Caissa Codex
C39

King's Gambit Accepted: Kieseritzky Gambit, Berlin Defense

Chess diagram: King's Gambit Accepted: Kieseritzky Gambit, Berlin Defense after 5…Nf6

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Statistics from Lichess

43,578 games: White 40.2% / Draw 3.6% / Black 56.2%

The moves played next. Pick one to see it on the board.
Next moveGamesWhite / Draw / BlackW / D / B
18,42518K
14,96515K
4,6224,622
Rubinstein Variation 3,8473,847
1,5211,521
8686
6767
1515

Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026

Engine evaluation

−0.27 The position is about equal

Best play: 6. Nxg4 Nc6 7. Nc3 Nd4 8. Nxf6+ Qxf6 9. d3 c6 10. Ne2 Ne6

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

Overview

King's Gambit Accepted: Kieseritzky Gambit, Berlin Defense (ECO C39, Open Games) is a gambit in the King's Gambit Accepted: Kieseritzky Gambit, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 g5 4. h4 g4 5. Ne5 Nf6 (5 moves).

In 43,578 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 40.2%, Black 56.2% and 3.6% were drawn. White's most played move here is 6. Nxg4, in 42% of those games.

It branches into 4 named variations; the most played are King's Gambit Accepted: Kieseritzky Gambit, Anderssen Defense and King's Gambit Accepted: Kieseritzky Gambit, Berlin Defense, Rubinstein Variation. In all, 7 named lines continue from it.

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How to play against the King's Gambit Accepted: Kieseritzky Gambit, Berlin Defense

6. d4 (Rubinstein Variation) scores best for White: 45.3%, with White winning 43.3% and Black 52.6% of 3,847 games. The most played answer, 6. Nxg4, scores lowest: 39.2% in 18K games. Stockfish's first choice is 6. Nxg4.

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

Variations (4)

Other lines from the same position

Instead of 5…Nf6, the position after King's Gambit Accepted: Kieseritzky Gambit also goes on to:

All 7 named lines that continue from here

Cite this page

Caissa Codex. “King's Gambit Accepted: Kieseritzky Gambit, Berlin Defense (C39)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/kings-gambit-accepted-kieseritzky-gambit-berlin-defense

https://chesscodex.org/openings/kings-gambit-accepted-kieseritzky-gambit-berlin-defense