Danish Gambit Accepted
The Danish Gambit Accepted arises when Black takes the first pawn in the Danish Gambit: 1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.c3 dxc3. Read the guide
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Statistics from Lichess
7,540,774 games: White 56.2% / Draw 3.4% / Black 40.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 5,971,1166M | ||
| 1,205,2501.2M | ||
| 271,987272K | ||
| 42,51543K | ||
| 16,89817K | ||
| 10,28010K | ||
| 9,1239,123 | ||
| 3,7043,704 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 9, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.24 The position is about equal
Best play: 4. Nxc3 Bc5 5. Bc4 d6 6. Nf3 Nf6 7. e5 dxe5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8
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 44% under 1400, 47% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 2.8M | |
| 1400–1799 | 6.9M | |
| 1800–2199 | 3.7M | |
| 2200 and up | 127K | |
| Masters, over the board | 57 |
Master games
- Nakamura, H. – Ibragimov, I.
- Brodda, W. – Repp, H.
- Kaczur, F. – Bagi, M.
- Tisdall, J. D. – Olafsson, H.
- Dunne, A. – Hjartarson, J.
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 26, 2026
Description
The Danish Gambit Accepted arises when Black takes the first pawn in the Danish Gambit: 1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.c3 dxc3. White now chooses between a one-pawn gambit with 4.Nxc3 and the double gambit 4.Bc4, which offers a second pawn.
The idea
After 4.Bc4 cxb2 5.Bxb2 White is two pawns down but has both bishops aimed at Black's kingside: the c4-bishop at f7 and the b2-bishop down the long diagonal at g7. White often follows up with Qb3, adding pressure on b7 and f7, and Black's bishops can find it hard to develop. One of Black's most reliable defences gives a pawn back to finish development.
Main lines
- 4.Bc4, offering a second pawn. Black can decline it with 4...d6, when 5.Nxc3 can transpose to the Göring Gambit. After 4...cxb2 5.Bxb2:
- 5...d5, the Schlechter Defense. Carl Schlechter recommended returning a pawn to gain time. After 6.Bxd5 Nf6 7.Bxf7+ Kxf7 8.Qxd8 Bb4+ 9.Qd2 Bxd2+ 10.Nxd2 Re8 (Nyholm–Tartakower, Baden 1914) Black has regained the queen. Most theorists rate this endgame as equal, while some think Black's queenside majority gives Black the advantage. The Danish became much less popular after this defence was introduced.
- 5...Bb4+, the Copenhagen Defense, answered by 6.Kf1 or 6.Nc3.
- 5...Nf6, the Classical Defense; 5...Qe7, the Chigorin Defense; and 5...d6, met by 6.Qb3.
- 4.Nxc3, which Alexander Alekhine played, though only on unimportant occasions. White gives up only one pawn, and the game often transposes to the Göring Gambit. This move order lets White meet an early ...Bb4 by developing the king's knight to e2 instead of f3, so that Black cannot damage White's queenside pawns, as in Alekhine–Pomar, a clock simultaneous in Madrid in 1943.
Strengths and weaknesses
Strengths
- After 5.Bxb2 White has a big lead in development and two bishops aimed at Black's king.
- With 4.Nxc3 White keeps the investment to one pawn.
Weaknesses
- Against the Schlechter Defense White gets positions that are not what a gambit player wants.
- It is rarely played in top-level chess today.
Who should play it
The accepted Danish suits White players who are happy to give material for fast development and open lines. Black players who meet it should know the Schlechter Defense.
The numbers
White does well on Lichess at every level: 54.7% against 42.3% for Black under 1400, 56.3% against 40.6% at 1400–1799, 55.8% against 40.5% at 1800–2199, and 50.7% against 44.0% from 2200 up. The masters database has only 57 games, too few to draw conclusions from.
Suggest an improvement or report a mistake
How to play against the Danish Gambit Accepted
The most played answer, 4. Bc4, also scores best for White: 58.3%, with White winning 56.6% and Black 40.0% of 6M games. Of the main answers, 4. Nxc3 scores lowest: 56.4%. Stockfish's first choice is 4. Nxc3.
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 Danish Gambit Accepted has lost ground since 2016: 0.27% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.34%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.34% | 122,282 |
| 2017 | 0.34% | 187,734 |
| 2018 | 0.31% | 242,443 |
| 2019 | 0.3% | 377,984 |
| 2020 | 0.28% | 807,628 |
| 2021 | 0.3% | 1,192,944 |
| 2022 | 0.29% | 1,097,846 |
| 2023 | 0.3% | 1,125,949 |
| 2024 | 0.29% | 1,034,360 |
| 2025 | 0.27% | 941,902 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.26% | 284,179 |
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 (4)
Sources
- History and theory: adapted from the Wikipedia article Danish Gambit, version of 16 October 2026, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Results: Lichess opening explorer, figures collected from September to November 2026.
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Danish Gambit Accepted (C21)”. Lichess data as of 9 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/danish-gambit-accepted