Ponziani Opening: Ponziani Countergambit
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Statistics from Lichess
212,650 games: White 44.1% / Draw 3.6% / Black 52.3%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 101,402101K | ||
| 48,86349K | ||
| 38,71439K | ||
| 6,6026,602 | ||
| 5,6545,654 | ||
| 3,9393,939 | ||
| 3,8023,802 | ||
| 1,2281,228 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 19, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.43 White is slightly better
Best play: 4. exf5 Qf6 5. d4 e4 6. Nfd2 d5 7. Qh5+ Kd8 8. Nc4 Qxf5
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 52% under 1400, 53% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 109K | |
| 1400–1799 | 173K | |
| 1800–2199 | 112K | |
| 2200 and up | 7,430 | |
| Masters, over the board | 57 |
Master games
- Nakamura, H. – Becerra Rivero, J.
- Ljubojevic, L. – Pachman, L.
- Borgo, G. – Sokolov, I.
- Starostits, I. – Mekhitarian, K. S.
- Krasnov, Y. – Novikov, M.
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
Ponziani Opening: Ponziani Countergambit (ECO C44, Open Games) is a gambit in the Ponziani Opening, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. c3 f5 (3 moves).
In 212,650 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 44.1%, Black 52.3% and 3.6% were drawn. White's most played move here is 4. exf5, in 48% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Ponziani Opening: Ponziani Countergambit, Schmidt Attack.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Ponziani Opening: Ponziani Countergambit
4. d4 scores best for White: 48.9%, with White winning 47.0% and Black 49.1% of 49K games. The most played answer, 4. exf5, scores lowest: 44.9% in 101K games. Stockfish's first choice is 4. exf5.
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 Ponziani Opening: Ponziani Countergambit is played more than twice as often as in 2016: 0.012% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.005%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.005% | 1,799 |
| 2017 | 0.0052% | 2,879 |
| 2018 | 0.0049% | 3,884 |
| 2019 | 0.005% | 6,274 |
| 2020 | 0.0046% | 13,478 |
| 2021 | 0.0059% | 23,122 |
| 2022 | 0.0075% | 28,289 |
| 2023 | 0.0095% | 35,886 |
| 2024 | 0.011% | 37,979 |
| 2025 | 0.012% | 41,825 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.012% | 13,251 |
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
Variations (1)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Ponziani Opening: Ponziani Countergambit (C44)”. Lichess data as of 19 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/ponziani-opening-ponziani-countergambit