Vienna Game: Frankenstein-Dracula Variation
The Frankenstein–Dracula Variation is a wild line of the Vienna Game: 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bc4 Nxe4. Read the guide
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Statistics from Lichess
568,828 games: White 46.1% / Draw 4.7% / Black 49.1%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 222,020222K | ||
| 203,124203K | ||
| 103,607104K | ||
| Bishop's Opening: Boden-Kieseritzky Gambit | 11,38911K | |
| 10,47710K | ||
| 8,8338,833 | ||
| 4,3434,343 | ||
| 1,7431,743 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 27, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.10 The position is about equal
Best play: 4. Qh5 Nd6 5. Qxe5+ Qe7 6. Qxe7+ Bxe7 7. Be2 Nf5 8. Nf3 Nc6
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
The stronger the players, the worse this line does for Black: Black scores 53% under 1400, 48% at 2200 and up and 49% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 135K | |
| 1400–1799 | 310K | |
| 1800–2199 | 316K | |
| 2200 and up | 75K | |
| Masters, over the board | 466 |
Master games
- Mamedyarov, S. – Giri, A.
- Nakamura, H. – Firouzja, A.
- Nakamura, H. – Harikrishna, P.
- Firouzja, A. – Aronian, L.
- Caruana, F. – Giri, 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
Description
The Frankenstein–Dracula Variation is a wild line of the Vienna Game: 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bc4 Nxe4. It can also arise from the Bishop's Opening, 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.Nc3 Nxe4. It leads to many complications, but with accurate play it is viable for both sides. Tim Harding gave it its name in his 1976 book on the Vienna Game, writing that the play was so bloodthirsty that "a game between Dracula and the Frankenstein Monster would not seem out of place".
The idea
Black takes the e4-pawn at once. White cannot win material at once, because 4.Nxe4 is met by 4...d5, forking knight and bishop. Instead White goes for f7 with 4.Qh5, threatening mate, and keeps renewing that threat. Against the double threat to f7 and e5, Black's only good answer is 4...Nd6, which covers f7 and attacks the bishop on c4.
Main lines
The main line runs 4.Qh5 Nd6 5.Bb3 Nc6 6.Nb5 g6 7.Qf3 f5 8.Qd5 Qe7 9.Nxc7+ Kd8 10.Nxa8 b6. Black is a rook down for the moment but will win the trapped knight on a8 with ...Bb7, ending up the exchange down. In return Black's bishops will be well placed, and Black avoids a queen exchange and plays for mate. White tries to secure the king, keep the extra material and later attack the black king stuck in the centre. Whether Black has enough compensation is a matter of opinion.
Alternatives along the way:
- On move 4, 4.Nxe4 d5 is considered to give Black no problems. After 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe4 Black is fine, as long as he avoids 5...Nc6 6.Qf3+ Kg8 7.Ng5, when White wins.
- On move 5, Ulf Andersson recommended 5.Qxe5+ Qe7 6.Qxe7+ Bxe7 7.Be2, claiming some advantage for White.
- On move 5, Black can give back the pawn with 5...Be7.
- On move 8, 8...Qf6 has also been tried and leads to quite different games.
Who plays it
The line is rarely seen at the top level, but strong players have used it. John Nunn played it against Jacob Øst-Hansen at Teesside 1974, and Vasyl Ivanchuk drew with it against Viswanathan Anand in Roquebrune 1992. Hikaru Nakamura played it in a rapid game in St. Louis in 2019 against Jan-Krzysztof Duda, and in 2025 Daniil Dubov won with it in a rapid tiebreak of the FIDE World Cup against Georg Meier.
The numbers
On Lichess Black wins more often: 49.1% against 46.1% for White in 570,000 games. Below 2200 Black is ahead by 4 to 7 points, for example 51.7% against 44.8% under 1400. From 2200 up White is ahead, 48.6% against 43.6%. In 466 master games over the board White won 29.6%, Black 27.5%, and 42.9% were drawn.
Suggest an improvement or report a mistake
How to play against the Vienna Game: Frankenstein-Dracula Variation
4. Qh5 scores best for White: 60.1%, with White winning 56.8% and Black 36.6% of 104K games. The most played, 4. Bxf7+, scores 50.9% in 222K games, and 4. Nxe4 scores lowest: 40.5%. Stockfish's first choice is also 4. Qh5.
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 Vienna Game: Frankenstein-Dracula Variation dipped to 0.019% of Lichess games in 2020 and has recovered since: 0.024% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.021% | 7,557 |
| 2017 | 0.022% | 12,053 |
| 2018 | 0.021% | 16,100 |
| 2019 | 0.02% | 24,807 |
| 2020 | 0.019% | 56,770 |
| 2021 | 0.02% | 78,986 |
| 2022 | 0.021% | 79,514 |
| 2023 | 0.023% | 86,706 |
| 2024 | 0.024% | 84,307 |
| 2025 | 0.024% | 83,609 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.025% | 27,252 |
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)
Transpositions
Sources
- History and theory: adapted from the Wikipedia article Vienna Game, Frankenstein–Dracula Variation, version of 25 October 2026, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Results: Lichess opening explorer, figures collected from September to November 2026.
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Vienna Game: Frankenstein-Dracula Variation (C27)”. Lichess data as of 27 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/vienna-game-frankenstein-dracula-variation