King's Gambit Accepted: Philidor Gambit, Schultz Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
849 games: White 59.4% / Draw 5.1% / Black 35.6%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 517517 | ||
| 111111 | ||
| 5858 | ||
| 5050 | ||
| 4646 | ||
| 1919 | ||
| 1111 | ||
| 1111 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 1, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.79 Black is better
Best play: 7... Nc6 8. Nc3 Bd7 9. hxg5 hxg5 10. Rxh8 Bxh8 11. e5 Kf8 12. Bd2
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, Schultz Variation (ECO C38, Open Games) is a gambit in the King's Gambit Accepted: Becker Defense, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 h6 4. Bc4 d6 5. d4 g5 6. h4 Bg7 7. Qd3 (7 moves).
In 849 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 59.4%, Black 35.6% and 5.1% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 7…Nc6, in 61% of those games.
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How to play against the King's Gambit Accepted: Philidor Gambit, Schultz Variation
The most played answer, 7…Nc6, also scores best for Black: 41.3%, with Black winning 38.9% and White 56.3% of 517 games. Of the main answers, 7…Bg4 scores lowest: 28.8%. Stockfish's first choice is also 7…Nc6.
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
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “King's Gambit Accepted: Philidor Gambit, Schultz Variation (C38)”. Lichess data as of 1 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/kings-gambit-accepted-philidor-gambit-schultz-variation