Tree path 5 levels King's Pawn Game › King's Knight Opening › Philidor Defense › Philidor Defense › Lopez Countergambit
C41

Philidor Defense: Lopez Countergambit

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Overview

Philidor Defense: Lopez Countergambit is a gambit, classified under ECO code C41 within the Open Games family. As with all gambits, one side sacrifices material early — usually a pawn — in exchange for development, open lines, or initiative.

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 d6 3. Bc4 f5.

It is a variation of Philidor Defense, which itself descends from the root opening King's Pawn Game.

Step through the moves on the interactive board below, review the live Lichess statistics, or play this position against Stockfish at one of six difficulty levels.

ECO code
C41
Group
Open Games (C)
Plies
6
Parent
Philidor Defense

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

627,618 games · White 50.7% / Draw 3.3% / Black 46.0%

MovesGamesW / D / B
d3240,294
exf5214,976
d461,973
Nc361,013
O-O16,937
Bxg815,519
c36,112
Qe23,022

Source: Lichess Opening Explorer · cached 2026-09-26 01:26:03

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