King's Gambit Declined: Keene's Defense
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Statistics from Lichess
621,706 games: White 54.0% / Draw 3.3% / Black 42.7%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 616,383616K | ||
| 5,3235,323 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 1, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.95 White is better
Best play: 3. g3 Qe7 4. Nc3 d6 5. d3 c6 6. Bg2 g6 7. Nf3 Bg7
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 43% under 1400, 49% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 380K | |
| 1400–1799 | 605K | |
| 1800–2199 | 283K | |
| 2200 and up | 7,522 | |
| Masters, over the board | 57 |
Master games
- Andersson, U. – Keene, R.
- Stocek, J. – Vokac, M.
- Rodriguez Vila, A. – Spangenberg, H.
- Sorokin, M. – Sorin, A.
- Vouldis, A. – Plachetka, J.
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: Keene's Defense (ECO C30, Open Games) is a declined gambit in the King's Gambit, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. f4 Qh4+ (2 moves).
In 621,706 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 54.0%, Black 42.7% and 3.3% were drawn. White's most played move here is 3. g3, in 99% of those games.
It continues into one named variation. In all, 2 named lines continue from it.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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Popularity by year
The King's Gambit Declined: Keene's Defense has lost ground since 2016: 0.021% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.037%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.037% | 13,059 |
| 2017 | 0.032% | 17,675 |
| 2018 | 0.027% | 21,440 |
| 2019 | 0.028% | 34,336 |
| 2020 | 0.025% | 73,515 |
| 2021 | 0.024% | 93,841 |
| 2022 | 0.024% | 89,316 |
| 2023 | 0.024% | 88,735 |
| 2024 | 0.023% | 80,848 |
| 2025 | 0.021% | 74,479 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.021% | 22,873 |
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)
All 2 named lines that continue from here
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “King's Gambit Declined: Keene's Defense (C30)”. Lichess data as of 1 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/kings-gambit-declined-keenes-defense