Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Paulsen Attack
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Statistics from Lichess
416,136 games: White 50.3% / Draw 5.3% / Black 44.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 234,030234K | ||
| 80,35980K | ||
| Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Bardeleben Variation | 61,57462K | |
| 19,22419K | ||
| 5,6865,686 | ||
| 4,5424,542 | ||
| 2,2942,294 | ||
| 2,2892,289 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 1, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.14 The position is about equal
Best play: 5... f5 6. d3 Nxc3 7. bxc3 d4 8. Be2 Nc6 9. Qg3 Be6 10. c4
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 54% under 1400, 53% at 2200 and up and 51% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 32K | |
| 1400–1799 | 156K | |
| 1800–2199 | 237K | |
| 2200 and up | 79K | |
| Masters, over the board | 312 |
Master games
- Nakamura, H. – Firouzja, A.
- Nakamura, H. – Firouzja, A.
- Rapport, R. – Aronian, L.
- Rapport, R. – Duda, J.
- Rapport, R. – Abdusattorov, 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
Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Paulsen Attack (ECO C29, Open Games) is a gambit in the Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Main Line, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. f4 d5 4. fxe5 Nxe4 5. Qf3 (5 moves).
In 416,136 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 50.3%, Black 44.4% and 5.3% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 5…Nxc3, in 56% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Bardeleben Variation. In all, 2 named lines continue from it.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Paulsen Attack
5…Nc6 scores best for Black: 55.3%, with Black winning 52.2% and White 41.6% of 80K games. The most played answer, 5…Nxc3, scores lowest: 43.8% in 234K games. Stockfish's first choice is 5…f5.
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 Game: Vienna Gambit, Paulsen Attack is played more than 10 times as often as in 2016: 0.024% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.0022%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.0022% | 787 |
| 2017 | 0.0024% | 1,306 |
| 2018 | 0.003% | 2,345 |
| 2019 | 0.0029% | 3,670 |
| 2020 | 0.0043% | 12,729 |
| 2021 | 0.012% | 47,088 |
| 2022 | 0.017% | 63,531 |
| 2023 | 0.022% | 83,243 |
| 2024 | 0.023% | 82,262 |
| 2025 | 0.024% | 82,392 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.026% | 28,803 |
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 (1)
All 2 named lines that continue from here
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Paulsen Attack (C29)”. Lichess data as of 1 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/vienna-game-vienna-gambit-paulsen-attack