Blackmar-Diemer Gambit: Zeller Defense
Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.
Statistics from Lichess
552,089 games: White 53.3% / Draw 3.5% / Black 43.1%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 399,051399K | ||
| 26,47526K | ||
| 25,54026K | ||
| 25,12025K | ||
| 20,85121K | ||
| 17,36117K | ||
| 11,27611K | ||
| 7,0157,015 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.11 The position is about equal
Best play: 4. g4 Bg6 5. Nge2 e5 6. Be3 Nd7 7. Qd2 h5 8. g5 Bb4
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 48% both under 1400 and at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 335K | |
| 1400–1799 | 531K | |
| 1800–2199 | 261K | |
| 2200 and up | 15K | |
| Masters, over the board | 11 |
Master games
- Biolek, R. – Dovzik, J.
- Keller, C. – Ruzele, D.
- Krudde, F. – Kuijf, M.
- Forthofer, R. – Zatonskih, A.
- Canal Oliveras, J. – Perez Rodriguez, L. 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: Zeller Defense (ECO D00, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a gambit in the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit, reached after 1. d4 d5 2. e4 dxe4 3. Nc3 Bf5 (3 moves).
In 552,089 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 53.3%, Black 43.1% and 3.5% were drawn. White's most played move here is 4. f3, in 72% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Blackmar-Diemer Gambit: Zeller Defense, Soller Attack.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
Write a description or report a mistake
Popularity by year
The Blackmar-Diemer Gambit: Zeller Defense has gained ground since 2016: 0.029% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.021%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.021% | 7,408 |
| 2017 | 0.018% | 10,144 |
| 2018 | 0.017% | 13,204 |
| 2019 | 0.018% | 21,857 |
| 2020 | 0.017% | 50,439 |
| 2021 | 0.018% | 70,818 |
| 2022 | 0.017% | 65,611 |
| 2023 | 0.019% | 71,862 |
| 2024 | 0.027% | 96,319 |
| 2025 | 0.029% | 101,650 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.029% | 32,214 |
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 (1)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Blackmar-Diemer Gambit: Zeller Defense (D00)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/blackmar-diemer-gambit-zeller-defense