The Halloween Gambit is 4. in the Four Knights Game: you give up a knight for the e5 pawn, then kick Black's knights back with 5. and 6.. In 10,637 Lichess games between 900 and 1700 (September 2026), you score 53.7% with it. In 300 games between players rated over 2200 online, that drops to 47.8%.
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.
3 named lines in this family; 1 with their own page.
The opening's share in each Lichess rating band.
After 4., 96 in 100 opponents at your level take back with , and every strong player does. Then 5. hits that knight. This is where your opponents and strong players part ways. At your level, 54 in 100 retreat with and 32 in 100 with , while 75 in 100 players over 2200 pick . That works in your favor: against you score 56 in 100, against only 49. If your opponent declines the knight with , which happens in 2 in 100 games, you score 47.
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 95.8% | 53.6% | 100.0% | no data | |
| 1.9% | 46.8% | no data | no data | |
| 0.8% | 56.3% | no data | no data | |
| 0.7% | 70.6% | no data | no data | |
| 0.6% | 58.3% | no data | no data | |
| 0.2% | 50.0% | no data | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 99.3% | 54.7% | 100.0% | no data | |
| 0.7% | 30.8% | no data | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 54.3% | 56.3% | 24.9% | no data | |
| 32.4% | 48.9% | 75.1% | no data | |
| 7.0% | 57.1% | no data | no data | |
| 4.0% | 72.0% | no data | no data | |
| 1.1% | 58.6% | no data | no data | |
| 0.8% | 57.7% | no data | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 94.3% | 49.9% | 100.0% | no data | |
| 2.3% | 40.3% | no data | no data | |
| 1.4% | 36.6% | no data | no data | |
| 1.1% | 40.6% | no data | no data | |
| 0.9% | 33.3% | no data | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 78.7% | 49.3% | 92.3% | no data | |
| 15.8% | 53.0% | no data | no data | |
| 2.2% | 42.4% | 7.7% | no data | |
| 1.6% | 47.6% | no data | no data | |
| 0.9% | 50.0% | no data | no data | |
| 0.8% | 65.0% | no data | no data |
The gambit trades material for time. You hand over a knight for the e5 pawn, and in return your pawns advance with tempo, each push sending a black knight backwards. When it works, your opponent's knights end up close to where they started and you own the center.
The strong players' line is 5. 6. 7. 8.. The order matters. 5. comes first because it hits the knight on e5 and takes that square away. After , the e4 pawn follows with 6., attacking the knight on f6. Your c3 knight covers d5 and e4, and 92 in 100 strong players go back to g8. Now 7. comes in, aiming at f7, which only the king defends. With your opponent gives a pawn back to block that diagonal, but 8. picks it up and the bishop still eyes f7, and b7 too. You have two pawns for the knight, more space, and an opponent with nothing developed.
At your level, is more common. The shape changes, the idea doesn't: 6. 7. 8. 9.. Each pawn kicks a knight: the d-pawn hits the one on c6, the f-pawn the one that came back to e5, the e-pawn the one on f6. Notice what 7. does besides chasing the knight: it covers e5, so your pawn can land there and stay. With 9. your queen adds a second defender to that pawn, which the knight on g6 is attacking. From that position, after 9., you score 71 in 100.
The gambit pays off more at your level than higher up. Against players over 2200 you score 48 in 100, and against , their choice, 43. At your level it's 54.
| Move | Strong games | Chosen by |
|---|---|---|
| 294 | 100.0% | |
| 289 | 100.0% | |
| 265 | 75.1% | |
| 199 | 100.0% | |
| 194 | 92.3% | |
| 158 | 88.0% | |
| 121 | 43.8% | |
| 52 | 100.0% |
After , 6. is a blunder: the c6 knight still eyes e5. After 7. the pawn drops, since d4 no longer guards it, and you're a knight down with nothing for it. Play 6., kicking the knight first. 18 in 100 play it, and at your level it's only mildly punished: you score 51 against 58.
18 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 3 pawns of advantage. It scores 51.3%; scores 57.8%.
In the main line, 7. is a mistake: it lets in while your bishop can't take on d5. After 8. 9. the bishop has retreated, and with 10. you give up castling. Play 7. first, aiming at f7 and ready for 8.. 14 in 100 play it, and you score 43 against 54.
14 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 2.9 pawns of advantage. It scores 42.8%; scores 54.2%.
After 6. , 7. is a blunder: hits the bishop and sends it back with 8., so your opponent wins the time the gambit was paying for. 7. chases the knight with a pawn that also covers e5. Only 4 in 100 play it, but it gets punished: you score 29 against 59.
4 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 3.8 pawns of advantage. It scores 28.8%; scores 58.7%.
After 6. , pushing 7. is a mistake: attacks the undefended e5 pawn and pins it to your king, so it can't take on f6. Play 7. first to kick the knight off b4. 53 in 100 play 7., but at your level it's barely punished: you score 51 against 54.
53 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1.7 pawns of advantage. It scores 50.8%; scores 53.5%.
After 7. , 8. is a blunder: it kicks the knight, but brings it straight back to e5, where none of your pawns can ever attack it again. Play 8., hitting the f6 knight and keeping the chase going. Only 3 in 100 play it, and it gets punished: you score 32 against 62.
3 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 4.6 pawns of advantage. It scores 31.7%; scores 61.7%.
After 8. , 9. is a blunder: the f4 pawn was what defended e5. After the pawn falls and you're a knight down with nothing for it. Play 9., bringing the queen in to defend e5. 3 in 100 play it, and it gets punished: you score 39 against 71.
3 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 5.7 pawns of advantage. It scores 38.7%; scores 71.4%.
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| Not castled | Not castled | 2,711 |
| 2,144 | ||
| Not castled | 2,141 | |
| Not castled | 1,029 | |
| 880 | ||
| Not castled | 700 |
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. · C47
18 amateur games · White's score: 33.3%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. · C47
2 amateur games · White's score: 50.0%
After 1. 2. 3. , you play 4. and, after , 5.. Then you chase the knights with pawns. Against , play 6. and 7., aiming at f7. Against , play 6., then 7. and 8..
It rarely happens: 96 in 100 opponents at your level take the knight. The most common way to decline is , in about 2 in 100 games, and there you score 47 in 100. Your knight on e5 eyes f7 while their bishop aims at f2. If they grab a pawn back with , you score 71.
You are a knight down for a pawn, and against good defense that shows: players over 2200 score 48 in 100 with it. At 900 to 1700 it holds up better, at 54 in 100. Only 32 in 100 of your opponents answer , the reply strong players choose, and against it you score 49.