King's Gambit Declined: Petrov's Defense
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Statistics from Lichess
1,048,628 games: White 51.7% / Draw 3.5% / Black 44.9%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit | 377,482377K | |
| 313,132313K | ||
| 244,804245K | ||
| 86,50487K | ||
| Bishop's Opening: Berlin Defense, Greco Gambit | 13,78114K | |
| 5,9755,975 | ||
| 2,1672,167 | ||
| 1,4861,486 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 10, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.19 The position is about equal
Best play: 3. fxe5 Nxe4 4. Nf3 Be7 5. d4 d5 6. exd6 Nxd6 7. Bd3 Nc6
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 44% under 1400, 49% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 478K | |
| 1400–1799 | 904K | |
| 1800–2199 | 527K | |
| 2200 and up | 26K | |
| Masters, over the board | 41 |
Master games
- Bronstein, D. I. – Kholmov, R. D.
- Bronstein, D. I. – Jussupow, A.
- Spassky, B. V. – Pytel, K.
- Stocek, J. – Timoscenko, G.
- Savchenko, B. – Sergeyev, A.
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: Petrov's Defense (ECO C30, Open Games) is a declined gambit in the King's Gambit, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. f4 Nf6 (2 moves).
In 1,048,628 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 51.7%, Black 44.9% and 3.5% were drawn. White's most played move here is 3. Nc3, in 36% 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: Petrov's Defense
The most played answer, 3. Nc3 (Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit), also scores best for White: 55.4%, with White winning 53.5% and Black 42.8% of 377K games. Of the main answers, 3. Nf3 scores lowest: 52.3%. Stockfish's first choice is 3. fxe5.
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: Petrov's Defense has gained ground since 2016: 0.04% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.027% (its peak: 0.047% in 2022).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.027% | 9,815 |
| 2017 | 0.026% | 14,535 |
| 2018 | 0.027% | 20,994 |
| 2019 | 0.029% | 35,926 |
| 2020 | 0.034% | 100,186 |
| 2021 | 0.046% | 180,341 |
| 2022 | 0.047% | 175,639 |
| 2023 | 0.044% | 167,294 |
| 2024 | 0.041% | 146,892 |
| 2025 | 0.04% | 139,148 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.039% | 42,345 |
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
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “King's Gambit Declined: Petrov's Defense (C30)”. Lichess data as of 10 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/kings-gambit-declined-petrovs-defense