Englund Gambit: Soller Gambit Deferred
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Statistics from Lichess
292,087 games: White 52.4% / Draw 3.9% / Black 43.7%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 196,315196K | ||
| 36,99337K | ||
| 20,90921K | ||
| 13,09113K | ||
| 9,1949,194 | ||
| 5,8315,831 | ||
| 3,4133,413 | ||
| 2,0112,011 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 23, 2026
Engine evaluation
+1.95 White is clearly better
Even so, Black scores 45.7% here in practice: wins plus half the draws in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500.
Best play: 4. e4 Bc5 5. Nc3 fxe5 6. Bc4 Nf6 7. Ng5 d5 8. exd5 Nd4
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 44% under 1400, 47% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 379K | |
| 1400–1799 | 293K | |
| 1800–2199 | 148K | |
| 2200 and up | 19K | |
| Masters, over the board | 6 |
Master games
- Pavlovic, G. – Nadj Hedjesi, B.
- Adnani, M. – Khairat, A.
- Mocchi, T. – Rossi, C.
- Kaufman, R. – Demaria, J. P.
- Boulanger, M. – Rúnarsson, G. F.
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: Soller Gambit Deferred (ECO A40, Flank Openings) is a gambit in the Englund Gambit, reached after 1. d4 e5 2. dxe5 Nc6 3. Nf3 f6 (3 moves).
In 292,087 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 52.4%, Black 43.7% and 3.9% were drawn. White's most played move here is 4. exf6, in 67% 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: Soller Gambit Deferred
4. e4 scores best for White: 59.4%, with White winning 57.6% and Black 38.8% of 21K games. The most played answer, 4. exf6, scores lowest: 54.1% in 196K games. Stockfish's first choice is also 4. e4.
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: Soller Gambit Deferred has gained ground since 2016: 0.014% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.0076%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.0076% | 2,720 |
| 2017 | 0.0084% | 4,602 |
| 2018 | 0.0081% | 6,374 |
| 2019 | 0.008% | 9,972 |
| 2020 | 0.0089% | 25,955 |
| 2021 | 0.011% | 41,779 |
| 2022 | 0.012% | 44,664 |
| 2023 | 0.012% | 44,295 |
| 2024 | 0.012% | 42,927 |
| 2025 | 0.014% | 46,879 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.015% | 16,287 |
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: Soller Gambit Deferred (A40)”. Lichess data as of 23 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/englund-gambit-soller-gambit-deferred