Caissa Codex
C32

King's Gambit Declined: Falkbeer Countergambit, Charousek Gambit, Old Line

Chess diagram: King's Gambit Declined: Falkbeer Countergambit, Charousek Gambit, Old Line after 5. Qe2

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Statistics from Lichess

23,320 games: White 46.7% / Draw 4.3% / Black 49.0%

The moves played next. Pick one to see it on the board.
Next moveGamesWhite / Draw / BlackW / D / B
8,7778,777
4,3524,352
3,6833,683
2,8982,898
1,4791,479
837837
612612
287287

Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 23, 2026

Engine evaluation

−0.24 The position is about equal

Best play: 5... Bg4 6. Nf3 Qxd5 7. dxe4 Qxe4 8. Qxe4+ Nxe4 9. Nbd2 Nd6 10. Nb3

Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.

Overview

King's Gambit Declined: Falkbeer Countergambit, Charousek Gambit, Old Line (ECO C32, Open Games) is a gambit in the King's Gambit Declined: Falkbeer Countergambit, Charousek Gambit, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. f4 d5 3. exd5 e4 4. d3 Nf6 5. Qe2 (5 moves).

In 23,320 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 46.7%, Black 49.0% and 4.3% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 5…Qxd5, in 38% of those games.

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How to play against the King's Gambit Declined: Falkbeer Countergambit, Charousek Gambit, Old Line

5…Bf5 scores best for Black: 53.1%, with Black winning 51.3% and White 45.1% of 2,898 games. The most played, 5…Qxd5, scores 51.8% in 8,777 games, and 5…Qe7 scores lowest: 45.8%. Stockfish's first choice is 5…Bg4.

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

Other lines from the same position

Instead of 4…Nf6 5. Qe2, the position after King's Gambit Declined: Falkbeer Countergambit, Charousek Gambit also goes on to:

Cite this page

Caissa Codex. “King's Gambit Declined: Falkbeer Countergambit, Charousek Gambit, Old Line (C32)”. Lichess data as of 23 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/kings-gambit-declined-falkbeer-countergambit-charousek-gambit-old-line

https://chesscodex.org/openings/kings-gambit-declined-falkbeer-countergambit-charousek-gambit-old-line