Ponziani Opening: Ponziani Countergambit, Schmidt Attack
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Statistics from Lichess
6,234 games: White 47.5% / Draw 3.7% / Black 48.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 4,1754,175 | ||
| 1,5621,562 | ||
| 401401 | ||
| 6565 | ||
| 1414 | ||
| 1212 | ||
| 33 | ||
| 11 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.42 White is slightly better
Best play: 5... Nce7 6. exf5 Nxf5 7. Bd3 Nf6 8. O-O g6 9. c4 Bg7 10. Nc3
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Ponziani Opening: Ponziani Countergambit, Schmidt Attack (ECO C44, Open Games) is a gambit in the Ponziani Opening: Ponziani Countergambit, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. c3 f5 4. d4 d6 5. d5 (5 moves).
In 6,234 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 47.5%, Black 48.8% and 3.7% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 5…Nce7, in 67% 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 Ponziani Opening: Ponziani Countergambit, Schmidt Attack
5…Nb8 scores best for Black: 52.1%, with Black winning 51.1% and White 46.9% of 401 games. The most played, 5…Nce7, scores 51.0% in 4,175 games, and 5…fxe4 scores lowest: 50.2%. Stockfish's first choice is 5…Nce7.
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Ponziani Opening: Ponziani Countergambit, Schmidt Attack (C44)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/ponziani-opening-ponziani-countergambit-schmidt-attack