King's Gambit Declined: Miles Defense
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Statistics from Lichess
314,763 games: White 40.9% / Draw 3.3% / Black 55.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 123,177123K | ||
| 44,69245K | ||
| 35,04935K | ||
| 34,93235K | ||
| 33,26433K | ||
| 28,41428K | ||
| 5,7865,786 | ||
| 5,3365,336 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 19, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.38 White is slightly better
Best play: 4. exf5 exf4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Bd6 7. Nc3 Nf6 8. Qe2+ Qe7
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 47% under 1400, 57% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 26K | |
| 1400–1799 | 125K | |
| 1800–2199 | 205K | |
| 2200 and up | 25K | |
| Masters, over the board | 46 |
Master games
- Ivanchuk, V. – Nakamura, H.
- Umansky, M. M. – Timmerman, G. J.
- Fier, A. – Hammer, J. L.
- Nazari, A. – Adhiban, B.
- Handoko, E. – Motwani, P.
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: Miles Defense (ECO C30, Open Games) is a declined gambit in the King's Gambit Declined: Queen's Knight Defense, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. f4 Nc6 3. Nf3 f5 (3 moves).
In 314,763 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 40.9%, Black 55.8% and 3.3% were drawn. White's most played move here is 4. exf5, in 39% of those games.
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: Miles Defense
4. d3 scores best for White: 51.1%, with White winning 48.9% and Black 46.6% of 45K games. The most played, 4. exf5, scores 44.3% in 123K games, and 4. Nxe5 scores lowest: 27.6%. Stockfish's first choice is 4. exf5.
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: Miles Defense has lost ground since 2016: 0.01% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.016% (its peak: 0.019% in 2018).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.016% | 5,593 |
| 2017 | 0.018% | 9,878 |
| 2018 | 0.019% | 14,906 |
| 2019 | 0.018% | 21,969 |
| 2020 | 0.014% | 40,600 |
| 2021 | 0.012% | 47,469 |
| 2022 | 0.011% | 42,661 |
| 2023 | 0.011% | 39,914 |
| 2024 | 0.01% | 37,619 |
| 2025 | 0.01% | 36,183 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.01% | 11,224 |
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “King's Gambit Declined: Miles Defense (C30)”. Lichess data as of 19 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/kings-gambit-declined-miles-defense