Caissa Codex
C31

King's Gambit Declined: Falkbeer Countergambit, Rubinstein Variation

Chess diagram: King's Gambit Declined: Falkbeer Countergambit, Rubinstein Variation after 5. Qe2

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Statistics from Lichess

71,268 games: White 44.7% / Draw 3.2% / Black 52.1%

The moves played next. Pick one to see it on the board.
Next moveGamesWhite / Draw / BlackW / D / B
20,36920K
18,49518K
12,42512K
7,2997,299
4,7344,734
3,4333,433
2,6032,603
1,2481,248

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

Engine evaluation

−0.25 The position is about equal

Best play: 5... Be7 6. Nxe4 O-O 7. d3 Nxd5 8. Qd1 Bd6 9. Nxd6 Qxd6 10. Nf3

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, Rubinstein Variation (ECO C31, Open Games) is a gambit in the King's Gambit Declined: Falkbeer Countergambit, Staunton Line, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. f4 d5 3. exd5 e4 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. Qe2 (5 moves).

In 71,268 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 44.7%, Black 52.1% and 3.2% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 5…Bf5, in 29% of those games.

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

5…Be7 scores best for Black: 61.2%, with Black winning 59.8% and White 37.4% of 7,299 games. The most played, 5…Bf5, scores 53.2% in 20K games, and 5…Bb4 scores lowest: 52.0%. Stockfish's first choice is also 5…Be7.

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. Nc3 Nf6 5. Qe2, the position after King's Gambit Declined: Falkbeer Countergambit, Staunton Line also goes on to:

Cite this page

Caissa Codex. “King's Gambit Declined: Falkbeer Countergambit, Rubinstein Variation (C31)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/kings-gambit-declined-falkbeer-countergambit-rubinstein-variation

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