Englund Gambit Declined: Reversed Krebs
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Statistics from Lichess
904,666 games: White 46.9% / Draw 3.7% / Black 49.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 560,621561K | ||
| Englund Gambit Declined: Reversed Mokele Mbembe | 137,888138K | |
| Englund Gambit Declined: Reversed Brooklyn | 117,310117K | |
| 78,44078K | ||
| 3,5533,553 | ||
| 1,8711,871 | ||
| 968968 | ||
| 891891 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 20, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.29 The position is about equal
Best play: 3. Nfd2 d5 4. c4 c6 5. Nc3 Be6 6. e3 f5 7. cxd5 cxd5
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 Black: Black scores 54% under 1400, 50% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 528K | |
| 1400–1799 | 700K | |
| 1800–2199 | 506K | |
| 2200 and up | 39K | |
| 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 27, 2026
Overview
Englund Gambit Declined: Reversed Krebs (ECO A40, Flank Openings) is a declined gambit in the Englund Gambit Declined: Reversed Alekhine, reached after 1. d4 e5 2. Nf3 e4 (2 moves).
In 904,666 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 46.9%, Black 49.4% and 3.7% were drawn. White's most played move here is 3. Nfd2, in 62% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations; the most played are Englund Gambit Declined: Reversed Mokele Mbembe and Englund Gambit Declined: Reversed Brooklyn.
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How to play against the Englund Gambit Declined: Reversed Krebs
3. Ng1 (Englund Gambit Declined: Reversed Brooklyn) scores best for White: 50.0%, with White winning 47.9% and Black 47.9% of 117K games. The most played, 3. Nfd2, scores 49.6% in 561K games, and 3. Ne5 scores lowest: 46.7%. Stockfish's first choice is 3. Nfd2.
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 Englund Gambit Declined: Reversed Krebs is played more than three times as often as in 2016: 0.041% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.012%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.012% | 4,402 |
| 2017 | 0.015% | 8,362 |
| 2018 | 0.018% | 14,113 |
| 2019 | 0.021% | 26,068 |
| 2020 | 0.026% | 75,865 |
| 2021 | 0.033% | 130,134 |
| 2022 | 0.038% | 143,658 |
| 2023 | 0.04% | 151,437 |
| 2024 | 0.042% | 148,941 |
| 2025 | 0.041% | 142,937 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.041% | 45,281 |
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 (2)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Englund Gambit Declined: Reversed Krebs (A40)”. Lichess data as of 20 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/englund-gambit-declined-reversed-krebs