The Danish Gambit arises after 1. 2. 3.: you offer pawns to open lines toward f7 and g7 before your opponent has developed. In 105,539 Lichess games between 900 and 1700 (September 2026 data), you score 55.7% with it. Online players rated 2200+ score 49.5% from your side, and at that level the defense is common, while almost nobody plays it at yours.
Lichess games from September 2026 (30,577,162 rated 900 to 1700) and 31,791 over-the-board games rated 2300+ from the last 12 months. Data updated: October 14, 2026.
8 named lines in this family; 1 with their own page.
The opening's share in each Lichess rating band.
After 3., 73 out of 100 opponents at your level accept with . Strong players accept only 40 times out of 100, and 1 in 3 strike back with . The usual follow-up is 4. (76 out of 100), and after 5. you're two pawns down with both bishops aimed at the kingside. This is where the levels split. At your level the common replies are (23 out of 100) and (22 out of 100), while only 2 in 100 play , the choice of 40 out of 100 strong players. Against , strong players on your side score just 36 out of 100.
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 73.3% | 57.2% | 40.0% | no data | |
| 12.1% | 52.6% | 4.4% | no data | |
| 3.1% | 46.7% | 32.5% | no data | |
| 2.9% | 52.0% | 3.5% | no data | |
| 2.6% | 52.0% | no data | no data | |
| 1.8% | 53.0% | no data | no data | |
| no data | no data | 10.0% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 8.7% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 76.4% | 58.2% | 62.3% | no data | |
| 18.2% | 54.0% | 34.7% | no data | |
| 4.0% | 56.5% | 3.0% | no data | |
| 0.3% | 58.7% | no data | no data | |
| 0.3% | 29.9% | no data | no data | |
| 0.3% | 59.3% | no data | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45.7% | 59.6% | 52.7% | no data | |
| 11.2% | 54.9% | 20.0% | no data | |
| 10.8% | 56.9% | 9.9% | no data | |
| 8.6% | 58.7% | 11.0% | no data | |
| 5.0% | 53.8% | no data | no data | |
| 4.2% | 58.4% | no data | no data | |
| no data | no data | 4.5% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 2.0% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 98.7% | 59.6% | 100.0% | no data | |
| 1.1% | 63.3% | no data | no data | |
| 0.1% | 57.6% | no data | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23.1% | 58.8% | 31.9% | no data | |
| 21.6% | 58.2% | 15.1% | no data | |
| 15.0% | 60.9% | 4.9% | no data | |
| 14.5% | 59.4% | 4.9% | no data | |
| 6.7% | 61.7% | no data | no data | |
| 6.6% | 59.5% | 2.7% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 40.5% | no data |
The gambit trades material for time. After 4. 5. you've given up two pawns, but both your bishops are out and your opponent hasn't moved a single piece. Each bishop has a target. The one on c4 eyes f7, which only the king defends. The one on b2 sweeps the long diagonal to g7, with the rook on h8 behind it. The order matters: 4. points the bishop at f7 before you win anything back, and if your opponent spends another move on , 5. removes that pawn and develops your second bishop in one go. If you'd rather give only one pawn, 4. takes back on c3 and develops the knight; 35 out of 100 strong players choose it, against 18 out of 100 at your level.
The strong players' defense shows what's at stake. returns a pawn to block the c4 bishop's diagonal to f7 and free the c8 bishop. 6. recaptures with the bishop, which is aiming at f7 again. develops and hits that bishop, already attacked by the queen on d8. Then comes 7., chosen by 71 out of 100 strong players there: instead of retreating, the bishop grabs a pawn with check and the king loses the right to castle. And with the bishop gone from d5, the d-file opens. If the king takes on f7, your queen on d1 faces the queen on d8, which has no defender.
At your level this fight rarely happens. After 5. most opponents develop without giving a pawn back, your bishops keep their open diagonals, and you score 60 out of 100. In those games your job is to castle short, as you do in most games with this opening, and bring the rest of your pieces toward f7 and g7 before your opponent finishes developing and starts cashing in the extra pawns.
| Move | Strong games | Chosen by |
|---|---|---|
| 1,501 | 40.0% | |
| 594 | 62.3% | |
| 355 | 52.7% | |
| 186 | 100.0% | |
| 185 | 40.5% | |
| 70 | 77.1% | |
| 51 | 90.2% | |
| 42 | 71.4% |
After 4. , 5. ignores the e4 pawn, which the f6 knight is attacking, and simply takes it. Play 5. instead: the pawn hits the knight and drives it away before it can capture. It's only an inaccuracy, but it costs you: 35 out of 100 play it and score 48 out of 100, against 56 with 5..
35 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.9 pawns of advantage. It scores 48.3%; scores 55.5%.
Against , 4. aims at f7 but forgets about e4: after 5. that pawn falls. The solid move is 4., which wins the pawn back and gives you two center pawns. At your level it rarely gets punished: 26 out of 100 play 4. and score 53 out of 100, about the same as with 4..
26 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1 pawn of advantage. It scores 53.3%; scores 52.2%.
After 4. , 5. hits the knight, but forks your queen and your b1 knight. After 6. your opponent gains time on your bishop. Better is 5., which wins the pawn back and defends e4. At your level this almost never gets punished: 39 out of 100 play 5. and score 64 out of 100.
39 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1 pawn of advantage. It scores 63.9%; scores 54.5%.
After , only the king defends f7. 5. lets the moment pass: blocks your bishop's diagonal to f7 and attacks your bishop. Play 5. instead: if the king takes, your queen checks from d5 and hits the undefended bishop on c5. 33 out of 100 play 5. and score 57 out of 100, against 65.
33 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1.3 pawns of advantage. It scores 56.6%; scores 64.7%.
Against , 4. leaves the e4 pawn to the knight: , and although 5. wins back the d4 pawn, you're still a pawn down and your queen is out early. Play 4. instead, kicking the knight. At your level opponents rarely take advantage: 16 out of 100 play 4. and score 53 out of 100, close to what 4. scores.
16 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1.4 pawns of advantage. It scores 52.8%; scores 53.8%.
Against , 4. is a blunder: the d5 pawn attacks c4, and simply wins the bishop. The right move is 4., clearing that pawn out of the center. Here opponents do punish it: only 5 out of 100 play 4., but they score 30 out of 100, against 49 with 4..
5 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 6.4 pawns of advantage. It scores 30.1%; scores 48.6%.
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 36,526 | ||
| Not castled | 29,917 | |
| Not castled | Not castled | 14,772 |
| 9,712 | ||
| Not castled | 5,415 | |
| 3,665 |
1. 2. 3. · 80,039 amateur games
Your opponent accepts with , as 73 in 100 do at your level; you score 57 in 100.
1. 2. 3. · 4,156 amateur games
Your opponent declines with to hit back in the center; you score 47 in 100.
After 1. 2. 3. you offer the c3 pawn, and if your opponent keeps taking, the b2 pawn too. In return, after 5. your bishops on c4 and b2 bear down on f7 and g7 while your opponent's pieces are still at home. It shows up in 3.5 out of 1000 games at your level, slightly more often as ratings rise.
Against careful defense it holds about even: online players rated 2200+ score 50 out of 100 with it. The real test is , which gives a pawn back to block your c4 bishop; against it they score 36 out of 100. At your level only 2 in 100 opponents choose that reply after 5., and you score 56 out of 100 overall.
At your level the most common decline is , chosen by 12 out of 100 opponents; answer it with 4.. Against , push 4. to kick the knight. Against , the Sörensen Defense, take with 4., since 4. loses the bishop to . That decline hurts most: you score 47 out of 100 against it.