Danish Gambit Declined: Sörensen Defense
Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.
Statistics from Lichess
940,178 games: White 45.3% / Draw 5.2% / Black 49.5%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 400,857401K | ||
| 241,642242K | ||
| 163,632164K | ||
| 72,56073K | ||
| 25,46525K | ||
| 18,69019K | ||
| 3,8643,864 | ||
| 3,6393,639 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 5, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.02 The position is about equal
Best play: 4. exd5 Qxd5 5. cxd4 Nc6 6. Nf3 Bg4 7. Be2 Bxf3 8. Bxf3 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 54% under 1400, 52% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 97K | |
| 1400–1799 | 377K | |
| 1800–2199 | 615K | |
| 2200 and up | 79K | |
| Masters, over the board | 97 |
Master games
- Theodorou, N. – Demchenko, A.
- Rombaldoni, A. – Georgiev, K.
- Khader, S. – Vajda, L.
- Rubinetti, J. A. – Sanguineti, R.
- Mariano, N. – Antonio, R. 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 27, 2026
Overview
Danish Gambit Declined: Sörensen Defense (ECO C21, Open Games) is a declined gambit in the Danish Gambit, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. c3 d5 (3 moves).
In 940,178 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 45.3%, Black 49.5% and 5.2% were drawn. White's most played move here is 4. exd5, in 43% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
Write a description or report a mistake
How to play against the Danish Gambit Declined: Sörensen Defense
The most played answer, 4. exd5, also scores best for White: 50.4%, with White winning 47.6% and Black 46.8% of 401K games. Of the main answers, 4. cxd4 scores lowest: 44.2%. Stockfish's first choice is also 4. exd5.
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 Declined: Sörensen Defense dipped to 0.032% of Lichess games in 2020 and has recovered since: 0.038% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.042% | 15,032 |
| 2017 | 0.043% | 23,758 |
| 2018 | 0.043% | 33,489 |
| 2019 | 0.038% | 47,673 |
| 2020 | 0.032% | 94,709 |
| 2021 | 0.034% | 132,401 |
| 2022 | 0.034% | 128,557 |
| 2023 | 0.037% | 137,685 |
| 2024 | 0.038% | 136,135 |
| 2025 | 0.038% | 132,320 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.038% | 41,157 |
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. “Danish Gambit Declined: Sörensen Defense (C21)”. Lichess data as of 5 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/danish-gambit-declined-sorensen-defense