Englund Gambit Declined
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Statistics from Lichess
3,305,888 games: White 46.7% / Draw 3.7% / Black 49.6%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 1,105,0761.1M | ||
| 814,426814K | ||
| 552,840553K | ||
| 282,061282K | ||
| 179,613180K | ||
| 152,022152K | ||
| 50,97851K | ||
| 32,27632K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 3, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.09 The position is about equal
Best play: 2... Bc5 3. e4 d6 4. Bd3 a5 5. Ne2 Na6 6. O-O Ne7 7. a3
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 worse this line does for White: White scores 53% under 1400, 45% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 1.9M | |
| 1400–1799 | 3.4M | |
| 1800–2199 | 1.5M | |
| 2200 and up | 31K | |
| Masters, over the board | 1 |
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
Englund Gambit Declined (ECO A40, Flank Openings) is a declined gambit in the Englund Gambit, reached after 1. d4 e5 2. d5 (2 moves).
In 3,305,888 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 46.7%, Black 49.6% and 3.7% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 2…Bc5, in 33% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Englund Gambit Declined: Diemer Counterattack.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Englund Gambit Declined
2…f5 scores best for Black: 55.3%, with Black winning 53.6% and White 43.1% of 180K games. The most played, 2…Bc5, scores 54.4% in 1.1M games, and 2…d6 scores lowest: 50.2%. Stockfish's first choice is 2…Bc5.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: Black'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 Englund Gambit Declined is played more than twice as often as in 2016: 0.14% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.065%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.065% | 23,050 |
| 2017 | 0.064% | 35,202 |
| 2018 | 0.068% | 53,605 |
| 2019 | 0.083% | 103,733 |
| 2020 | 0.1% | 292,745 |
| 2021 | 0.13% | 523,925 |
| 2022 | 0.14% | 515,806 |
| 2023 | 0.14% | 537,969 |
| 2024 | 0.14% | 516,781 |
| 2025 | 0.14% | 501,564 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.14% | 153,111 |
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 (1)
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Englund Gambit Declined (A40)”. Lichess data as of 3 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/englund-gambit-declined