Queen's Pawn Game: Chigorin Variation, Irish Gambit
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Statistics from Lichess
554,308 games: White 47.5% / Draw 4.3% / Black 48.2%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 161,200161K | ||
| 138,011138K | ||
| 99,38299K | ||
| 75,35475K | ||
| 58,41858K | ||
| 5,2055,205 | ||
| 4,4704,470 | ||
| 2,6202,620 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 19, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.01 The position is about equal
Best play: 3. e4 dxe4 4. d5 Nf6 5. Nge2 e6 6. Nf4 exd5 7. Nfxd5 Nxd5
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 50% under 1400, 49% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 442K | |
| 1400–1799 | 531K | |
| 1800–2199 | 262K | |
| 2200 and up | 38K | |
| Masters, over the board | 75 |
Master games
- Niemann, H. M. – Duda, J.
- Jobava, B. – Lupulescu, C.
- Bortnyk, O. – Dreev, A.
- Bortnyk, O. – Dreev, A.
- Van Foreest, J. – Grandelius, N.
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
Queen's Pawn Game: Chigorin Variation, Irish Gambit (ECO D00, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a gambit in the Queen's Pawn Game: Chigorin Variation, reached after 1. d4 d5 2. Nc3 c5 (2 moves).
In 554,308 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 47.5%, Black 48.2% and 4.3% were drawn. White's most played move here is 3. dxc5, in 29% 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 Queen's Pawn Game: Chigorin Variation, Irish Gambit
3. e4 scores best for White: 53.6%, with White winning 51.2% and Black 43.9% of 99K games. The most played, 3. dxc5, scores 48.6% in 161K games, and 3. e3 scores lowest: 46.6%. Stockfish's first choice is also 3. e4.
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 Queen's Pawn Game: Chigorin Variation, Irish Gambit has gained ground since 2016: 0.027% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.018%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.018% | 6,350 |
| 2017 | 0.015% | 8,315 |
| 2018 | 0.015% | 11,493 |
| 2019 | 0.016% | 20,524 |
| 2020 | 0.017% | 49,767 |
| 2021 | 0.019% | 74,814 |
| 2022 | 0.02% | 75,322 |
| 2023 | 0.022% | 83,212 |
| 2024 | 0.025% | 88,930 |
| 2025 | 0.027% | 94,180 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.028% | 31,027 |
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Queen's Pawn Game: Chigorin Variation, Irish Gambit (D00)”. Lichess data as of 19 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-pawn-game-chigorin-variation-irish-gambit