King's Gambit Accepted: Cunningham Defense, Bertin Gambit
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Statistics from Lichess
380,488 games: White 57.0% / Draw 3.1% / Black 39.9%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 364,887365K | ||
| 10,95211K | ||
| 2,4512,451 | ||
| 700700 | ||
| 668668 | ||
| 291291 | ||
| 141141 | ||
| 132132 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 2, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.62 Black is slightly better
Best play: 5... fxg3 6. O-O d5 7. exd5 Be7 8. hxg3 Nf6 9. d4 c6 10. d6
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 White: White scores 47% under 1400, 52% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 11K | |
| 1400–1799 | 185K | |
| 1800–2199 | 236K | |
| 2200 and up | 4,164 | |
| Masters, over the board | — | no games |
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
King's Gambit Accepted: Cunningham Defense, Bertin Gambit (ECO C35, Open Games) is a gambit in the King's Gambit Accepted: Cunningham Defense, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 Be7 4. Bc4 Bh4+ 5. g3 (5 moves).
In 380,488 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 57.0%, Black 39.9% and 3.1% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 5…fxg3, in 96% of those games.
It continues into one named variation.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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Popularity by year
The King's Gambit Accepted: Cunningham Defense, Bertin Gambit has lost ground since 2016: 0.014% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.022%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.022% | 7,764 |
| 2017 | 0.023% | 12,578 |
| 2018 | 0.021% | 16,569 |
| 2019 | 0.019% | 23,238 |
| 2020 | 0.015% | 43,307 |
| 2021 | 0.013% | 52,401 |
| 2022 | 0.014% | 53,392 |
| 2023 | 0.014% | 52,369 |
| 2024 | 0.014% | 49,776 |
| 2025 | 0.014% | 46,844 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.013% | 14,134 |
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. “King's Gambit Accepted: Cunningham Defense, Bertin Gambit (C35)”. Lichess data as of 2 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/kings-gambit-accepted-cunningham-defense-bertin-gambit