Sicilian Defense: Morphy Gambit, Andreaschek Gambit
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Statistics from Lichess
197,000 games: White 52.5% / Draw 4.4% / Black 43.1%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 106,681107K | ||
| 61,82562K | ||
| 14,01414K | ||
| 5,1505,150 | ||
| 3,4453,445 | ||
| 2,0522,052 | ||
| 1,1891,189 | ||
| 844844 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 5, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.07 The position is about equal
Best play: 4... Nc6 5. cxd4 exd4 6. Nxd4 Bb4+ 7. Nc3 Nf6 8. Nxc6 bxc6 9. Bd3
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 55% under 1400, 54% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 20K | |
| 1400–1799 | 75K | |
| 1800–2199 | 120K | |
| 2200 and up | 30K | |
| Masters, over the board | 50 |
Master games
- Noble, M. F. – Staniszewski, J.
- Schneider, I. – Rogic, D.
- Betker, J. – Jendrian, M.
- Kurenkov, N. – Novikov, S.
- Schneider, G. – Savoca, 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
Sicilian Defense: Morphy Gambit, Andreaschek Gambit (ECO B21, Semi-Open Games) is a gambit in the Sicilian Defense: Morphy Gambit, reached after 1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. Nf3 e5 4. c3 (4 moves).
In 197,000 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 52.5%, Black 43.1% and 4.4% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 4…Nc6, in 54% 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 Sicilian Defense: Morphy Gambit, Andreaschek Gambit
The most played answer, 4…Nc6, also scores best for Black: 48.2%, with Black winning 45.9% and White 49.4% of 107K games. Of the main answers, 4…d6 scores lowest: 40.9%. Stockfish's first choice is also 4…Nc6.
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 Sicilian Defense: Morphy Gambit, Andreaschek Gambit has gained ground since 2016: 0.0086% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.0069%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.0069% | 2,463 |
| 2017 | 0.0069% | 3,812 |
| 2018 | 0.0071% | 5,561 |
| 2019 | 0.0074% | 9,231 |
| 2020 | 0.0069% | 20,211 |
| 2021 | 0.007% | 27,225 |
| 2022 | 0.0073% | 27,483 |
| 2023 | 0.0077% | 28,786 |
| 2024 | 0.0079% | 28,477 |
| 2025 | 0.0086% | 29,923 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.0093% | 10,228 |
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. “Sicilian Defense: Morphy Gambit, Andreaschek Gambit (B21)”. Lichess data as of 5 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-morphy-gambit-andreaschek-gambit