Blackmar-Diemer Gambit Declined: O'Kelly Defense
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Statistics from Lichess
242,417 games: White 51.7% / Draw 4.5% / Black 43.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 184,841185K | ||
| 22,91523K | ||
| 16,32016K | ||
| 10,42810K | ||
| 3,9243,924 | ||
| 2,0972,097 | ||
| 662662 | ||
| 566566 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.11 The position is about equal
Best play: 5. fxe4 e5 6. dxe5 Qxd1+ 7. Nxd1 Nxe4 8. Nf3 Be6 9. Bd3 Nc5
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 Black: Black scores 46% under 1400, 50% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 51K | |
| 1400–1799 | 85K | |
| 1800–2199 | 162K | |
| 2200 and up | 29K | |
| Masters, over the board | 19 |
Master games
- Abbasifar, H. – Filippov, V.
- Mellado Trivino, J. – Campos Moreno, J.
- Abbasifar, H. – Sturua, Z.
- Sedlak, N. – Rogac, S.
- Van Eijk, S. – Saltaev, M.
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 Declined: O'Kelly Defense (ECO D00, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a declined gambit in the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit, reached after 1. d4 d5 2. e4 dxe4 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. f3 c6 (4 moves).
In 242,417 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 51.7%, Black 43.8% and 4.5% were drawn. White's most played move here is 5. fxe4, in 76% 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 Declined: O'Kelly Defense
5. Bc4 scores best for White: 56.4%, with White winning 54.5% and Black 41.6% of 23K games. The most played, 5. fxe4, scores 54.2% in 185K games, and 5. Bg5 scores lowest: 52.0%. Stockfish's first choice is 5. fxe4.
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 Declined: O'Kelly Defense is played more than three times as often as in 2016: 0.015% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.0047%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.0047% | 1,668 |
| 2017 | 0.0053% | 2,895 |
| 2018 | 0.0058% | 4,525 |
| 2019 | 0.006% | 7,540 |
| 2020 | 0.0055% | 15,998 |
| 2021 | 0.0063% | 24,742 |
| 2022 | 0.008% | 29,977 |
| 2023 | 0.0095% | 35,785 |
| 2024 | 0.013% | 46,036 |
| 2025 | 0.015% | 50,656 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.016% | 17,217 |
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
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Blackmar-Diemer Gambit Declined: O'Kelly Defense (D00)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/blackmar-diemer-gambit-declined-okelly-defense