King's Gambit Accepted: Salvio Gambit, Santa Maria Defense
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Statistics from Lichess
8,758 games: White 35.0% / Draw 1.8% / Black 63.1%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 5,2735,273 | ||
| 1,3841,384 | ||
| 1,2111,211 | ||
| 576576 | ||
| 245245 | ||
| 3535 | ||
| 1919 | ||
| 55 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 2, 2026
Engine evaluation
−1.14 Black is better
Best play: 7. Qe1 Qxe1+ 8. Kxe1 d6 9. Nxf7 Rg8 10. Nc3 Nc6 11. Rf1 f3
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
King's Gambit Accepted: Salvio Gambit, Santa Maria Defense (ECO C37, Open Games) is a gambit in the King's Gambit Accepted: Salvio Gambit, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 g5 4. Bc4 g4 5. Ne5 Qh4+ 6. Kf1 Nf6 (6 moves).
In 8,758 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 35.0%, Black 63.1% and 1.8% were drawn. White's most played move here is 7. Bxf7+, in 60% of those games.
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, Santa Maria Defense
7. Nc3 scores best for White: 42.4%, with White winning 41.0% and Black 56.3% of 576 games. The most played answer, 7. Bxf7+, scores lowest: 34.3% in 5,273 games. Stockfish's first choice is 7. Qe1.
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “King's Gambit Accepted: Salvio Gambit, Santa Maria Defense (C37)”. Lichess data as of 2 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/kings-gambit-accepted-salvio-gambit-santa-maria-defense