Tree path 6 levels King's Pawn Game › King's Knight Opening › Philidor Defense › Philidor Defense › Hanham Variation › Philidor Defense: Lion Variation, Shirov Gambit
- Chess Codex
- King's Pawn Game C20
- King's Knight Opening C40
- Philidor Defense C41
- Philidor Defense C41
- Hanham Variation C41
- Philidor Defense: Lion Variation, Shirov Gambit C41 you are here
Philidor Defense: Lion Variation, Shirov Gambit
Overview
Philidor Defense: Lion Variation, Shirov Gambit is a sacrificial opening line filed under ECO C41 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.
Play reaches this position via 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Nd7 4. Nc3 Ngf6 5. g4, after 9 plies of opening development.
In the opening tree, this line branches off from Philidor Defense: Hanham Variation, part of the broader King's Pawn Game system.
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
- C41
- Group
- Open Games (C)
- Plies
- 9
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
37,819 games · White 53.9% / Draw 5.2% / Black 40.9%
| Moves | Games | W / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Nxg4 | 19,606 | |
| h6 | 8,453 | |
| g6 | 4,174 | |
| Be7 | 1,882 | |
| exd4 | 1,766 | |
| d5 | 1,566 | |
| c6 | 308 | |
| h5 | 24 |
Source: Lichess Opening Explorer · cached 2026-09-26 02:03:54
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Submissions are reviewed before publishing.