French Defense: Diemer-Duhm Gambit
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Statistics from Lichess
478,449 games: White 49.1% / Draw 4.1% / Black 46.7%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| French Defense: Diemer-Duhm Gambit Accepted | 340,227340K | |
| 38,94039K | ||
| 31,31231K | ||
| 30,67031K | ||
| 18,72619K | ||
| 10,48510K | ||
| 2,2062,206 | ||
| 1,2871,287 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 2, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.75 Black is better
Best play: 3... dxe4 4. Nc3 f5 5. Nh3 Nf6 6. Be2 Nc6 7. Be3 Be7 8. f3
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 White: White scores 47% under 1400, 51% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 156K | |
| 1400–1799 | 258K | |
| 1800–2199 | 291K | |
| 2200 and up | 40K | |
| Masters, over the board | 10 |
Master games
- Orlov, P. – Kostic, V. G.
- Bjeljac, N. – Mihic, B.
- Lloyd, G. – Pommrich, R.
- Ianovsky, A. – Kosikov, A. I.
- Jedryczka, K. – Sieciechowicz, M.
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
French Defense: Diemer-Duhm Gambit (ECO C00, Open Games) is a gambit in the French Defense, reached after 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. c4 (3 moves).
In 478,449 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.1%, Black 46.7% and 4.1% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 3…dxe4, in 71% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, French Defense: Diemer-Duhm Gambit Accepted.
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: Diemer-Duhm Gambit
The most played answer, 3…dxe4 (French Defense: Diemer-Duhm Gambit Accepted), also scores best for Black: 50.5%, with Black winning 48.4% and White 47.5% of 340K games. Of the main answers, 3…c6 scores lowest: 43.9%. Stockfish's first choice is also 3…dxe4.
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 French Defense: Diemer-Duhm Gambit has stayed between 0.017% and 0.021% of Lichess games a year since 2016 (0.019% in 2025).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.021% | 7,387 |
| 2017 | 0.02% | 10,775 |
| 2018 | 0.021% | 16,128 |
| 2019 | 0.02% | 25,560 |
| 2020 | 0.018% | 53,704 |
| 2021 | 0.017% | 67,444 |
| 2022 | 0.018% | 66,326 |
| 2023 | 0.019% | 69,826 |
| 2024 | 0.019% | 66,914 |
| 2025 | 0.019% | 65,589 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.019% | 20,425 |
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 (1)
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “French Defense: Diemer-Duhm Gambit (C00)”. Lichess data as of 2 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/french-defense-diemer-duhm-gambit