King's Pawn Game: Clam Variation, King's Gambit Reversed
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Statistics from Lichess
221,008 games: White 45.9% / Draw 3.5% / Black 50.5%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 87,91088K | ||
| 42,35642K | ||
| 19,34019K | ||
| 16,17516K | ||
| 14,69515K | ||
| 9,0069,006 | ||
| 4,4384,438 | ||
| 4,3454,345 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 8, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.95 White is better
Best play: 3. exf5 Qf6 4. Qh5+ g6 5. fxg6 hxg6 6. Qf3 Qg7 7. Nc3 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 50% under 1400, 54% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 203K | |
| 1400–1799 | 235K | |
| 1800–2199 | 101K | |
| 2200 and up | 3,097 | |
| Masters, over the board | — | no 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 Pawn Game: Clam Variation, King's Gambit Reversed (ECO C20, Open Games) is a gambit in the King's Pawn Game: Leonardis Variation, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. d3 f5 (2 moves).
In 221,008 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 45.9%, Black 50.5% and 3.5% were drawn. White's most played move here is 3. exf5, in 40% 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 Pawn Game: Clam Variation, King's Gambit Reversed
3. f4 scores best for White: 53.6%, with White winning 52.0% and Black 44.7% of 16K games. The most played, 3. exf5, scores 48.5% in 88K games, and 3. f3 scores lowest: 42.6%. Stockfish's first choice is 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 Pawn Game: Clam Variation, King's Gambit Reversed dipped to 0.007% of Lichess games in 2018 and has recovered since: 0.0087% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.0098% | 3,511 |
| 2017 | 0.0086% | 4,706 |
| 2018 | 0.007% | 5,492 |
| 2019 | 0.0081% | 10,157 |
| 2020 | 0.0078% | 22,750 |
| 2021 | 0.0085% | 33,061 |
| 2022 | 0.0087% | 32,753 |
| 2023 | 0.0086% | 32,443 |
| 2024 | 0.0089% | 31,995 |
| 2025 | 0.0087% | 30,125 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.0091% | 9,944 |
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 Pawn Game: Clam Variation, King's Gambit Reversed (C20)”. Lichess data as of 8 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/kings-pawn-game-clam-variation-kings-gambit-reversed