Elephant Gambit
Also known as Queen's Pawn Countergambit
The Elephant Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d5), also called the Queen's Pawn Countergambit, is a direct counterattack in the centre: instead of defending e5, Black strikes at e4. Read the guide
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Statistics from Lichess
7,712,267 games: White 46.8% / Draw 4.1% / Black 49.1%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 4,443,6014.4M | ||
| 1,831,7361.8M | ||
| 461,684462K | ||
| 366,119366K | ||
| 311,715312K | ||
| 137,782138K | ||
| 43,19543K | ||
| 36,05536K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 8, 2026
Engine evaluation
+1.24 White is better
Best play: 3. exd5 e4 4. Qe2 Nf6 5. Nc3 Be7 6. Nxe4 Nxd5 7. c4 Nb4
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 46% under 1400, 51% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 5.9M | |
| 1400–1799 | 6.3M | |
| 1800–2199 | 4.1M | |
| 2200 and up | 362K | |
| Masters, over the board | 268 |
Master games
- Movsesian, S. – Vachier Lagrave, M.
- Ivanchuk, V. – Gadimbayli, A.
- Abasov, N. A. – Gadimbayli, A. A.
- Jones, G. – Hebden, M.
- Predojevic, B. – Runic, Z.
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 Elephant Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d5), also called the Queen's Pawn Countergambit, is a direct counterattack in the centre: instead of defending e5, Black strikes at e4. It is considered unsound, because White can take either of Black's centre pawns with advantage.
The idea
Black hopes to seize the initiative and set traps, but with correct play White wins a pawn or keeps the initiative and more space, while Black ends up in a passive position. Despite the similar name, it is unrelated to the Elephant Trap.
Main lines
- 3.exd5, the main reply:
- 3...e4, the Paulsen Countergambit. After 4.Qe2 Nf6, White keeps the extra pawn or a clear advantage in the lines analysed by Nick de Firmian, for example 5.d3 Be7 6.dxe4 O-O 7.Nc3 Re8 8.Bd2 Bb4 9.O-O-O. Tal–Lutikov, Tallinn 1964, went 4...f5 and also favoured White;
- 3...Bd6, the Maróczy Gambit; after 4.d4 e4 5.Ne5 Nf6 6.Nc3 O-O 7.Bc4, de Firmian judges that White is clearly better, though without an immediate attack;
- 3...Qxd5 regains the pawn but gives White a big lead in development after 4.Nc3.
- 3.Nxe5, also good for White:
- 3...Bd6 4.d4 dxe4 5.Bc4 Bxe5 6.Qh5 Qf6 7.dxe5, thought to be slightly better for White;
- 3...dxe4 4.Bc4 Qg5, the Wasp Variation, as in Lob–Eliskases, 1929, which White won;
- 3...Qe7? 4.d4 f6 5.Nd3 dxe4 6.Nf4 gives White the advantage.
Strengths and weaknesses
Strengths
- A surprise weapon that sets some traps.
Weaknesses
- Considered unsound: White can capture either of Black's centre pawns with advantage.
- Black often ends up passive, with White having more space and the initiative.
Who should play it
The Elephant Gambit is mainly a surprise weapon. White players should know 3.exd5 e4 4.Qe2 to keep the advantage.
The numbers
On Lichess White does well under 1400, 52.3% against 43.8%, and still leads at 1400–1799, 48.9% against 47.6%. From 1800 Black is ahead: 49.5% against 46.2% at 1800–2199 and 47.6% against 45.9% from 2200 up. There are only a few hundred master games, too few to draw firm conclusions.
Suggest an improvement or report a mistake
How to play against the Elephant Gambit
3. d4 scores best for White: 52.9%, with White winning 50.7% and Black 44.8% of 462K games. The most played answer, 3. exd5, scores lowest: 48.8% in 4.4M games. Stockfish's first choice is 3. 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 Elephant Gambit has gained ground since 2016: 0.35% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.22%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.22% | 80,187 |
| 2017 | 0.22% | 122,207 |
| 2018 | 0.21% | 162,699 |
| 2019 | 0.22% | 278,974 |
| 2020 | 0.25% | 732,226 |
| 2021 | 0.31% | 1,198,630 |
| 2022 | 0.29% | 1,103,224 |
| 2023 | 0.3% | 1,119,146 |
| 2024 | 0.32% | 1,142,442 |
| 2025 | 0.35% | 1,216,968 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.38% | 420,192 |
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 (3)
Transpositions
Sources
- Theory: adapted from the Wikipedia article Elephant Gambit, version of 26 October 2026, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Results: Lichess opening explorer, figures collected from September to November 2026.
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Elephant Gambit (C40)”. Lichess data as of 8 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/elephant-gambit