Elephant Gambit: Maróczy Gambit
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Statistics from Lichess
207,005 games: White 46.6% / Draw 3.6% / Black 49.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 62,33762K | ||
| 39,71740K | ||
| 26,81327K | ||
| 25,78026K | ||
| 24,27324K | ||
| 15,21115K | ||
| 5,8325,832 | ||
| 2,5342,534 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+1.38 White is better
Best play: 4. d4 e4 5. Nfd2 Nf6 6. c4 O-O 7. Be2 b6 8. Nc3 Re8
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 46% under 1400, 48% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 36K | |
| 1400–1799 | 112K | |
| 1800–2199 | 127K | |
| 2200 and up | 13K | |
| Masters, over the board | 48 |
Master games
- Howell, D. – Williams, S. K.
- Parligras, M. E. – Gunnarsson, A.
- Short, N. D. – Tucker, A.
- Kovacevic, A. – Krstic, U.
- Yu, S. – Haoyu, L.
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
Elephant Gambit: Maróczy Gambit (ECO C40, Open Games) is a gambit in the Elephant Gambit, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d5 3. exd5 Bd6 (3 moves).
In 207,005 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 46.6%, Black 49.8% and 3.6% were drawn. White's most played move here is 4. Nc3, in 30% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Elephant Gambit: Maróczy Gambit
4. d4 scores best for White: 53.4%, with White winning 51.5% and Black 44.7% of 27K games. The most played, 4. Nc3, scores 48.4% in 62K games, and 4. Bc4 scores lowest: 43.5%. Stockfish's first choice is also 4. d4.
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: Maróczy Gambit has lost ground since 2016: 0.0081% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.0098%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.0098% | 3,497 |
| 2017 | 0.0096% | 5,275 |
| 2018 | 0.0084% | 6,576 |
| 2019 | 0.0096% | 12,009 |
| 2020 | 0.0083% | 24,449 |
| 2021 | 0.0089% | 34,631 |
| 2022 | 0.0068% | 25,369 |
| 2023 | 0.0069% | 25,989 |
| 2024 | 0.0079% | 28,331 |
| 2025 | 0.0081% | 27,981 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.0082% | 9,026 |
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. “Elephant Gambit: Maróczy Gambit (C40)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/elephant-gambit-maroczy-gambit