King's Gambit Declined: Falkbeer Countergambit, Nimzowitsch-Marshall Countergambit
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Statistics from Lichess
222,000 games: White 38.3% / Draw 3.5% / Black 58.2%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 122,450122K | ||
| 30,78431K | ||
| 27,02627K | ||
| 14,52515K | ||
| 8,9858,985 | ||
| 6,3346,334 | ||
| 4,3364,336 | ||
| 2,9742,974 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 7, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.19 The position is about equal
Best play: 4. Qe2 cxd5 5. fxe5 Nc6 6. Nf3 Bg4 7. Nc3 Nge7 8. d4 Nxd4
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 50% under 1400, 55% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 6,698 | |
| 1400–1799 | 77K | |
| 1800–2199 | 145K | |
| 2200 and up | 21K | |
| Masters, over the board | 193 |
Master games
- Pridorozhni, A. – Gareev, T.
- Pridorozhni, A. – Iljiushenok, I.
- Hebden, M. – Nunn, J. D.
- Zvjaginsev, V. – Balashov, Y.
- Petr, M. – Polak, T.
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: Falkbeer Countergambit, Nimzowitsch-Marshall Countergambit (ECO C31, Open Games) is a gambit in the King's Gambit Declined: Falkbeer Countergambit Accepted, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. f4 d5 3. exd5 c6 (3 moves).
In 222,000 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 38.3%, Black 58.2% and 3.5% were drawn. White's most played move here is 4. dxc6, in 55% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, King's Gambit Declined: Falkbeer Countergambit, Pickler Gambit.
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 Declined: Falkbeer Countergambit, Nimzowitsch-Marshall Countergambit
4. Nc3 scores best for White: 53.8%, with White winning 51.3% and Black 43.7% of 15K games. The most played, 4. dxc6, scores 39.4% in 122K games, and 4. fxe5 scores lowest: 22.8%. Stockfish's first choice is 4. Qe2.
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 Declined: Falkbeer Countergambit, Nimzowitsch-Marshall Countergambit dipped to 0.0066% of Lichess games in 2021 and has recovered since: 0.011% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.0096% | 3,432 |
| 2017 | 0.011% | 5,858 |
| 2018 | 0.0095% | 7,472 |
| 2019 | 0.0083% | 10,411 |
| 2020 | 0.0066% | 19,301 |
| 2021 | 0.0066% | 25,694 |
| 2022 | 0.0074% | 27,727 |
| 2023 | 0.0088% | 33,123 |
| 2024 | 0.0098% | 35,070 |
| 2025 | 0.011% | 36,705 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.011% | 12,275 |
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 (1)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “King's Gambit Declined: Falkbeer Countergambit, Nimzowitsch-Marshall Countergambit (C31)”. Lichess data as of 7 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/kings-gambit-declined-falkbeer-countergambit-nimzowitsch-marshall-countergambit