Blackmar-Diemer Gambit: Blackmar Gambit
The Blackmar Gambit is 1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.f3, the original form of the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit. Read the guide
Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.
Statistics from Lichess
1,185,902 games: White 50.8% / Draw 3.6% / Black 45.6%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 881,624882K | ||
| 150,454150K | ||
| 48,09348K | ||
| 21,40021K | ||
| 21,28321K | ||
| 20,12420K | ||
| 17,81318K | ||
| 8,8808,880 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 10, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.92 Black is better
Best play: 3... e5 4. dxe5 Qxd1+ 5. Kxd1 Nc6 6. fxe4 Bg4+ 7. Nf3 O-O-O+ 8. Bd2
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: White scores 49% under 1400, 47% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 761K | |
| 1400–1799 | 1M | |
| 1800–2199 | 619K | |
| 2200 and up | 25K | |
| Masters, over the board | 3 |
Master games
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
Description
The Blackmar Gambit is 1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.f3, the original form of the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit. White attacks the pawn on e4 at once, before developing the queen's knight.
History
The gambit is named after Armand Blackmar, a relatively little-known New Orleans player of the late 19th century. He popularised these moves and was the first to publish analysis of the opening.
Why it gave way
The popularity of the Blackmar Gambit was short-lived. It was basically unsound, because Black can answer the immediate 3.f3 with 3...e5 and get a superior position. In 1889 Ignatz von Popiel came up with 3.Nc3 instead, and the German master Emil Josef Diemer later popularised 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3. In that move order 4...e5 is ineffective, since 5.dxe5 hits the knight on f6 and after 5...Qxd1+ 6.Kxd1 it has to retreat. This is the modern Blackmar-Diemer Gambit.
The numbers
On Lichess White wins 50.8% of the 1.2 million games and Black 45.6%. Black does better at both ends: 49.0% against 46.9% under 1400, and 50.5% against 44.1% from 2200 up. There are only 3 master games.
Suggest an improvement or report a mistake
How to play against the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit: Blackmar Gambit
3…Nf6 scores best for Black: 49.6%, with Black winning 47.7% and White 48.5% of 150K games. The most played answer, 3…exf3, scores lowest: 46.1% in 882K games. Stockfish's first choice is 3…e5.
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: Blackmar Gambit has gained ground since 2016: 0.059% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.033%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.033% | 11,678 |
| 2017 | 0.034% | 18,753 |
| 2018 | 0.034% | 26,751 |
| 2019 | 0.038% | 47,095 |
| 2020 | 0.037% | 108,227 |
| 2021 | 0.039% | 153,910 |
| 2022 | 0.042% | 159,595 |
| 2023 | 0.046% | 171,241 |
| 2024 | 0.056% | 200,551 |
| 2025 | 0.059% | 203,338 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.058% | 64,046 |
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
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: Blackmar Gambit (D00)”. Lichess data as of 10 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/blackmar-diemer-gambit-blackmar-gambit