Italian Game: Evans Gambit
The Evans Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4) is a gambit in the Italian Game. Read the guide
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Statistics from Lichess
3,869,486 games: White 52.2% / Draw 3.4% / Black 44.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Italian Game: Evans Gambit Accepted | 3,032,9243M | |
| Italian Game: Evans Gambit Declined | 531,753532K | |
| 155,731156K | ||
| 33,38833K | ||
| 26,17126K | ||
| 26,13026K | ||
| 24,42724K | ||
| 16,76617K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 10, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.10 The position is about equal
Best play: 4... Bxb4 5. c3 Ba5 6. d4 d6 7. Qb3 Qd7 8. O-O Bb6 9. Nbd2
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 worse this line does for White: White scores 55% under 1400, 50% at 2200 and up and 49% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 1M | |
| 1400–1799 | 2.8M | |
| 1800–2199 | 2.1M | |
| 2200 and up | 203K | |
| Masters, over the board | 1,708 |
Master games
- Caruana, F. – So, W.
- Grischuk, A. – Carlsen, M.
- Grischuk, A. – Carlsen, M.
- Carlsen, M. – Anand, V.
- Nakamura, H. – Anand, V.
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
Description
The Evans Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4) is a gambit in the Italian Game. White offers the b-pawn to divert Black's bishop from c5, then uses the time to play c3 and d4, opening the centre and attacking.
Origins
The gambit is named after the Welsh sea captain William Davies Evans, the first player known to have played it. The first recorded game is Evans–McDonnell, London 1827. It was a favourite of the Romantic era: Adolf Anderssen used it in his famous "Evergreen Game" against Jean Dufresne, and Paul Morphy and Mikhail Chigorin played it too. Emanuel Lasker dealt it a heavy blow with a defensive idea that returns the pawn, and it was out of favour for much of the 20th century. Garry Kasparov revived it in the 1990s, most famously with a 25-move win against Viswanathan Anand in Riga in 1995.
The idea
After 4...Bxb4 5.c3, White gains a tempo on the bishop and prepares d4. The aim is to open the centre quickly, attack f7, and keep Black's king in the centre or make kingside castling difficult. White gets open lines and diagonals for the pieces in exchange for the pawn.
Main lines
Strengths and weaknesses
Strengths
- Fast development and a strong centre. White gets the initiative.
- Many opponents know the Italian Game but not the Evans, so it is a good surprise weapon.
- Modern analysis has found no clear refutation.
Weaknesses
- Black can return the pawn (as in Lasker's Defence) or decline with 4...Bb6 and reach a comfortable position.
- If the attack stalls, White is simply a pawn down.
- It only works after 3...Bc5; against the Two Knights Defense (3...Nf6) White needs something else.
Who should play it
The Evans Gambit suits attacking 1.e4 players who like open positions and initiative, and who want more than the quiet Giuoco Pianissimo. It is effective against players who grab the pawn and then try to keep it at all costs. It is less effective against well-prepared opponents who return the pawn at the right time.
The numbers
On Lichess, below 1800, White wins 53–54% and Black 43–44%. From 1800 to 2200 it is 52% against 44%. Above 2200 it is level at about 47.5% each. In master games over the board (a small sample of about 1,700 games), White wins 27%, Black 29% and 44% are drawn.
Suggest an improvement or report a mistake
How to play against the Italian Game: Evans Gambit
4…Bb6 (Italian Game: Evans Gambit Declined) scores best for Black: 51.2%, with Black winning 49.3% and White 47.0% of 532K games. The most played answer, 4…Bxb4, scores lowest: 45.9% in 3M games. Stockfish's first choice is 4…Bxb4.
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 Italian Game: Evans Gambit peaked in 2021 at 0.18% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.12% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.13% | 46,113 |
| 2017 | 0.14% | 77,802 |
| 2018 | 0.15% | 119,999 |
| 2019 | 0.15% | 185,159 |
| 2020 | 0.17% | 493,023 |
| 2021 | 0.18% | 702,345 |
| 2022 | 0.16% | 595,546 |
| 2023 | 0.15% | 550,990 |
| 2024 | 0.14% | 488,642 |
| 2025 | 0.12% | 431,449 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.12% | 127,091 |
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 (4)
All 50 named lines that continue from here
No line matches.
- C51 Italian Game: Evans Gambit Accepted 4 moves
- C51 Italian Game: Evans Gambit Declined 4 moves
- C51 Fontaine Countergambit 4 moves
- C51 Hein Countergambit 4 moves
- C51 Evans Gambit Declined 5 moves
- C51 Cordel Variation 5 moves
- C51 Hirschbach Variation 6 moves
- C51 Lange Variation 6 moves
- C51 Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Anderssen Variation 5 moves
- C52 Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Main Line 5 moves
- C51 Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Mayet Defense 5 moves
- C51 Italian Game: Evans Gambit, McDonnell Defense 5 moves
- C51 Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Stone-Ware Variation 5 moves
- C51 Italian Game: Evans Gambit Declined, Hicken Variation 9 moves
- C51 Italian Game: Evans Gambit Declined, Pavlov Variation 12 moves
- C51 Showalter Variation 6 moves
- C51 Italian Game: Evans Gambit Declined, Vasquez Variation 8 moves
- C51 Cordel Line 6 moves
- C52 Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Bronstein Defense 6 moves
- C51 Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Harding Variation 8 moves
- C52 Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Laroche Variation 6 moves
- C52 Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Leonhardt Countergambit 6 moves
- C51 Main Line 8 moves
- C52 Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Pierce Defense 6 moves
- C52 Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Slow Variation 6 moves
- C51 Italian Game: Evans Gambit 9 moves
- C52 Italian Game: Evans Gambit 6 moves
- C52 Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Anderssen Defense 7 moves
- C52 Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Compromised Defense 7 moves
- C52 Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Dufresne Defense 7 moves
- C51 Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Göring Attack 10 moves
- C52 Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Johner Defense 7 moves
- C52 Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Mieses Defense 7 moves
- C51 Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Morphy Attack 9 moves
- C52 Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Richardson Attack 8 moves
- C52 Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Sokolsky Variation 7 moves
- C52 Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Tartakower Attack 7 moves
- C51 Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Ulvestad Variation 10 moves
- C52 Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Waller Attack 8 moves
- C52 Alapin-Steinitz Variation 7 moves
- C52 Main Line 11 moves
- C52 Potter Variation 11 moves
- C51 Fraser Attack 10 moves
- C52 Lasker Defense 7 moves
- C52 Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Levenfish Variation 11 moves
- C51 Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Paulsen Variation 10 moves
- C52 Sanders-Alapin Variation 7 moves
- C51 Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Steinitz Variation 11 moves
- C51 Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Fraser-Mortimer Attack 13 moves
- C51 Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Mortimer-Evans Gambit 13 moves
Sources
- History and theory: adapted from the Wikipedia article Evans Gambit, version of 25 October 2026, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Results: Lichess opening explorer, figures collected from September to November 2026.
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Italian Game: Evans Gambit (C51)”. Lichess data as of 10 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/italian-game-evans-gambit