King's Gambit Accepted: Philidor Gambit
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Statistics from Lichess
46,199 games: White 47.5% / Draw 3.7% / Black 48.9%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 27,29727K | ||
| 15,89516K | ||
| 1,8011,801 | ||
| 269269 | ||
| 254254 | ||
| 158158 | ||
| 131131 | ||
| 123123 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Sep 26, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.63 Black is slightly better
Best play: 5... h6 6. d4 Nc6 7. Nc3 d6 8. Qd3 Bg4 9. Ne2 Qf6 10. Bb5
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
King's Gambit Accepted: Philidor Gambit (ECO C38, Open Games) is a gambit in the King's Gambit Accepted: Traditional Variation, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 g5 4. Bc4 Bg7 5. h4 (5 moves).
In 46,199 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 47.5%, Black 48.9% and 3.7% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 5…h6, in 59% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, King's Gambit Accepted: Greco 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 King's Gambit Accepted: Philidor Gambit
The most played answer, 5…h6, also scores best for Black: 55.8%, with Black winning 53.6% and White 42.1% of 27K games. Of the main answers, 5…g4 scores lowest: 44.7%. Stockfish's first choice is also 5…h6.
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
Variations (1)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “King's Gambit Accepted: Philidor Gambit (C38)”. Lichess data as of 26 Sep 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/kings-gambit-accepted-philidor-gambit