King's Pawn Game: La Bourdonnais Gambit
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Statistics from Lichess
6,978 games: White 52.8% / Draw 3.1% / Black 44.1%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 4,2564,256 | ||
| 1,5811,581 | ||
| 551551 | ||
| 231231 | ||
| 124124 | ||
| 5050 | ||
| 4545 | ||
| 3535 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+1.78 White is clearly better
Even so, Black scores 45.7% here in practice: wins plus half the draws in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500.
Best play: 4... d6 5. d4 Bg4 6. Nc3 Nd7 7. h3 Bxf3 8. Qxf3 c6 9. Ne2
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
King's Pawn Game: La Bourdonnais Gambit (ECO C40, Open Games) is a gambit in the King's Pawn Game: McConnell Defense, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Qf6 3. Bc4 Qg6 4. O-O (4 moves).
In 6,978 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 52.8%, Black 44.1% and 3.1% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 4…d6, in 61% 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: La Bourdonnais Gambit
The most played answer, 4…d6, also scores best for Black: 54.2%, with Black winning 52.4% and White 44.0% of 4,256 games. Of the main answers, 4…Qxe4 scores lowest: 26.3%. Stockfish's first choice is also 4…d6.
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: La Bourdonnais Gambit (C40)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/kings-pawn-game-la-bourdonnais-gambit