Caissa Codex
C31

King's Gambit Declined: Falkbeer Countergambit, Pickler Gambit

Chess diagram: King's Gambit Declined: Falkbeer Countergambit, Pickler Gambit after 4…Bc5

Type a move and press Enter: e4, Nf3, O-O, or from and to squares like g1f3 (e7e8q to promote). The board is also played with the mouse.

Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.

Statistics from Lichess

8,464 games: White 42.1% / Draw 2.9% / Black 55.0%

The moves played next. Pick one to see it on the board.
Next moveGamesWhite / Draw / BlackW / D / B
4,5424,542
1,4291,429
984984
323323
314314
175175
142142
123123

Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026

Engine evaluation

+0.59 White is slightly better

Best play: 5. cxb7 Bxb7 6. Nf3 e4 7. Bb5+ Nd7 8. Bxd7+ Qxd7 9. Ne5 Qe7

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, Pickler Gambit (ECO C31, Open Games) is a gambit in the King's Gambit Declined: Falkbeer Countergambit, Nimzowitsch-Marshall Countergambit, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. f4 d5 3. exd5 c6 4. dxc6 Bc5 (4 moves).

In 8,464 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 42.1%, Black 55.0% and 2.9% were drawn. White's most played move here is 5. Nf3, in 54% of those games.

Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.

Write a description or report a mistake
What would you like to send?

Markdown supported (headings ###, bold, lists, links). Submissions are reviewed before publishing.

How to play against the King's Gambit Declined: Falkbeer Countergambit, Pickler Gambit

5. cxb7 scores best for White: 46.3%, with White winning 44.8% and Black 52.1% of 1,429 games. The most played, 5. Nf3, scores 44.2% in 4,542 games, and 5. fxe5 scores lowest: 33.5%. Stockfish's first choice is also 5. cxb7.

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 Declined: Falkbeer Countergambit, Pickler Gambit (C31)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/kings-gambit-declined-falkbeer-countergambit-pickler-gambit

https://chesscodex.org/openings/kings-gambit-declined-falkbeer-countergambit-pickler-gambit