French Defense: Carlson Gambit
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Statistics from Lichess
127,604 games: White 42.2% / Draw 4.1% / Black 53.7%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 54,69455K | ||
| 22,05622K | ||
| 17,13917K | ||
| 9,6349,634 | ||
| 9,3969,396 | ||
| 4,4054,405 | ||
| 3,7103,710 | ||
| 862862 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.97 Black is better
Best play: 4... Ne7 5. Qh5 g6 6. Qh4 Bg7 7. Qxe4 O-O 8. Bc4 Nd7 9. O-O
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
French Defense: Carlson Gambit (ECO C00, Open Games) is a gambit in the French Defense: Perseus Gambit, reached after 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nf3 dxe4 4. Ne5 (4 moves).
In 127,604 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 42.2%, Black 53.7% and 4.1% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 4…Nf6, in 43% 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 French Defense: Carlson Gambit
4…Nd7 scores best for Black: 60.6%, with Black winning 58.3% and White 37.2% of 17K games. The most played, 4…Nf6, scores 59.0% in 55K games, and 4…f6 scores lowest: 38.7%. Stockfish's first choice is 4…Ne7.
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “French Defense: Carlson Gambit (C00)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/french-defense-carlson-gambit