King's Gambit Accepted: Cunningham Defense, Bertin Gambit 6…gxh2+ 7. Kh1
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Statistics from Lichess
223,640 games: White 60.1% / Draw 3.1% / Black 36.9%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 57,79858K | ||
| 33,56734K | ||
| 31,84432K | ||
| 25,93926K | ||
| 19,06819K | ||
| 17,81818K | ||
| 14,24914K | ||
| 5,0285,028 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 7, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.44 Black is slightly better
Best play: 7... d5 8. exd5 Nh6 9. Nxh4 Qxh4 10. Qe1+ Qxe1 11. Rxe1+ Kd8 12. Nc3
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 2,032 | |
| 1400–1799 | 101K | |
| 1800–2199 | 139K | |
| 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, Bertin Gambit, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 Be7 4. Bc4 Bh4+ 5. g3 fxg3 6. O-O gxh2+ 7. Kh1 (7 moves).
In 223,640 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 60.1%, Black 36.9% and 3.1% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 7…d5, in 26% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to answer 7. Kh1
The most played answer, 7…d5, also scores best for Black: 48.0%, with Black winning 46.3% and White 50.3% of 58K games. Of the main answers, 7…Be7 scores lowest: 24.7%. Stockfish's first choice is also 7…d5.
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
This line has lost ground since 2016: 0.0079% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.013% (its peak: 0.014% in 2017).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.013% | 4,468 |
| 2017 | 0.014% | 7,626 |
| 2018 | 0.013% | 10,093 |
| 2019 | 0.011% | 13,851 |
| 2020 | 0.0086% | 25,203 |
| 2021 | 0.0078% | 30,411 |
| 2022 | 0.0084% | 31,492 |
| 2023 | 0.0083% | 31,037 |
| 2024 | 0.0081% | 29,191 |
| 2025 | 0.0079% | 27,285 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.0075% | 8,206 |
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “King's Gambit Accepted: Cunningham Defense, Bertin Gambit (C35)”. Lichess data as of 7 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/kings-gambit-accepted-cunningham-defense-bertin-gambit-2