King's Gambit Accepted: Salvio Gambit
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Statistics from Lichess
287,019 games: White 41.6% / Draw 2.5% / Black 55.9%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 238,086238K | ||
| 31,63832K | ||
| 9,7879,787 | ||
| 3,4313,431 | ||
| 1,0561,056 | ||
| 715715 | ||
| 526526 | ||
| 471471 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
−1.71 Black is clearly better
Best play: 5... Qh4+ 6. Kf1 Nc6 7. d4 Nxe5 8. dxe5 f3 9. Bf4 b5 10. Bxb5
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 worse this line does for White: White scores 44% under 1400, 41% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 17K | |
| 1400–1799 | 157K | |
| 1800–2199 | 172K | |
| 2200 and up | 5,177 | |
| Masters, over the board | 4 |
Master games
- Tsydypov, Z. – Skvortsov, A.
- Aabling Thomsen, J. – Hammer, J. L.
- Mesquita Jr., F. M. – Bravo, W.
- Mrkonjic, N. – Bubicic, J.
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: Salvio Gambit (ECO C37, Open Games) is a gambit in the King's Gambit Accepted: King's Knight's Gambit, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 g5 4. Bc4 g4 5. Ne5 (5 moves).
In 287,019 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 41.6%, Black 55.9% and 2.5% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 5…Qh4+, in 83% of those games.
It branches into 4 named variations; the most played are King's Gambit Accepted: Salvio Gambit, Silberschmidt Defense and King's Gambit Accepted: Salvio Gambit, Viennese Variation. In all, 6 named lines continue from it.
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: Salvio Gambit
The most played answer, 5…Qh4+, also scores best for Black: 59.5%, with Black winning 58.2% and White 39.3% of 238K games. Of the main answers, 5…Nh6 scores lowest: 47.8%. Stockfish's first choice is also 5…Qh4+.
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
The King's Gambit Accepted: Salvio Gambit has lost ground since 2016: 0.01% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.013%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.013% | 4,654 |
| 2017 | 0.014% | 7,697 |
| 2018 | 0.012% | 9,690 |
| 2019 | 0.012% | 14,665 |
| 2020 | 0.01% | 30,099 |
| 2021 | 0.011% | 42,358 |
| 2022 | 0.012% | 43,364 |
| 2023 | 0.011% | 41,488 |
| 2024 | 0.011% | 38,742 |
| 2025 | 0.01% | 36,175 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.011% | 12,078 |
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 (4)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “King's Gambit Accepted: Salvio Gambit (C37)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/kings-gambit-accepted-salvio-gambit