Caissa Codex
C00

French Defense: St. George Defense, Sanky-George Gambit

Chess diagram: French Defense: St. George Defense, Sanky-George Gambit after 3…b5

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Statistics from Lichess

36,528 games: White 48.6% / Draw 4.1% / Black 47.3%

The moves played next. Pick one to see it on the board.
Next moveGamesWhite / Draw / BlackW / D / B
18,49218K
8,3478,347
2,9622,962
2,5752,575
2,0572,057
1,0511,051
348348
290290

Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 1, 2026

Engine evaluation

+0.92 White is better

Best play: 4. cxb5 Bb7 5. Nc3 Nf6 6. e5 Nd5 7. Nf3 Be7 8. h4 axb5

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

Overview

French Defense: St. George Defense, Sanky-George Gambit (ECO C00, Open Games) is a gambit in the French Defense: St. George Defense, Three Pawn Attack, reached after 1. e4 e6 2. d4 a6 3. c4 b5 (3 moves).

In 36,528 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.6%, Black 47.3% and 4.1% were drawn. White's most played move here is 4. cxb5, in 51% of those games.

It continues into one named variation, French Defense: St. George Defense, St. George Gambit.

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How to play against the French Defense: St. George Defense, Sanky-George Gambit

4. Nf3 scores best for White: 54.8%, with White winning 52.8% and Black 43.2% of 2,575 games. The most played, 4. cxb5, scores 51.1% in 18K games, and 4. c5 scores lowest: 47.4%. Stockfish's first choice is 4. cxb5.

Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: White's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings

Variations (1)

Cite this page

Caissa Codex. “French Defense: St. George Defense, Sanky-George Gambit (C00)”. Lichess data as of 1 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/french-defense-st-george-defense-sanky-george-gambit

https://chesscodex.org/openings/french-defense-st-george-defense-sanky-george-gambit