King's Gambit Declined: Queen's Knight Defense
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Statistics from Lichess
10,221,109 games: White 52.0% / Draw 3.6% / Black 44.5%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 8,960,3179M | ||
| 454,707455K | ||
| 354,442354K | ||
| 123,301123K | ||
| 120,539121K | ||
| Vienna Gambit, with Max Lange Defense | 105,381105K | |
| 36,39536K | ||
| 35,50436K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.13 The position is about equal
Best play: 3. Nf3 exf4 4. d4 g5 5. d5 g4 6. dxc6 gxf3 7. Qxf3 Qh4+
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 46% under 1400, 50% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 3.5M | |
| 1400–1799 | 9.4M | |
| 1800–2199 | 4.8M | |
| 2200 and up | 167K | |
| Masters, over the board | 89 |
Master games
- Ivanchuk, V. – Nakamura, H.
- Kamsky, G. – Mamedyarov, S.
- Kamsky, G. – Mamedyarov, S.
- Nepomniachtchi, I. – Ponkratov, P.
- Umansky, M. M. – Timmerman, G. 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 26, 2026
Overview
King's Gambit Declined: Queen's Knight Defense (ECO C30, Open Games) is a declined gambit in the King's Gambit, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. f4 Nc6 (2 moves).
In 10,221,109 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 52.0%, Black 44.5% and 3.6% were drawn. White's most played move here is 3. Nf3, in 88% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations; the most played are King's Gambit Declined: Miles Defense and King's Gambit Declined: Zilbermints Double Gambit. In all, 3 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: Queen's Knight Defense dipped to 0.35% of Lichess games in 2018 and has recovered since: 0.4% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.37% | 133,679 |
| 2017 | 0.35% | 193,519 |
| 2018 | 0.35% | 272,366 |
| 2019 | 0.37% | 461,441 |
| 2020 | 0.37% | 1,077,209 |
| 2021 | 0.39% | 1,523,427 |
| 2022 | 0.41% | 1,548,777 |
| 2023 | 0.41% | 1,542,696 |
| 2024 | 0.41% | 1,470,522 |
| 2025 | 0.4% | 1,399,977 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.4% | 433,634 |
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)
Transpositions
All 3 named lines that continue from here
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “King's Gambit Declined: Queen's Knight Defense (C30)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/kings-gambit-declined-queens-knight-defense