Pirc Defense: Roscher Gambit
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Statistics from Lichess
581,793 games: White 44.6% / Draw 4.4% / Black 51.0%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 266,017266K | ||
| 187,567188K | ||
| 42,83343K | ||
| 33,57734K | ||
| 25,52926K | ||
| Philidor Defense: Nimzowitsch Variation | 8,7978,797 | |
| 6,9096,909 | ||
| 4,9534,953 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.72 Black is better
Best play: 3... Nxe4 4. c4 g6 5. Bd3 Nf6 6. h3 Bg7 7. Nc3 O-O 8. Bg5
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: White scores 47% under 1400, 48% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 473K | |
| 1400–1799 | 559K | |
| 1800–2199 | 289K | |
| 2200 and up | 20K | |
| Masters, over the board | 13 |
Master games
- Damljanovic, B. – Mestrovic, Z.
- Novikov, M. – Ivanov, A. A.
- Jugelt, T. – Vaulin, A.
- Narayanan, S. – Sagar, S.
- Abu Sufian, S. – Abdulla, A.
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
Pirc Defense: Roscher Gambit (ECO B00, Semi-Open Games) is a gambit in the Pirc Defense, reached after 1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nf3 (3 moves).
In 581,793 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 44.6%, Black 51.0% and 4.4% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 3…Nxe4, in 46% 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 Pirc Defense: Roscher Gambit
The most played answer, 3…Nxe4, also scores best for Black: 55.6%, with Black winning 53.6% and White 42.3% of 266K games. Of the main answers, 3…c6 scores lowest: 50.0%. Stockfish's first choice is also 3…Nxe4.
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
Popularity by year
The Pirc Defense: Roscher Gambit has gained ground since 2016: 0.023% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.016%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.016% | 5,635 |
| 2017 | 0.017% | 9,359 |
| 2018 | 0.019% | 14,679 |
| 2019 | 0.019% | 24,024 |
| 2020 | 0.021% | 62,189 |
| 2021 | 0.023% | 90,402 |
| 2022 | 0.025% | 92,424 |
| 2023 | 0.023% | 87,265 |
| 2024 | 0.023% | 83,613 |
| 2025 | 0.023% | 79,340 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.022% | 24,613 |
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. “Pirc Defense: Roscher Gambit (B00)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/pirc-defense-roscher-gambit