Caissa Codex
C25

Vienna Gambit, with Max Lange Defense

Chess diagram: Vienna Gambit, with Max Lange Defense after 3. f4

Type a move and press Enter: e4, Nf3, O-O, or from and to squares like g1f3 (e7e8q to promote). The board is also played with the mouse.

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Statistics from Lichess

1,955,986 games: White 53.2% / Draw 3.9% / Black 42.9%

The moves played next. Pick one to see it on the board.
Next moveGamesWhite / Draw / BlackW / D / B
873,430873K
423,163423K
256,270256K
164,683165K
89,92490K
31,52132K
29,38829K
26,62427K

Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026

Engine evaluation

−0.25 The position is about equal

Best play: 3... exf4 4. d4 Qh4+ 5. Ke2 Qh5+ 6. Nf3 g5 7. Nd5 Kd8 8. Kf2

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 and 46% in master games (wins plus half the draws).

PlayersGamesWhite / Draw / BlackW / D / B
Under 1400 740K
1400–1799 1.3M
1800–2199 1.1M
2200 and up 152K
Masters, over the board 305

Master games

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 26, 2026

Overview

Vienna Gambit, with Max Lange Defense (ECO C25, Open Games) is a gambit in the Vienna Game: Max Lange Defense, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. f4 (3 moves).

In 1,955,986 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 53.2%, Black 42.9% and 3.9% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 3…exf4, in 45% of those games.

It branches into 3 named variations; the most played are Vienna Gambit, with Max Lange Defense: Knight Variation and Vienna Gambit, with Max Lange Defense: Steinitz Gambit. In all, 16 named lines continue from it.

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How to answer 3. f4

3…Bc5 scores best for Black: 46.8%, with Black winning 44.9% and White 51.2% of 256K games. The most played, 3…exf4, scores 46.3% in 873K games, and 3…Nf6 scores lowest: 41.3%. Stockfish's first choice is 3…exf4.

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 Vienna Gambit, with Max Lange Defense has gained ground since 2016: 0.086% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.055%.

Numbers by year
YearShare of gamesGames
20160.055%19,700
20170.059%32,462
20180.065%51,323
20190.062%77,537
20200.062%182,043
20210.073%284,863
20220.075%283,000
20230.081%303,106
20240.081%290,372
20250.086%298,782
2026 (Jan–Apr)0.091%99,734

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 (3)

Other lines from the same position

Instead of 3. f4, the position after Vienna Game: Max Lange Defense also goes on to:

Transpositions

This position is also reached from these lines, by another move order:

All 16 named lines that continue from here

Cite this page

Caissa Codex. “Vienna Gambit, with Max Lange Defense (C25)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/vienna-gambit-with-max-lange-defense

https://chesscodex.org/openings/vienna-gambit-with-max-lange-defense