King's Pawn Game: Schulze-Müller Gambit
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Statistics from Lichess
67,968 games: White 43.7% / Draw 3.2% / Black 53.1%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 38,34438K | ||
| 28,73829K | ||
| 125125 | ||
| 114114 | ||
| 106106 | ||
| 9090 | ||
| 8080 | ||
| 7676 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
−4.03 Black is clearly better
Even so, White scores 45.3% here in practice: wins plus half the draws in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500.
Best play: 4... Ng6 5. c4 Bb4+ 6. Nc3 Nf6 7. f3 c5 8. a3 Bxc3+ 9. bxc3
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
King's Pawn Game: Schulze-Müller Gambit (ECO C44, Open Games) is a gambit in the Irish Gambit, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nxe5 Nxe5 4. d4 (4 moves).
In 67,968 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 43.7%, Black 53.1% and 3.2% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 4…Ng6, in 56% 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: Schulze-Müller Gambit
4…Nc6 scores best for Black: 55.3%, with Black winning 53.7% and White 43.1% of 29K games. The most played answer, 4…Ng6, scores lowest: 54.7% in 38K games. Stockfish's first choice is 4…Ng6.
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: Schulze-Müller Gambit (C44)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/kings-pawn-game-schulze-muller-gambit