions
All 32 named lines that continue from here
No line matches.
- 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 Rasa-Studier Gambit 4 moves
- D00 von Popiel Gambit 4 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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Blackmar-Diemer Gambit (D00)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/blackmar-diemer-gambit-2