Gunderam Defense
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Statistics from Lichess
611,591 games: White 50.3% / Draw 4.1% / Black 45.6%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 302,344302K | ||
| 189,117189K | ||
| 57,25657K | ||
| 22,26522K | ||
| 10,64911K | ||
| 7,7727,772 | ||
| 7,2987,298 | ||
| 4,0864,086 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 28, 2026
Engine evaluation
+1.01 White is better
Best play: 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Nc3 c6 5. O-O d6 6. d4 Qc7 7. Ng5 Bg4
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
The stronger the players, the better this line does for Black: Black scores 43% under 1400, 49% at 2200 and up and 40% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 1.2M | |
| 1400–1799 | 696K | |
| 1800–2199 | 282K | |
| 2200 and up | 52K | |
| Masters, over the board | 301 |
Master games
- Adams, M. – Radjabov, T.
- Sanal, V. – Fedoseev, V.
- Sanal, V. – Fedoseev, V.
- Stripunsky, A. – Sulskis, S.
- Swinkels, R. – Sadler, M.
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
Gunderam Defense (ECO C40, Open Games) is a variation of the King's Knight Opening, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Qe7 (2 moves).
In 611,591 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 50.3%, Black 45.6% and 4.1% were drawn. White's most played move here is 3. Bc4, in 49% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, King's Pawn Game: Gunderam Defense, Gunderam 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 Gunderam Defense
3. Nc3 scores best for White: 53.2%, with White winning 51.0% and Black 44.7% of 189K games. The most played, 3. Bc4, scores 52.2% in 302K games, and 3. d4 scores lowest: 51.7%. Stockfish's first choice is 3. Bc4.
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
Popularity by year
The Gunderam Defense has lost ground since 2016: 0.021% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.036%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.036% | 12,895 |
| 2017 | 0.033% | 18,154 |
| 2018 | 0.029% | 22,483 |
| 2019 | 0.026% | 33,026 |
| 2020 | 0.026% | 75,310 |
| 2021 | 0.024% | 94,116 |
| 2022 | 0.023% | 87,308 |
| 2023 | 0.023% | 87,721 |
| 2024 | 0.021% | 74,378 |
| 2025 | 0.021% | 71,218 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.022% | 24,632 |
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)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Gunderam Defense (C40)”. Lichess data as of 28 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/gunderam-defense