Englund Gambit Declined: Reversed French
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Statistics from Lichess
3,638,678 games: White 49.0% / Draw 4.6% / Black 46.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 2,382,4002.4M | ||
| 625,633626K | ||
| 219,265219K | ||
| 194,322194K | ||
| 89,25089K | ||
| 28,49528K | ||
| 25,65826K | ||
| 17,72818K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.17 The position is about equal
Best play: 2... exd4 3. exd4 d5 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bd3 c5 6. c3 Bd6 7. O-O
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: White scores 50% under 1400, 51% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 5.1M | |
| 1400–1799 | 4.1M | |
| 1800–2199 | 1.7M | |
| 2200 and up | 91K | |
| Masters, over the board | 38 |
Master games
- Larino Nieto, D. – Fier, A.
- Bellin, R. – Chandler, M. G.
- Klein, D. – Hambleton, A.
- Larino Nieto, D. – Garcia Pantoja, R.
- Forintos, G. V. – Dely, P.
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: Reversed French (ECO A40, Flank Openings) is a declined gambit in the Englund Gambit, reached after 1. d4 e5 2. e3 (2 moves).
In 3,638,678 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.0%, Black 46.4% and 4.6% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 2…exd4, in 65% 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 Englund Gambit Declined: Reversed French
2…Nc6 scores best for Black: 49.6%, with Black winning 47.6% and White 48.3% of 219K games. The most played answer, 2…exd4, scores lowest: 48.8% in 2.4M games. Stockfish's first choice is 2…exd4.
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: Reversed French has gained ground since 2016: 0.15% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.12%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.12% | 42,366 |
| 2017 | 0.12% | 64,376 |
| 2018 | 0.11% | 90,243 |
| 2019 | 0.12% | 149,863 |
| 2020 | 0.13% | 372,903 |
| 2021 | 0.14% | 562,847 |
| 2022 | 0.15% | 556,903 |
| 2023 | 0.15% | 554,173 |
| 2024 | 0.14% | 519,171 |
| 2025 | 0.15% | 512,005 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.14% | 158,201 |
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. “Englund Gambit Declined: Reversed French (A40)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/englund-gambit-declined-reversed-french