Caissa Codex
C00

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

Chess diagram: French Defense: St. George Defense, St. George Gambit after 4…axb5

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Statistics from Lichess

14,439 games: White 49.0% / Draw 4.4% / Black 46.5%

The moves played next. Pick one to see it on the board.
Next moveGamesWhite / Draw / BlackW / D / B
13,73614K
271271
158158
8888
5454
2525
1717
1515

Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 2, 2026

Engine evaluation

+0.72 White is better

Best play: 5. Bxb5 Bb7 6. Nc3 Bb4 7. Qe2 Qh4 8. Bd3 f5 9. Nf3 Bxc3+

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

Overview

French Defense: St. George Defense, St. George Gambit (ECO C00, Open Games) is a gambit in the French Defense: St. George Defense, Sanky-George Gambit, reached after 1. e4 e6 2. d4 a6 3. c4 b5 4. cxb5 axb5 (4 moves).

In 14,439 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.0%, Black 46.5% and 4.4% were drawn. White's most played move here is 5. Bxb5, in 95% of those games.

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Cite this page

Caissa Codex. “French Defense: St. George Defense, St. George Gambit (C00)”. Lichess data as of 2 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/french-defense-st-george-defense-st-george-gambit

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