Philidor Defense: Lopez Countergambit
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Statistics from Lichess
627,618 games: White 50.7% / Draw 3.3% / Black 46.0%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 240,294240K | ||
| 214,976215K | ||
| 61,97362K | ||
| 61,01361K | ||
| 16,93717K | ||
| 15,51916K | ||
| 6,1126,112 | ||
| 3,0223,022 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+2.77 White is clearly better
Even so, Black scores 47.6% here in practice: wins plus half the draws in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500.
Best play: 4. d4 Nc6 5. Ng5 Nh6 6. d5 Nb8 7. h4 Be7 8. Ne6 Bxe6
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: Black scores 46% both under 1400 and at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 510K | |
| 1400–1799 | 633K | |
| 1800–2199 | 308K | |
| 2200 and up | 7,326 | |
| Masters, over the board | 4 |
Master games
- Gonzales, R. – Elissalt Cardenas, H.
- Hommeles, T. – Zagema, W.
- Colas Longares, R. P. – Gavin Roche, E.
- Civin, T. – Turner, J.
Rated blitz, rapid and classical Lichess games by rating band, and over-the-board games of players rated 2200+ from the Lichess masters database, updated Sep 27, 2026
Overview
Philidor Defense: Lopez Countergambit (ECO C41, Open Games) is a gambit in the Philidor Defense, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bc4 f5 (3 moves).
In 627,618 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 50.7%, Black 46.0% and 3.3% were drawn. White's most played move here is 4. d3, in 38% 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: Lopez Countergambit
4. d4 scores best for White: 54.5%, with White winning 53.1% and Black 44.1% of 62K games. The most played, 4. d3, scores 53.3% in 240K games, and 4. exf5 scores lowest: 50.9%. Stockfish's first choice is also 4. d4.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: White's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings
Popularity by year
The Philidor Defense: Lopez Countergambit has lost ground since 2016: 0.022% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.033%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.033% | 11,889 |
| 2017 | 0.028% | 15,644 |
| 2018 | 0.025% | 19,498 |
| 2019 | 0.026% | 32,667 |
| 2020 | 0.025% | 73,993 |
| 2021 | 0.026% | 99,952 |
| 2022 | 0.024% | 90,179 |
| 2023 | 0.024% | 88,567 |
| 2024 | 0.023% | 82,010 |
| 2025 | 0.022% | 77,623 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.022% | 24,237 |
Share of rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500 (blitz, rapid and classical) that reach this position, by year; 2026: January to April. Which openings are rising and falling
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Philidor Defense: Lopez Countergambit (C41)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/philidor-defense-lopez-countergambit