Tree path 5 levels King's Pawn Game › King's Knight Opening › Petrov's Defense › Petrov's Defense › Stafford Gambit
- Chess Codex
- King's Pawn Game C20
- King's Knight Opening C40
- Petrov's Defense C42
- Petrov's Defense C42
- Stafford Gambit C42 you are here
Petrov's Defense: Stafford Gambit
Overview
Petrov's Defense: Stafford Gambit is a sacrificial opening line filed under ECO C42 in the Open Games group. The defining idea is the early concession of material to seize the initiative and unbalance the position.
The Open Games group covers open games — classical 1.e4 e5 openings where both sides contest the centre directly with pawns.
It is reached after 6 plies of play, with the move sequence 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 Nc6.
In the opening tree, this line branches off from Petrov's Defense, part of the broader King's Pawn Game system.
It continues primarily into one named line, Petrov's Defense: Stafford Gambit.
Use the board to walk through every move, check how the position has scored on Lichess, or take it head-to-head against Stockfish.
- ECO code
- C42
- Group
- Open Games (C)
- Plies
- 6
- Parent
- Petrov's Defense
- Direct variations
- 1
This overview is generated automatically from the opening's metadata. Know this line well? Write a description — submissions are reviewed before publishing.
Statistics from Lichess
4,605,550 games · White 47.4% / Draw 3.7% / Black 48.9%
| Moves | Games | W / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Nxc6 | 3,856,055 | |
| Nf3 | 386,496 | |
| d4 | 201,369 | |
| Nxf7 | 112,262 | |
| Nc4 | 14,209 | |
| Nd3 | 8,920 | |
| Bc4 | 7,341 | |
| Nc3 | 5,374 |
Source: Lichess Opening Explorer · cached 2026-09-26 01:26:21
Write a description
Markdown supported (headings ###, bold, lists, links).
Submissions are reviewed before publishing.