Blackmar-Diemer Gambit Accepted: Ziegler Defense
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Statistics from Lichess
292,652 games: White 53.7% / Draw 4.0% / Black 42.3%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 164,710165K | ||
| 81,67382K | ||
| 21,24921K | ||
| 12,61513K | ||
| 4,5184,518 | ||
| 3,4533,453 | ||
| 2,0272,027 | ||
| 1,6551,655 |
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: 6. Bd3 Bg4 7. Be3 e6 8. h3 Bh5 9. Qe2 Bb4 10. Qf2 Nd5
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 44% under 1400, 46% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 17K | |
| 1400–1799 | 89K | |
| 1800–2199 | 199K | |
| 2200 and up | 33K | |
| Masters, over the board | 29 |
Master games
- Gareev, T. – Vazquez, G.
- Mamonovas, V. – Martí Pericot, J. M.
- Trumpf, W. – Vlasveld, W. M.
- Motta, P. – O'Hare, C.
- Trumpf, W. – Wallner, 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 27, 2026
Overview
Blackmar-Diemer Gambit Accepted: Ziegler Defense (ECO D00, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a gambit in the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit Accepted, reached after 1. d4 d5 2. e4 dxe4 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. f3 exf3 5. Nxf3 c6 (5 moves).
In 292,652 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 53.7%, Black 42.3% and 4.0% were drawn. White's most played move here is 6. Bc4, in 56% 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 Blackmar-Diemer Gambit Accepted: Ziegler Defense
The most played answer, 6. Bc4, also scores best for White: 58.5%, with White winning 56.6% and Black 39.5% of 165K games. Of the main answers, 6. Bg5 scores lowest: 49.4%. Stockfish's first choice is 6. Bd3.
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
The Blackmar-Diemer Gambit Accepted: Ziegler Defense is played more than twice as often as in 2016: 0.018% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.0085%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.0085% | 3,050 |
| 2017 | 0.0088% | 4,860 |
| 2018 | 0.0087% | 6,834 |
| 2019 | 0.0082% | 10,276 |
| 2020 | 0.007% | 20,421 |
| 2021 | 0.0071% | 27,587 |
| 2022 | 0.0086% | 32,163 |
| 2023 | 0.01% | 37,726 |
| 2024 | 0.016% | 56,642 |
| 2025 | 0.018% | 63,999 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.02% | 22,048 |
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Blackmar-Diemer Gambit Accepted: Ziegler Defense (D00)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/blackmar-diemer-gambit-accepted-ziegler-defense