King's Pawn Game: Damiano Defense, Damiano Gambit
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Statistics from Lichess
37,254 games: White 75.1% / Draw 2.6% / Black 22.3%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 17,55318K | ||
| 12,58413K | ||
| 3,0193,019 | ||
| 1,2201,220 | ||
| 1,1011,101 | ||
| 544544 | ||
| 421421 | ||
| 214214 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 3, 2026
Engine evaluation
+6.19 White is clearly better
Best play: 6... Qxe4+ 7. Kd1 Qe6 8. Nc3 Nc6 9. Qxh7 Nge7 10. Be2 d6 11. Re1
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
King's Pawn Game: Damiano Defense, Damiano Gambit (ECO C40, Open Games) is a gambit in the King's Pawn Game: Damiano Defense, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 f6 3. Nxe5 fxe5 4. Qh5+ g6 5. Qxe5+ Qe7 6. Qxh8 (6 moves).
In 37,254 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 75.1%, Black 22.3% and 2.6% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 6…Qxe4+, in 47% 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: Damiano Defense, Damiano Gambit
6…Nf6 scores best for Black: 28.3%, with Black winning 27.0% and White 70.4% of 13K games. The most played, 6…Qxe4+, scores 24.1% in 18K games, and 6…Qg7 scores lowest: 10.6%. Stockfish's first choice is 6…Qxe4+.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: Black's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “King's Pawn Game: Damiano Defense, Damiano Gambit (C40)”. Lichess data as of 3 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/kings-pawn-game-damiano-defense-damiano-gambit