Duras Gambit
Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.
Statistics from Lichess
2,635,579 games: White 51.3% / Draw 3.5% / Black 45.2%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 1,698,7281.7M | ||
| 392,019392K | ||
| 196,248196K | ||
| Zukertort Opening: Lisitsyn Gambit | 86,19286K | |
| 79,20779K | ||
| 46,63147K | ||
| Dutch Defense: Staunton Gambit | 41,16041K | |
| 30,47830K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 6, 2026
Engine evaluation
+2.13 White is clearly better
Even so, Black scores 46.9% here in practice: wins plus half the draws in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500.
Best play: 2. exf5 Nf6 3. d4 d5 4. Bd3 c5 5. c3 c4 6. Bc2 e6
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 44% under 1400, 45% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 1.7M | |
| 1400–1799 | 2.4M | |
| 1800–2199 | 1.3M | |
| 2200 and up | 63K | |
| Masters, over the board | 3 |
Master games
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
Overview
Duras Gambit (ECO B00, Semi-Open Games) is a gambit in the King's Pawn Game, reached after 1. e4 f5 (1 move).
In 2,635,579 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 51.3%, Black 45.2% and 3.5% were drawn. White's most played move here is 2. exf5, in 64% 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 Duras Gambit
The most played answer, 2. exf5, also scores best for White: 54.0%, with White winning 52.2% and Black 44.2% of 1.7M games. Of the main answers, 2. e5 scores lowest: 52.5%. Stockfish's first choice is also 2. exf5.
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 Duras Gambit dipped to 0.09% of Lichess games in 2018 and has recovered since: 0.11% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.096% | 34,143 |
| 2017 | 0.091% | 50,153 |
| 2018 | 0.09% | 71,042 |
| 2019 | 0.11% | 132,867 |
| 2020 | 0.095% | 277,467 |
| 2021 | 0.1% | 394,797 |
| 2022 | 0.1% | 385,406 |
| 2023 | 0.099% | 373,087 |
| 2024 | 0.1% | 370,840 |
| 2025 | 0.11% | 376,826 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.11% | 124,479 |
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. “Duras Gambit (B00)”. Lichess data as of 6 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/duras-gambit