In the Bishop's Gambit, after 1. 2. , you develop 3. before the knight. The bishop eyes f7, but nothing covers h4, so Black's queen can check there. On Lichess you score 55% (September 2026, N = 10,807 games). Strong players continue 4. 5. , and that is the line this page explains. If you are rated 900 to 1100, you score 57 in 100 with it, a little more than players above you.
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.
27 named lines in this family; 1 with their own page.
The opening's share in each Lichess rating band.
After 3., players on Lichess spread their replies widely: shows up in 17 of every 100 games, in 16, in 14 and in 13. Among strong players the check rises to 23 in 100, and , rare in the general pool, reaches 11. Against the check, 4. is played in 93 of every 100 Lichess games and in every strong game. Then the picture flips: the public plays in 60 of every 100 games, yet strong players pick it in only 4 in 100. They prefer , 27 in 100, or , 25. After , 5. is the most common move in both groups, and in the general pool 5. takes the rest.
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16.9% | 50.8% | 22.8% | no data | |
| 16.4% | 57.0% | 18.0% | no data | |
| 14.0% | 56.3% | 18.4% | no data | |
| 13.2% | 53.9% | 6.7% | no data | |
| 10.1% | 59.5% | no data | no data | |
| 6.4% | 57.5% | 8.0% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 10.5% | 100.0% |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 93.0% | 52.2% | 100.0% | no data | |
| 5.1% | 29.8% | no data | no data | |
| 2.0% | 41.7% | no data | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 59.5% | 51.2% | 3.8% | no data | |
| 19.8% | 57.6% | 27.3% | no data | |
| 10.4% | 48.1% | 25.0% | no data | |
| 8.3% | 48.2% | 15.9% | no data | |
| 2.0% | 47.6% | 16.7% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 7.6% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 78.6% | 55.8% | 83.3% | no data | |
| 21.4% | 57.5% | 16.7% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40.0% | 46.6% | 30.0% | no data | |
| 30.3% | 71.6% | no data | no data | |
| 29.7% | 50.0% | 70.0% | no data |
The point of the Bishop's Gambit is to get the bishop to c4 before the knight reaches f3. From c4 it hits f7, which only Black's king defends, and it covers d5, the square Black needs for the break. The cost is h4: with no knight on f3, nothing controls it, and checks along the diagonal your f-pawn opened when it left f2.
You meet the check with 4.. You give up castling, but you get out of check without losing anything else, and Black's queen is left on h4, where your pieces can hit it. Blocking with 4. goes wrong: after the black pawn on g3 and the queen both attack your h2 pawn. With 4. you score 30 in 100.
The strong players' line goes on with , developing and attacking your e4 pawn, which has no defender. You answer 5.: the knight comes out with tempo because it attacks the queen on h4. The queen has to move and still keep the f4 pawn protected. That pawn matters: from f4 it controls e3 and g3. That is why strong players choose in 70 of every 100 games: from h6 the queen still sees f4 along the h6-g5-f4 diagonal. Watch out, because the knight on f6 is still hitting e4. In the general pool the queen goes to h5, g4 or h6 about equally often. leaves f4 without its defender, and after you score 72 in 100. If you would rather not leave e4 hanging, 5. protects it right away; it comes up in 21 of every 100 Lichess games.
The break is the other reply worth knowing. Black hands the pawn back to open the position: your c4 bishop and e4 pawn both attack d5, and 4. takes with the bishop, which stays in the center. It barely shows up in the general pool, but strong players choose it in 11 of every 100 games, and against it strong White players score only 42 in 100.
At your level, what you will meet most after 4. is , in 60 of every 100 games. The bishop joins the queen against f2, a square only your king covers. If you play 5., which looks natural because it hits the queen, is mate. The answer is 5.: the pawn attacks the bishop, cuts the c5-f2 diagonal and opens the c1 bishop's path to f4, the pawn you want back. That way you score 56 in 100.
| Move | Strong games | Chosen by |
|---|---|---|
| 615 | 22.6% | |
| 139 | 100.0% | |
| 132 | 27.3% | |
| 36 | 83.3% | |
| 30 | 70.0% |
After 4. , 5. gives Black time for : that pawn defends f4 and keeps the extra pawn. With 5. you open the c1 bishop's diagonal toward f4 first. You castle here in about 4 in 10 games, and at your level it is rarely punished: you score 53 in 100, against 55 with 5..
41 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1.9 pawns of advantage. It scores 52.7%; scores 55.0%.
After 4. , 5. puts the pawn where the c6 knight and c5 bishop both hit it. After 6. 7. 8. you have a knight for two pawns, but you can no longer castle. 5. is better. It is seldom punished at your level: you score 57 in 100 with 5., 54 with 5..
78 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.8 pawns of advantage. It scores 57.3%; scores 54.2%.
After 4. , 5. attacks the queen but does nothing for f2, where queen and bishop are aiming. is mate: your king cannot take the queen, which the bishop protects, and it covers e1, e2 and g1. It shows up in 7 in 100 games; with it you score 2 in 100. 5. blocks that diagonal instead.
7 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 10 pawns of advantage. It scores 2.4%; scores 55.6%.
After 4. , 5. allows , and the h6-g5-f4 chain holds the extra pawn; play goes 6. 7. . Playing 5. at once takes the center and points the c1 bishop at f4. Castling here is the choice of 40 in 100; you score 56 in 100, against 60 with 5..
40 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1.7 pawns of advantage. It scores 55.9%; scores 59.8%.
After 4. , the g5 pawn already defends f4. 5. gives Black time to reinforce it with , and . Instead, 5. hits g5 with the pawn and the f3 knight, and only the d8 queen defends it. Castling here is the choice of 55 in 100; you score 52 in 100, against 60 with 5..
56 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1.7 pawns of advantage. It scores 51.5%; scores 60.4%.
A mistake in theory, less so at your level. After 4. , 5. allows , and with h6 behind it that pawn holds f4. 5. covers g5 before it arrives. Castling here is the choice of 44 in 100, and the numbers point the other way: with 5. you score 55 in 100, with 5. 49.
44 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1.2 pawns of advantage. It scores 54.9%; scores 48.8%.
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 3,047 | ||
| Not castled | 2,352 | |
| Not castled | Not castled | 2,172 |
| Not castled | 1,168 | |
| 812 | ||
| Not castled | 460 |
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| Not castled | 3 | |
| Not castled | Not castled | 1 |
| Not castled | 1 | |
| 1 |
1. 2. 3. · 3,736 amateur games
With your opponent develops instead of giving the check: 3,736 games, and you score 54 in 100.
1. 2. 3. · C33
1,338 amateur games · White's score: 52.1%
1. 2. 3. 4. · C33
614 amateur games · White's score: 51.2%
1. 2. 3. 4. · C33
482 amateur games · White's score: 61.8%
1. 2. 3. · C33
286 amateur games · White's score: 55.9%
1. 2. 3. 4. · C33
238 amateur games · White's score: 58.4%
1. 2. 3. · C33
233 amateur games · White's score: 63.1%
1. 2. 3. 4. · C33
204 amateur games · White's score: 57.6%
1. 2. 3. · C33
112 amateur games · White's score: 53.6%
1. 2. 3. 4. · C33
109 amateur games · White's score: 47.2%
1. 2. 3. 4. · C33
86 amateur games · White's score: 47.7%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. · C33
86 amateur games · White's score: 63.4%
1. 2. 3. · C33
52 amateur games · White's score: 51.0%
1. 2. 3. · C33
37 amateur games · White's score: 48.6%
1. 2. 3. 4. · C33
30 amateur games · White's score: 56.7%
1. 2. 3. 4. · C33
15 amateur games · White's score: 36.7%
1. 2. 3. 4. · C33
14 amateur games · White's score: 78.6%
1. 2. 3. 4. · C33
6 amateur games · White's score: 66.7%
1. 2. 3. · C33
3 amateur games · White's score: 66.7%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. · C33
2 amateur games · White's score: 50.0%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. · C33
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. · C33
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. · C33
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. · C33
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. · C33
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. · C33