Latvian Gambit Accepted: Bilguer Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
227,633 games: White 50.5% / Draw 3.9% / Black 45.6%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 221,463221K | ||
| 2,2182,218 | ||
| 2,1982,198 | ||
| 474474 | ||
| 293293 | ||
| 221221 | ||
| 182182 | ||
| 165165 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+1.92 White is clearly better
Even so, Black scores 47.6% here in practice: wins plus half the draws in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500.
Best play: 5... fxe4 6. Nc3 Qg6 7. Ne3 Nf6 8. Be2 c6 9. O-O d5 10. f3
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 55% under 1400, 51% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 4,909 | |
| 1400–1799 | 43K | |
| 1800–2199 | 159K | |
| 2200 and up | 36K | |
| Masters, over the board | 147 |
Master games
- Apicella, M. – Sokolov, I.
- Ivanovic, B. – Hector, J.
- Noomen, J. – Simmelink, J.
- Kosten, A. C. – Hector, J.
- Caron, S. V. – Ruggeri Laderchi, G.
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: Bilguer Variation (ECO C40, Open Games) is a gambit in the Latvian Gambit Accepted: Main Line, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 f5 3. Nxe5 Qf6 4. d4 d6 5. Nc4 (5 moves).
In 227,633 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 50.5%, Black 45.6% and 3.9% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 5…fxe4, in 97% of those games.
It branches into 3 named variations; the most played are Latvian Gambit Accepted: Bronstein Attack and Latvian Gambit Accepted: Nimzowitsch Attack.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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Popularity by year
The Latvian Gambit Accepted: Bilguer Variation has lost ground since 2016: 0.008% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.011% (its peak: 0.013% in 2017).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.011% | 3,793 |
| 2017 | 0.013% | 7,403 |
| 2018 | 0.013% | 10,043 |
| 2019 | 0.011% | 13,612 |
| 2020 | 0.0098% | 28,552 |
| 2021 | 0.0087% | 34,169 |
| 2022 | 0.008% | 29,906 |
| 2023 | 0.0075% | 28,247 |
| 2024 | 0.008% | 28,532 |
| 2025 | 0.008% | 27,918 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.0095% | 10,393 |
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 (3)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Latvian Gambit Accepted: Bilguer Variation (C40)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/latvian-gambit-accepted-bilguer-variation