Philidor Defense: Lion Variation, Shirov Gambit
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Statistics from Lichess
37,819 games: White 53.9% / Draw 5.2% / Black 40.9%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 19,60620K | ||
| 8,4538,453 | ||
| 4,1744,174 | ||
| 1,8821,882 | ||
| 1,7661,766 | ||
| 1,5661,566 | ||
| 308308 | ||
| 2424 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.20 The position is about equal
Best play: 5... Nxg4 6. Rg1 Ngf6 7. Bc4 h6 8. Qe2 c6 9. Bb3 g6 10. Be3
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Philidor Defense: Lion Variation, Shirov Gambit (ECO C41, Open Games) is a gambit in the Philidor Defense: Hanham Variation, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Nd7 4. Nc3 Ngf6 5. g4 (5 moves).
In 37,819 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 53.9%, Black 40.9% and 5.2% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 5…Nxg4, in 52% 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 Philidor Defense: Lion Variation, Shirov Gambit
5…g6 scores best for Black: 49.3%, with Black winning 46.4% and White 47.8% of 4,174 games. The most played, 5…Nxg4, scores 42.4% in 20K games, and 5…h6 scores lowest: 42.1%. Stockfish's first choice is 5…Nxg4.
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
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Philidor Defense: Lion Variation, Shirov Gambit (C41)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/philidor-defense-lion-variation-shirov-gambit