The Budapest Gambit is after 1. 2.: you give up the e5 pawn, then go after it straight away with and win it back once your pieces are out. As Black you score 49.8% in 14,901 public Lichess games between 900 and 1700 (September 2026). In online games between 2200+ players, the gambit scores 47 of every 100.
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.
1 named line in this family; 1 with their own page.
The opening's share in each Lichess rating band.
At your level, 53 of every 100 opponents take the pawn with 3.; among 2200+ players it's 84 of every 100. Most of the rest play 3. (22 of every 100), pushing past the pawn instead of taking it, or 3. (12 of every 100). After 3. the normal reply is : 83 of every 100 public games and 78 among strong players. turns up in 1 game in 6. Your opponent's next move is usually 4. (61 of every 100) or 4. (14 of every 100). The gambit does worst for you between 900 and 1100: 44 of every 100.
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 53.1% | 50.6% | 83.7% | 100.0% | |
| 22.1% | 47.5% | 4.5% | no data | |
| 11.6% | 51.2% | 4.7% | no data | |
| 6.9% | 53.4% | 2.4% | no data | |
| 3.7% | 50.9% | 4.0% | no data | |
| 1.9% | 53.2% | no data | no data | |
| no data | no data | 0.7% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 82.9% | 50.5% | 78.3% | 100.0% | |
| 16.5% | 49.3% | 21.7% | no data | |
| 0.3% | 41.3% | no data | no data | |
| 0.3% | 77.3% | no data | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 61.4% | 49.8% | 37.4% | no data | |
| 13.5% | 51.8% | 28.6% | no data | |
| 5.3% | 54.1% | 14.1% | no data | |
| 4.5% | 47.2% | no data | no data | |
| 4.3% | 54.9% | 1.0% | no data | |
| 3.9% | 47.3% | no data | no data | |
| no data | no data | 15.3% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 1.4% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 43.7% | 52.0% | 59.1% | no data | |
| 41.7% | 48.8% | 36.8% | no data | |
| 12.3% | 45.1% | 2.7% | no data | |
| 2.2% | 51.8% | 1.4% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 94.3% | 52.9% | 100.0% | no data | |
| 2.2% | 50.0% | no data | no data | |
| 2.0% | 31.2% | no data | no data | |
| 1.5% | 56.2% | no data | no data |
Strong players follow 3. 4. 5. 6. . Everything turns on the pawn on e5. Your opponent grabbed it with 3., and you hit it with both knights before they can add defenders. Along the way your bishop forces them to shut in their c1 bishop, the piece best placed to hold e5 from f4.
attacks e5 at once and eyes f2. 4. guards the pawn with the knight; 61 of every 100 opponents at your level play it. Strong players also choose 4. (29 of every 100), defending it with the bishop instead.
adds a second attacker on f2, alongside the knight on g4. Strong players pick it in 59 of every 100 games. At your level it splits almost evenly with : 44 and 42 of every 100. It also clears f8, so your king is ready to castle on the next move.
5. blocks the c5–f2 diagonal and opens a path for the f1 bishop, but the e3 pawn traps the c1 bishop, which can no longer reach f4 to defend e5. It's the reply of 94 of every 100 opponents at your level and of every strong player.
brings the second attacker to e5. Now both your knights hit it and only the f3 knight defends it.
6. develops the bishop and gets your opponent ready to castle; it's the strong players' most common choice, in 37 of every 100 games. With you tuck your king away before winning the pawn back, and the double attack on e5 is still there: if your opponent ignores it, you take on e5, trade knights there, and material is level. 57 of every 100 strong players castle here.
Until then you're a pawn down, and the pressure on e5 is what pays for it. At your level you score 48 of every 100 with and 51 with .
| Move | Strong games | Chosen by |
|---|---|---|
| 4,205 | 83.7% | |
| 3,513 | 78.3% | |
| 2,735 | 37.4% | |
| 1,024 | 59.1% | |
| 600 | 100.0% | |
| 595 | 100.0% | |
| 591 | 37.2% | |
| 214 | 57.0% |
After 3. 4., opens the a4–e8 diagonal that the d7 pawn was blocking. 5. is check and hits your bishop on b4, which has no defender. If you block with , 6. wins the knight. Play instead. 22 of every 100 players fall for it, and you score 43 of every 100, against 50 with the trade.
22 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 6.4 pawns of advantage. It scores 43.0%; scores 50.0%.
After 3., blocks your f8 bishop's path to b4, so , the check that develops the bishop with tempo, is gone. It's a small inaccuracy that rarely gets punished at your level. 10 of every 100 players choose it, and you score 48 of every 100, against 50 with .
10 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.7 pawns of advantage. It scores 48.2%; scores 50.3%.
After 4. the bishop guards e5, and only aims at f2. Next comes 5., closing that diagonal, and after 6. 7. you're still a pawn down with an isolated pawn on d6. is better. 24 of every 100 players choose , and you score 42 of every 100, against 58 with the check.
24 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 2.8 pawns of advantage. It scores 41.5%; scores 57.7%.
After 3. 4., gives up the bishop for a pawn. After 5. your opponent's king can no longer castle, but you're a piece down. Play . Only 3 of every 100 players try , and in those games you score 42 of every 100, against 50 after castling.
3 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 5.7 pawns of advantage. It scores 42.0%; scores 50.3%.
After 4., the bishop on g5 has no defender. After 5. you check the king and hit the bishop, so you win the piece back a pawn up. lets that slip: your opponent retreats with 5.. 29 of every 100 players choose it, and you score a little over 60 of every 100, against 75 with .
29 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 2.9 pawns of advantage. It scores 60.5%; scores 75.2%.
After 4., attacks the e5 pawn: if your opponent takes on d6, your f8 bishop recaptures. But 5. hits your queen, and after 6. you're still a pawn down with your queen blocking the c8 bishop. At your level it goes unpunished: you score 55 of every 100 with it, and 51 with .
12 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.9 pawns of advantage. It scores 54.9%; scores 51.2%.
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 6,835 | ||
| Not castled | 3,126 | |
| Not castled | Not castled | 2,327 |
| 896 | ||
| Not castled | 626 | |
| 439 |
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | ||
| Not castled | Not castled | 1 |
| 1 | ||
| Not castled | 1 | |
| 1 |
It's after 1. 2.. You give up the e5 pawn, attack it right away with , and aim to win it back with your pieces already developed. It's rare: between 1500 and 1700 it comes up in almost 1 game in 1000. You can also reach it via 1. 2. .
At your level it holds up: you score 49.8 of every 100 points across 14,901 public games, almost exactly half. In online games between 2200+ players it scores 47 of every 100. Until you win back e5 you're a pawn down, so the plan with , and has to work.
22 of every 100 opponents at your level decline with 3.. The best reply is , developing with check. Don't play first, since it blocks that check. After 4., play : runs into 5., which hits your undefended bishop on b4.