B07

Lion Defense: Anti-Philidor, Lion's Cave, Lion Claw Gambit

Chess diagram: Lion Defense: Anti-Philidor, Lion's Cave, Lion Claw Gambit after 7…d5

Type a move and press Enter: e4, Nf3, O-O, or from and to squares like g1f3 (e7e8q to promote). The board is also played with the mouse.

Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.

Statistics from Lichess

5,958 games: White 39.8% / Draw 4.3% / Black 55.9%

The moves played next. Pick one to see it on the board.
Next moveGamesWhite / Draw / BlackW / D / B
5,6745,674
222222
3535
2020
33
22
11
11

Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 10, 2026

Engine evaluation

−0.04 The position is about equal

Best play: 8. exd5 Bc5 9. Qd3 Qe7+ 10. Qe2 Qxe2+ 11. Kxe2 Nb6 12. Bb3 a5

Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.

Overview

Lion Defense: Anti-Philidor, Lion's Cave, Lion Claw Gambit (ECO B07, Semi-Open Games) is a gambit in the Lion Defense: Anti-Philidor, Lion's Cave, reached after 1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 Nbd7 4. f4 e5 5. Nf3 exd4 6. Qxd4 c6 7. Bc4 d5 (7 moves).

In 5,958 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 39.8%, Black 55.9% and 4.3% were drawn. White's most played move here is 8. exd5, in 95% of those games.

Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.

Write a description or report a mistake
What would you like to send?

Markdown supported (headings ###, bold, lists, links). Submissions are reviewed before publishing.

Cite this page

Caissa Codex. “Lion Defense: Anti-Philidor, Lion's Cave, Lion Claw Gambit (B07)”. Lichess data as of 10 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/lion-defense-anti-philidor-lions-cave-lion-claw-gambit