Latvian Gambit Accepted
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Statistics from Lichess
1,217,684 games: White 46.5% / Draw 3.7% / Black 49.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 701,984702K | ||
| 251,288251K | ||
| 86,18286K | ||
| 75,98876K | ||
| 51,88752K | ||
| 31,94132K | ||
| 14,56015K | ||
| 1,2241,224 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 1, 2026
Engine evaluation
+1.51 White is clearly better
Even so, Black scores 51.6% here in practice: wins plus half the draws in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500.
Best play: 3... e4 4. Nd4 Qf6 5. Nb5 Qe5 6. Qe2 Kd8 7. N5c3 Qxf5 8. Qxe4
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: White scores 53% under 1400, 51% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 745K | |
| 1400–1799 | 1.1M | |
| 1800–2199 | 614K | |
| 2200 and up | 29K | |
| Masters, over the board | 29 |
Master games
- Abdusattorov, N. – Salem, G.
- Barua, D. – Harari, Z.
- Owens, J. – Corbat, P.
- Klovans, J. – Gietl, T.
- Gluzman, M. – Chapman, M.
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 27, 2026
Overview
Latvian Gambit Accepted (ECO C40, Open Games) is a gambit in the Latvian Gambit, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 f5 3. exf5 (3 moves).
In 1,217,684 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 46.5%, Black 49.8% and 3.7% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 3…e4, in 58% 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 Latvian Gambit Accepted
The most played answer, 3…e4, also scores best for Black: 52.5%, with Black winning 50.6% and White 45.6% of 702K games. Of the main answers, 3…Nf6 scores lowest: 50.4%. Stockfish's first choice is also 3…e4.
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 Latvian Gambit Accepted has lost ground since 2016: 0.038% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.061%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.061% | 21,947 |
| 2017 | 0.062% | 34,389 |
| 2018 | 0.055% | 43,088 |
| 2019 | 0.057% | 71,431 |
| 2020 | 0.057% | 167,060 |
| 2021 | 0.053% | 207,060 |
| 2022 | 0.046% | 173,475 |
| 2023 | 0.041% | 155,173 |
| 2024 | 0.041% | 145,717 |
| 2025 | 0.038% | 132,513 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.041% | 44,463 |
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Latvian Gambit Accepted (C40)”. Lichess data as of 1 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/latvian-gambit-accepted