King's Pawn Game: McConnell Defense
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Statistics from Lichess
4,217,445 games: White 51.6% / Draw 4.1% / Black 44.3%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 1,667,0691.7M | ||
| 1,334,5341.3M | ||
| 627,713628K | ||
| 175,301175K | ||
| 163,296163K | ||
| 85,97786K | ||
| 62,49062K | ||
| 33,02133K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+1.37 White is better
Best play: 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. d4 Bb4 5. Bd2 Nxd4 6. Nxd4 exd4 7. Nb5 Bxd2+
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 Black: Black scores 47% under 1400, 42% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 9.6M | |
| 1400–1799 | 7.6M | |
| 1800–2199 | 1.2M | |
| 2200 and up | 8,130 | |
| 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 26, 2026
Overview
King's Pawn Game: McConnell Defense (ECO C40, Open Games) is a variation of the King's Knight Opening, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Qf6 (2 moves).
In 4,217,445 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 51.6%, Black 44.3% and 4.1% were drawn. White's most played move here is 3. Bc4, in 40% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, King's Pawn Game: La Bourdonnais 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: McConnell Defense
3. Nc3 scores best for White: 56.4%, with White winning 54.4% and Black 41.5% of 1.3M games. The most played answer, 3. Bc4, scores lowest: 51.5% in 1.7M games. Stockfish's first choice is also 3. Nc3.
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: McConnell Defense has lost ground since 2016: 0.14% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.26%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.26% | 91,590 |
| 2017 | 0.19% | 105,312 |
| 2018 | 0.15% | 120,228 |
| 2019 | 0.15% | 190,280 |
| 2020 | 0.16% | 481,892 |
| 2021 | 0.19% | 749,952 |
| 2022 | 0.17% | 646,670 |
| 2023 | 0.16% | 606,327 |
| 2024 | 0.15% | 543,215 |
| 2025 | 0.14% | 480,084 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.13% | 137,545 |
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 (1)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “King's Pawn Game: McConnell Defense (C40)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/kings-pawn-game-mcconnell-defense