King's Gambit Accepted: Traditional Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
511,686 games: White 42.6% / Draw 3.5% / Black 53.9%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| King's Gambit Accepted: Hanstein Gambit | 247,691248K | |
| 157,947158K | ||
| King's Gambit Accepted: Philidor Gambit | 44,96845K | |
| 33,13933K | ||
| 10,23910K | ||
| 6,7476,747 | ||
| 3,1933,193 | ||
| 2,8112,811 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 20, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.74 Black is better
Best play: 5. d4 h6 6. Nc3 d6 7. Qd3 Nc6 8. h4 Bg4 9. Bb5 Kf8
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 better this line does for Black: Black scores 48% under 1400, 56% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 8,151 | |
| 1400–1799 | 150K | |
| 1800–2199 | 368K | |
| 2200 and up | 24K | |
| Masters, over the board | 81 |
Master games
- Nakamura, H. – Ivanchuk, V.
- Zvjaginsev, V. – Akopian, V.
- Al Modiahki, M. – Kazhgaleyev, M.
- Cordova, E. – Ruiz C, J.
- Rodriguez Vila, A. – Flores, D.
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: Traditional Variation (ECO C38, 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 Bg7 (4 moves).
In 511,686 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 42.6%, Black 53.9% and 3.5% were drawn. White's most played move here is 5. O-O, in 48% of those games.
It branches into 3 named variations; the most played are King's Gambit Accepted: Hanstein Gambit and King's Gambit Accepted: Mayet Gambit. In all, 4 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: Traditional Variation
5. h4 (King's Gambit Accepted: Philidor Gambit) scores best for White: 49.4%, with White winning 47.5% and Black 48.8% of 45K games. The most played answer, 5. O-O, scores lowest: 43.6% in 248K games. Stockfish's first choice is 5. d4.
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
Popularity by year
The King's Gambit Accepted: Traditional Variation has lost ground since 2016: 0.018% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.026% (its peak: 0.03% in 2017).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.026% | 9,196 |
| 2017 | 0.03% | 16,398 |
| 2018 | 0.027% | 21,003 |
| 2019 | 0.024% | 30,284 |
| 2020 | 0.019% | 56,760 |
| 2021 | 0.018% | 69,709 |
| 2022 | 0.02% | 75,465 |
| 2023 | 0.019% | 71,631 |
| 2024 | 0.019% | 68,234 |
| 2025 | 0.018% | 62,025 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.018% | 19,728 |
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 (3)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “King's Gambit Accepted: Traditional Variation (C38)”. Lichess data as of 20 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/kings-gambit-accepted-traditional-variation