Blackmar-Diemer Gambit Declined: Vienna Defense
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Statistics from Lichess
326,716 games: White 48.4% / Draw 3.8% / Black 47.7%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 127,990128K | ||
| 66,48266K | ||
| 58,67959K | ||
| Blackmar-Diemer Gambit: Zeller Defense, Soller Attack | 26,88827K | |
| 18,53619K | ||
| 12,81613K | ||
| 6,9116,911 | ||
| 2,1072,107 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.56 Black is slightly better
Best play: 5. fxe4 Nxe4 6. Qf3 Nxc3 7. bxc3 e6 8. Qxb7 Nd7 9. Nf3 Rb8
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 52% under 1400, 50% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 191K | |
| 1400–1799 | 235K | |
| 1800–2199 | 179K | |
| 2200 and up | 26K | |
| Masters, over the board | 28 |
Master games
- Scheerer, C. – Kopylov, M.
- Shirazi, K. G. – Krivoshey, S.
- Cabarkapa, N. – Lazic, M.
- Gysi, A. – LeBled, P.
- Trumpf, W. – Ponomarev, A. A.
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: Vienna 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 Bf5 (4 moves).
In 326,716 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.4%, Black 47.7% and 3.8% were drawn. White's most played move here is 5. fxe4, in 39% 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: Vienna Defense
The most played answer, 5. fxe4, also scores best for White: 52.6%, with White winning 50.6% and Black 45.4% of 128K games. Of the main answers, 5. Be3 scores lowest: 44.1%. Stockfish's first choice is also 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: Vienna Defense has gained ground since 2016: 0.02% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.012%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.012% | 4,450 |
| 2017 | 0.011% | 5,942 |
| 2018 | 0.0097% | 7,584 |
| 2019 | 0.0096% | 12,025 |
| 2020 | 0.0091% | 26,788 |
| 2021 | 0.0095% | 37,199 |
| 2022 | 0.0093% | 34,822 |
| 2023 | 0.01% | 39,475 |
| 2024 | 0.017% | 59,978 |
| 2025 | 0.02% | 68,079 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.021% | 22,872 |
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: Vienna Defense (D00)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/blackmar-diemer-gambit-declined-vienna-defense