King's Gambit Declined: Norwalde Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
207,089 games: White 58.0% / Draw 2.9% / Black 39.1%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 141,584142K | ||
| 30,97231K | ||
| 12,53213K | ||
| 10,25010K | ||
| 5,1845,184 | ||
| 2,6872,687 | ||
| 2,5072,507 | ||
| 859859 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+1.10 White is better
Best play: 3. Nc3 d6 4. Nf3 exf4 5. Nd5 Qd8 6. Nxf4 Nf6 7. d4 Nxe4
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 179K | |
| 1400–1799 | 283K | |
| 1800–2199 | 73K | |
| 2200 and up | 1,232 | |
| Masters, over the board | 9 |
Master games
- Reinderman, D. – Piket, J.
- Spassky, B. V. – David, A.
- Sanchez Almeyra, J. – Lugo, B.
- Berthelot, Y. – Bricard, E.
- Berthelot, Y. – Buecker, S.
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: Norwalde Variation (ECO C30, Open Games) is a declined gambit in the King's Gambit, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. f4 Qf6 (2 moves).
In 207,089 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 58.0%, Black 39.1% and 2.9% were drawn. White's most played move here is 3. Nf3, in 68% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations; the most played are King's Gambit Declined: Norwalde Variation, Bücker Gambit and King's Gambit Declined: Norwalde Variation, Schubert Variation.
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: Norwalde Variation
The most played answer, 3. Nf3, also scores best for White: 60.2%, with White winning 58.8% and Black 38.4% of 142K games. Of the main answers, 3. f5 scores lowest: 50.8%. Stockfish's first choice is 3. Nc3.
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: Norwalde Variation has lost ground since 2016: 0.0072% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.011%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.011% | 3,960 |
| 2017 | 0.009% | 4,980 |
| 2018 | 0.008% | 6,282 |
| 2019 | 0.0076% | 9,529 |
| 2020 | 0.0078% | 22,744 |
| 2021 | 0.0091% | 35,699 |
| 2022 | 0.0085% | 31,932 |
| 2023 | 0.008% | 29,971 |
| 2024 | 0.0075% | 26,865 |
| 2025 | 0.0072% | 24,979 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.0065% | 7,125 |
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 (2)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “King's Gambit Declined: Norwalde Variation (C30)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/kings-gambit-declined-norwalde-variation