Borg Defense: Borg Gambit 2. d4 Bg7
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Statistics from Lichess
274,654 games: White 49.4% / Draw 3.5% / Black 47.1%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 138,567139K | ||
| 34,62035K | ||
| 24,80125K | ||
| 23,32723K | ||
| 17,08817K | ||
| 9,1539,153 | ||
| 8,4898,489 | ||
| 6,2496,249 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
+2.30 White is clearly better
Even so, Black scores 48.8% here in practice: wins plus half the draws in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500.
Best play: 3. Nc3 d5 4. exd5 g4 5. Bc4 c6 6. Nge2 b5 7. Bd3 b4
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 42% under 1400, 47% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 114K | |
| 1400–1799 | 176K | |
| 1800–2199 | 167K | |
| 2200 and up | 17K | |
| Masters, over the board | 13 |
Master games
- Rubinetti, J. A. – Brito Garcia, A.
- Petrienko, V. – Svatos, J.
- Pritchett, C. W. – Basman, M. J.
- Vouldis, A. – Papastavropoulos, A.
- Mashinskaya, I. – Vlassov, N.
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
Borg Defense: Borg Gambit (ECO B00, Semi-Open Games) is a gambit in the Borg Defense, reached after 1. e4 g5 2. d4 Bg7 (2 moves).
In 274,654 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.4%, Black 47.1% and 3.5% were drawn. White's most played move here is 3. Bxg5, in 50% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to answer 2…Bg7
3. Nc3 scores best for White: 55.5%, with White winning 53.7% and Black 42.6% of 25K games. The most played, 3. Bxg5, scores 50.2% in 139K games, and 3. e5 scores lowest: 48.0%. Stockfish's first choice is also 3. Nc3.
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
This line dipped to 0.0092% of Lichess games in 2020 and has recovered since: 0.012% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.011% | 3,814 |
| 2017 | 0.012% | 6,681 |
| 2018 | 0.0098% | 7,698 |
| 2019 | 0.01% | 13,062 |
| 2020 | 0.0092% | 26,954 |
| 2021 | 0.0094% | 36,784 |
| 2022 | 0.0095% | 35,719 |
| 2023 | 0.011% | 42,578 |
| 2024 | 0.011% | 40,351 |
| 2025 | 0.012% | 42,931 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.012% | 13,170 |
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. “Borg Defense: Borg Gambit (B00)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/borg-defense-borg-gambit-2