Tree path 4 levels French Defense › Normal Variation › French Defense › Perseus Gambit
- Chess Codex
- French Defense C00
- Normal Variation C00
- French Defense C00
- Perseus Gambit C00 you are here
French Defense: Perseus Gambit
Overview
French Defense: Perseus Gambit is a gambit, classified under ECO code C00 within the Open Games family. As with all gambits, one side sacrifices material early — usually a pawn — in exchange for development, open lines, or initiative.
The Open Games group covers open games — classical 1.e4 e5 openings where both sides contest the centre directly with pawns.
Play reaches this position via 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nf3, after 5 plies of opening development.
It is a variation of French Defense, which itself descends from the root opening French Defense.
It continues primarily into one named line, French Defense: Carlson Gambit.
Step through the moves on the interactive board below, review the live Lichess statistics, or play this position against Stockfish at one of six difficulty levels.
- ECO code
- C00
- Group
- Open Games (C)
- Plies
- 5
- Parent
- French Defense
- Direct variations
- 1
This overview is generated automatically from the opening's metadata. Know this line well? Write a description — submissions are reviewed before publishing.
Statistics from Lichess
671,208 games · White 43.6% / Draw 4.0% / Black 52.4%
| Moves | Games | W / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| dxe4 | 410,403 | |
| c5 | 115,944 | |
| Nf6 | 101,747 | |
| c6 | 15,173 | |
| Nc6 | 7,722 | |
| a6 | 3,482 | |
| Ne7 | 3,160 | |
| f5 | 2,810 |
Source: Lichess Opening Explorer · cached 2026-09-26 01:09:30
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