King's Gambit Declined: Classical Variation 3…d6 4. c3
Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.
Statistics from Lichess
322,332 games: White 48.3% / Draw 3.9% / Black 47.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 103,867104K | ||
| 96,86197K | ||
| 78,93679K | ||
| 15,44915K | ||
| 6,0336,033 | ||
| 4,3014,301 | ||
| Rubinstein Countergambit | 4,1424,142 | |
| 3,0673,067 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.12 The position is about equal
Best play: 4... f5 5. exf5 Bxf5 6. fxe5 dxe5 7. d4 exd4 8. cxd4 Qe7+ 9. Kf2
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 55% under 1400, 48% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 5,792 | |
| 1400–1799 | 94K | |
| 1800–2199 | 220K | |
| 2200 and up | 30K | |
| Masters, over the board | 204 |
Master games
- Gabrielian, A. – Azarov, S.
- Savchenko, B. – Kobalia, M.
- Huschenbeth, N. – Azarov, S.
- Arnason, J. L. – Sokolov, I.
- Valsecchi, A. – Sokolov, I.
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 Declined: Classical Variation (ECO C30, Open Games) is a declined gambit in the King's Gambit Declined: Classical Variation, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. f4 Bc5 3. Nf3 d6 4. c3 (4 moves).
In 322,332 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.3%, Black 47.8% and 3.9% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 4…Nc6, in 32% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations; the most played are King's Gambit Declined: Classical Variation, Rubinstein Countergambit and King's Gambit Declined: Classical Variation, Euwe Attack. In all, 3 named lines continue from it.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
Write a description or report a mistake
How to answer 4. c3
4…Nf6 scores best for Black: 52.0%, with Black winning 50.0% and White 46.0% of 97K games. The most played answer, 4…Nc6, scores lowest: 48.9% in 104K games. Stockfish's first choice is 4…f5.
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
This line has lost ground since 2016: 0.012% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.015% (its peak: 0.017% in 2017).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.015% | 5,367 |
| 2017 | 0.017% | 9,103 |
| 2018 | 0.016% | 12,238 |
| 2019 | 0.014% | 17,582 |
| 2020 | 0.012% | 35,366 |
| 2021 | 0.011% | 44,853 |
| 2022 | 0.013% | 47,736 |
| 2023 | 0.013% | 47,107 |
| 2024 | 0.012% | 43,251 |
| 2025 | 0.012% | 40,784 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.012% | 12,953 |
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 (2)
All 3 named lines that continue from here
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “King's Gambit Declined: Classical Variation (C30)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/kings-gambit-declined-classical-variation-2