King's Pawn Game: MacLeod Attack
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Statistics from Lichess
3,561,697 games: White 48.7% / Draw 4.0% / Black 47.3%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 1,176,6681.2M | ||
| 1,014,6641M | ||
| 383,339383K | ||
| 322,863323K | ||
| 306,112306K | ||
| 103,658104K | ||
| Lasa Gambit | 68,61069K | |
| 55,45055K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.20 The position is about equal
Best play: 2... d5 3. exd5 Qxd5 4. d4 Nf6 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. Be2 e4 7. Nfd2
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 worse this line does for White: White scores 50% under 1400, 46% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 3.6M | |
| 1400–1799 | 4.4M | |
| 1800–2199 | 1.4M | |
| 2200 and up | 23K | |
| Masters, over the board | 19 |
Master games
- Tate, E. – Van den Doel, E.
- Kolanek, R. – Król, W.
- Mitkov, N. – Martinez Martin, D.
- Lazic, M. – Nikac, P.
- Moreira, J. A. P. – Jansen, 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 Pawn Game: MacLeod Attack (ECO C20, Open Games) is a variation of the King's Pawn Game, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. c3 (2 moves).
In 3,561,697 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.7%, Black 47.3% and 4.0% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 2…Nc6, in 33% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations; the most played are King's Pawn Game: MacLeod Attack, Lasa Gambit and King's Pawn Game: MacLeod Attack, Norwalde Gambit.
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: MacLeod Attack
2…d5 scores best for Black: 55.5%, with Black winning 53.4% and White 42.4% of 323K games. The most played, 2…Nc6, scores 48.3% in 1.2M games, and 2…Bc5 scores lowest: 45.7%. Stockfish's first choice is also 2…d5.
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
Popularity by year
The King's Pawn Game: MacLeod Attack dipped to 0.11% of Lichess games in 2018 and has recovered since: 0.14% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.15% | 53,611 |
| 2017 | 0.12% | 65,381 |
| 2018 | 0.11% | 84,238 |
| 2019 | 0.11% | 140,175 |
| 2020 | 0.12% | 365,011 |
| 2021 | 0.15% | 572,706 |
| 2022 | 0.15% | 550,567 |
| 2023 | 0.14% | 531,202 |
| 2024 | 0.14% | 516,099 |
| 2025 | 0.14% | 484,797 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.13% | 141,844 |
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)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “King's Pawn Game: MacLeod Attack (C20)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/kings-pawn-game-macleod-attack