King's Gambit Declined: Panteldakis Countergambit
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Statistics from Lichess
235,678 games: White 54.4% / Draw 3.1% / Black 42.5%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 114,237114K | ||
| 53,33453K | ||
| 33,65434K | ||
| 12,70713K | ||
| 9,5629,562 | ||
| 4,0114,011 | ||
| 3,3873,387 | ||
| 2,8032,803 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 23, 2026
Engine evaluation
+1.41 White is better
Best play: 3. exf5 Qe7 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. Nc3 Nf6 6. fxe5 Nxe5 7. Nxe5 Qxe5+
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 42% under 1400, 50% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 150K | |
| 1400–1799 | 229K | |
| 1800–2199 | 114K | |
| 2200 and up | 4,261 | |
| Masters, over the board | 1 |
Master games
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: Panteldakis Countergambit (ECO C30, Open Games) is a gambit in the King's Gambit, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. f4 f5 (2 moves).
In 235,678 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 54.4%, Black 42.5% and 3.1% were drawn. White's most played move here is 3. exf5, in 48% of those games.
It branches into 5 named variations; the most played are King's Gambit Declined: Panteldakis Countergambit, Shirazi Line and King's Gambit Declined: Panteldakis Countergambit, Greco 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: Panteldakis Countergambit
The most played answer, 3. exf5, also scores best for White: 60.8%, with White winning 59.2% and Black 37.6% of 114K games. Of the main answers, 3. fxe5 scores lowest: 44.3%. Stockfish's first choice is also 3. 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: Panteldakis Countergambit has lost ground since 2016: 0.0085% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.012%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.012% | 4,180 |
| 2017 | 0.0097% | 5,337 |
| 2018 | 0.0085% | 6,672 |
| 2019 | 0.0086% | 10,761 |
| 2020 | 0.0092% | 26,996 |
| 2021 | 0.0099% | 38,657 |
| 2022 | 0.0096% | 35,937 |
| 2023 | 0.009% | 33,905 |
| 2024 | 0.0087% | 31,026 |
| 2025 | 0.0085% | 29,522 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.0083% | 9,051 |
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 (5)
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “King's Gambit Declined: Panteldakis Countergambit (C30)”. Lichess data as of 23 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/kings-gambit-declined-panteldakis-countergambit