English Opening: Jaenisch Gambit
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Statistics from Lichess
318,823 games: White 51.5% / Draw 4.3% / Black 44.2%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 197,523198K | ||
| 31,97132K | ||
| 23,10023K | ||
| 14,23514K | ||
| 14,10914K | ||
| 13,19513K | ||
| 10,36810K | ||
| 5,3625,362 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+1.03 White is better
Best play: 2. cxb5 a6 3. e3 e5 4. Nf3 e4 5. Nd4 axb5 6. Bxb5 c6
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 43% under 1400, 46% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 65K | |
| 1400–1799 | 158K | |
| 1800–2199 | 196K | |
| 2200 and up | 28K | |
| Masters, over the board | 14 |
Master games
- Kovalyov, A. – Kraiouchkine, N.
- Deglmann, L. – Bertagnolli, A.
- Lang, T. – Muranyi, K. J.
- Wintzer, J. – Vogler, T.
- Rukavina, J. – Topalovic, 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 27, 2026
Overview
English Opening: Jaenisch Gambit (ECO A10, Flank Openings) is a gambit in the English Opening, reached after 1. c4 b5 (1 move).
In 318,823 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 51.5%, Black 44.2% and 4.3% were drawn. White's most played move here is 2. cxb5, in 62% 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 English Opening: Jaenisch Gambit
The most played answer, 2. cxb5, also scores best for White: 55.8%, with White winning 53.5% and Black 41.9% of 198K games. Of the main answers, 2. e3 scores lowest: 49.5%. Stockfish's first choice is also 2. cxb5.
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 English Opening: Jaenisch Gambit has stayed between 0.012% and 0.014% of Lichess games a year since 2016 (0.013% in 2025).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.012% | 4,129 |
| 2017 | 0.013% | 6,935 |
| 2018 | 0.014% | 11,075 |
| 2019 | 0.014% | 17,555 |
| 2020 | 0.013% | 37,008 |
| 2021 | 0.012% | 46,475 |
| 2022 | 0.012% | 45,584 |
| 2023 | 0.012% | 45,195 |
| 2024 | 0.012% | 42,543 |
| 2025 | 0.013% | 43,371 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.012% | 13,491 |
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. “English Opening: Jaenisch Gambit (A10)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/english-opening-jaenisch-gambit