Englund Gambit: Felbecker Gambit
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Statistics from Lichess
684,128 games: White 53.4% / Draw 4.0% / Black 42.6%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 161,201161K | ||
| 158,665159K | ||
| 129,028129K | ||
| 82,57983K | ||
| 47,51548K | ||
| 26,87827K | ||
| 20,12820K | ||
| 17,28917K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 22, 2026
Engine evaluation
+1.98 White is clearly better
Best play: 4. Nc3 Nge7 5. Ne4 Bb6 6. Bg5 h6 7. Bh4 Kf8 8. Qd3 Qe8
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 44% both under 1400 and at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 383K | |
| 1400–1799 | 656K | |
| 1800–2199 | 332K | |
| 2200 and up | 21K | |
| Masters, over the board | — | no 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: Felbecker Gambit (ECO A40, Flank Openings) is a gambit in the Englund Gambit, reached after 1. d4 e5 2. dxe5 Nc6 3. Nf3 Bc5 (3 moves).
In 684,128 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 53.4%, Black 42.6% and 4.0% were drawn. White's most played move here is 4. e3, in 24% 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: Felbecker Gambit
4. Nc3 scores best for White: 57.2%, with White winning 55.2% and Black 40.8% of 159K games. The most played answer, 4. e3, scores lowest: 52.8% in 161K games. Stockfish's first choice is also 4. Nc3.
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: Felbecker Gambit is played more than twice as often as in 2016: 0.032% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.013%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.013% | 4,482 |
| 2017 | 0.012% | 6,725 |
| 2018 | 0.014% | 10,735 |
| 2019 | 0.014% | 18,070 |
| 2020 | 0.019% | 54,777 |
| 2021 | 0.026% | 100,371 |
| 2022 | 0.028% | 106,141 |
| 2023 | 0.03% | 113,606 |
| 2024 | 0.032% | 113,123 |
| 2025 | 0.032% | 110,822 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.032% | 34,736 |
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: Felbecker Gambit (A40)”. Lichess data as of 22 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/englund-gambit-felbecker-gambit