Caissa Codex
C00

French Defense: Hoffmann Gambit

Chess diagram: French Defense: Hoffmann Gambit after 4…exf4

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Statistics from Lichess

58 games: White 41.4% / Draw 5.2% / Black 53.4%

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Next moveGamesWhite / Draw / BlackW / D / B
4242
99
66
11

Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026

Engine evaluation

+0.42 White is slightly better

Best play: 5. Bxf4 dxe4 6. Qxe4+ Be7 7. Be5 Nd7 8. Bxg7 Ngf6 9. Qd3 Rg8

Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.

Overview

French Defense: Hoffmann Gambit (ECO C00, Open Games) is a gambit in the French Defense, reached after 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Qe2 e5 4. f4 exf4 (4 moves).

In 58 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 41.4%, Black 53.4% and 5.2% were drawn. White's most played move here is 5. exd5+, in 72% of those games. That is too few games for the percentages to mean much.

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Other lines from the same position

Instead of 3. Qe2 e5 4. f4 exf4, the position after French Defense also goes on to:

Cite this page

Caissa Codex. “French Defense: Hoffmann Gambit (C00)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/french-defense-hoffmann-gambit

https://chesscodex.org/openings/french-defense-hoffmann-gambit