Latvian Gambit: Fraser Defense
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Statistics from Lichess
138,430 games: White 45.8% / Draw 4.0% / Black 50.2%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 75,35575K | ||
| 51,79752K | ||
| 9,7749,774 | ||
| 850850 | ||
| 178178 | ||
| 150150 | ||
| 8383 | ||
| 8181 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 23, 2026
Engine evaluation
+4.30 White is clearly better
Even so, Black scores 52.2% here in practice: wins plus half the draws in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500.
Best play: 4. Qh5+ g6 5. Nxg6 Nf6 6. Qh4 hxg6 7. Qxh8 Qe7 8. d3 Kf7
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Latvian Gambit: Fraser Defense (ECO C40, Open Games) is a gambit in the Latvian Gambit, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 f5 3. Nxe5 Nc6 (3 moves).
In 138,430 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 45.8%, Black 50.2% and 4.0% were drawn. White's most played move here is 4. Nxc6, in 54% 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: Fraser Defense
4. d4 scores best for White: 58.3%, with White winning 55.9% and Black 39.4% of 9,774 games. The most played, 4. Nxc6, scores 51.0% in 75K games, and 4. Qh5+ scores lowest: 41.4%. Stockfish's first choice is 4. Qh5+.
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
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Latvian Gambit: Fraser Defense (C40)”. Lichess data as of 23 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/latvian-gambit-fraser-defense