French Defense: Perseus Gambit
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Statistics from Lichess
671,208 games: White 43.6% / Draw 4.0% / Black 52.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 410,403410K | ||
| Sicilian Defense: Marshall Counterattack | 115,944116K | |
| 101,747102K | ||
| 15,17315K | ||
| 7,7227,722 | ||
| 3,4823,482 | ||
| 3,1603,160 | ||
| 2,8102,810 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.92 Black is better
Best play: 3... dxe4 4. Ne5 Ne7 5. Qh5 g6 6. Qh4 Bg7 7. Qxe4 O-O 8. Bc4
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: White scores 46% under 1400, 44% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 578K | |
| 1400–1799 | 685K | |
| 1800–2199 | 319K | |
| 2200 and up | 11K | |
| Masters, over the board | 12 |
Master games
- Guseinov, G. – Alarcon Casellas, R.
- Vetoshko, V. – Stupak, K.
- Sargsyan, S. – Kacharava, N.
- Schakel, C. – Williams, C. C.
- González Sánchez, F. – Csiba, T.
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: Perseus Gambit (ECO C00, Open Games) is a gambit in the French Defense, reached after 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nf3 (3 moves).
In 671,208 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 43.6%, Black 52.4% and 4.0% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 3…dxe4, in 61% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, French Defense: Carlson Gambit.
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: Perseus Gambit
The most played answer, 3…dxe4, also scores best for Black: 57.0%, with Black winning 54.9% and White 41.0% of 410K games. Of the main answers, 3…c5 scores lowest: 50.2%. 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: Perseus Gambit has gained ground since 2016: 0.027% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.022%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.022% | 7,747 |
| 2017 | 0.022% | 11,945 |
| 2018 | 0.024% | 18,535 |
| 2019 | 0.026% | 32,214 |
| 2020 | 0.027% | 79,687 |
| 2021 | 0.026% | 101,788 |
| 2022 | 0.026% | 95,887 |
| 2023 | 0.026% | 97,441 |
| 2024 | 0.026% | 93,954 |
| 2025 | 0.027% | 93,079 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.026% | 29,018 |
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: Perseus Gambit (C00)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/french-defense-perseus-gambit