Latvian Gambit: Mlotkowski Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
457,023 games: White 48.3% / Draw 3.7% / Black 48.0%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 141,889142K | ||
| 131,939132K | ||
| Three Knights Opening: Winawer Defense | 92,84793K | |
| 65,88766K | ||
| 8,9138,913 | ||
| 4,4324,432 | ||
| 3,9563,956 | ||
| 2,9922,992 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+1.43 White is better
Best play: 3... d6 4. d4 fxe4 5. Nxe4 Nf6 6. Bg5 Be7 7. Bxf6 gxf6 8. Ng3
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, 49% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 256K | |
| 1400–1799 | 351K | |
| 1800–2199 | 257K | |
| 2200 and up | 17K | |
| Masters, over the board | 11 |
Master games
- Chan, M. – Jarabinský, M.
- Camara, H. – Castro Rojas, O. H.
- Chan, M. – Owens, J.
- Gamboa, N. – Karklins, A.
- Zhukov, A. – Zubritskiy, A.
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: Mlotkowski Variation (ECO C40, Open Games) is a gambit in the Latvian Gambit, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 f5 3. Nc3 (3 moves).
In 457,023 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.3%, Black 48.0% and 3.7% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 3…fxe4, in 31% 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: Mlotkowski Variation
The most played answer, 3…fxe4, also scores best for Black: 53.6%, with Black winning 51.7% and White 44.5% of 142K games. Of the main answers, 3…d6 scores lowest: 46.2%. Stockfish's first choice is 3…d6.
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: Mlotkowski Variation has stayed between 0.017% and 0.019% of Lichess games a year since 2016 (0.018% in 2025).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.018% | 6,372 |
| 2017 | 0.019% | 10,207 |
| 2018 | 0.017% | 13,294 |
| 2019 | 0.018% | 22,340 |
| 2020 | 0.018% | 52,975 |
| 2021 | 0.018% | 69,907 |
| 2022 | 0.017% | 63,925 |
| 2023 | 0.017% | 63,004 |
| 2024 | 0.018% | 63,422 |
| 2025 | 0.018% | 61,774 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.02% | 21,742 |
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
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Latvian Gambit: Mlotkowski Variation (C40)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/latvian-gambit-mlotkowski-variation