The Falkbeer Countergambit is 1. 2. : as Black you leave the f4 pawn alone, hit e4 with your d-pawn and open the center while the h4-e1 diagonal is still open. Across 17,136 Lichess games rated 900 to 1700 (September 2026 data), you score 53%, and no rating band drops you below 51 out of 100. Among online players rated over 2200, the countergambit scores just under 48.
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.
20 named lines in this family; 1 with their own page.
The opening's share in each Lichess rating band.
After , 59 out of 100 opponents at your level take with 3., 19 play 3. and 9 trade on e5 with 3.. Among strong players, 3. rises to 80 out of 100. Against 3. you score 59 out of 100, your best result against the common replies. If you recapture with after 3., as 37 out of 100 players at your level do, you score 43; with , the choice of 52 out of 100 strong players, you score 49, and with , 52. The biggest gap comes a move later: after 4., 77 out of 100 strong players go , against just 15 out of 100 at your level.
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 58.6% | 52.4% | 80.3% | no data | |
| 19.2% | 51.0% | 12.4% | no data | |
| 9.4% | 40.8% | 0.5% | no data | |
| 4.5% | 47.9% | 2.0% | no data | |
| 3.6% | 48.0% | 0.3% | no data | |
| 1.8% | 52.4% | 4.5% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 37.4% | 57.2% | 3.6% | no data | |
| 29.9% | 50.8% | 51.8% | no data | |
| 24.6% | 48.4% | 31.3% | no data | |
| 4.3% | 43.5% | 12.9% | no data | |
| 1.6% | 47.8% | no data | no data | |
| 1.1% | 53.1% | 0.4% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 73.1% | 53.2% | 89.8% | no data | |
| 11.8% | 43.9% | 1.5% | no data | |
| 4.7% | 46.3% | 1.0% | no data | |
| 4.1% | 39.3% | 2.2% | no data | |
| 2.0% | 45.3% | 3.5% | no data | |
| 1.5% | 47.3% | no data | no data | |
| no data | no data | 2.0% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 64.6% | 58.8% | 9.3% | no data | |
| 15.4% | 49.7% | 76.8% | no data | |
| 11.3% | 51.1% | 1.0% | no data | |
| 3.6% | 51.5% | 8.8% | no data | |
| 1.9% | 35.3% | 1.0% | no data | |
| 1.1% | 57.5% | no data | no data | |
| no data | no data | 2.5% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31.5% | 54.3% | 30.7% | no data | |
| 24.8% | 47.5% | 11.4% | no data | |
| 20.7% | 45.1% | 14.6% | no data | |
| 17.1% | 50.9% | 20.4% | no data | |
| 2.7% | 53.4% | 21.8% | no data | |
| 1.9% | 54.8% | 1.0% | no data |
The strong players' line is 3. 4. 5. 6. . The idea is to take the f4 pawn with your e5 pawn, which levels the material, and then go after the pawn your opponent left on d5. By the end of the line you win it back with a pawn and, for now, keep an extra pawn on f4.
52 out of 100 strong players choose . Your e5 pawn was attacked by the f4 pawn and had no defender, so you use it to capture. Your opponent is left without the f-pawn and with the h4-e1 diagonal open in front of the king. That's why 4., the move of 90 out of 100 strong players, covers h4: your queen can no longer check from there without being taken by the knight.
develops a piece and adds a second attacker on d5 next to the queen. This is the move that most separates strong players from your level. Grab right away with and you score 41 out of 100; with , 50. On d5 your queen is a target for a knight landing on c3, and every time it has to move you lose a tempo in development.
Strong players split their replies to : 5. is the most common, at 31 out of 100. That pawn defends d5. , played by 92 out of 100 strong players, hits that pawn a third time, and does it with a pawn, so you can capture without risking a piece. 6. takes the center and opens the c1 bishop's diagonal, which now attacks your f4 pawn. , played by 87 out of 100 strong players, wins the pawn back.
You're a pawn up, but both of your advanced pawns are under attack: d5 by the c4 pawn and f4 by the c1 bishop, and nothing defends f4. Your opponent has pawns on c4 and d4 in the center; you have the b4-e1 diagonal open for your f8 bishop. The evaluation after is 0.13 pawns in your favor.
At your level this line rarely shows up. The common choice is to recapture on d5 with the queen, either or , and both leave you scoring under 44 out of 100. If your opponent plays 3., look for the check first: the opening note in the mistakes section explains it.
| Move | Strong games | Chosen by |
|---|---|---|
| 1,676 | 80.3% | |
| 1,342 | 51.8% | |
| 688 | 89.8% | |
| 946 | 76.8% | |
| 710 | 30.7% | |
| 207 | 92.3% | |
| 181 | 68.5% | |
| 117 | 87.2% |
After 3., the h4-e1 diagonal is open. wins the pawn back but misses : if your opponent blocks with the g-pawn, the queen takes on e4 with check and hits the h1 rook; if the king moves, castling is gone. 61 out of 100 play it. You score 50 out of 100 with it and 87 with .
61 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 7.5 pawns of advantage. It scores 50.3%; scores 86.5%.
After 3., recapturing with is an inaccuracy, not a serious mistake. 4. hits the queen, and after 5. 6. your queen has made four moves while your opponent already has a knight and a bishop out. 37 out of 100 play it. You score 43 out of 100 with it and 49 with .
37 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.9 pawns of advantage. It scores 42.8%; scores 49.2%.
After 3. 4., your f4 pawn has no defender. develops the bishop but doesn't hold the pawn: 5. opens the c1 bishop's diagonal, and after 6. your opponent wins it back. protects it with another pawn. 43 out of 100 play . You score 47 out of 100 with it and 52 with .
43 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 2.5 pawns of advantage. It scores 46.5%; scores 51.7%.
After 3., is an inaccuracy. 4. challenges the pawn at once; after 5. the knight hits both the queen and e4, and the line goes 6. , giving up your bishop for the knight. 25 out of 100 play it, and at your level it goes unpunished: you score 52 with it and 49 with .
25 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.7 pawns of advantage. It scores 51.6%; scores 49.2%.
After 3. 4., lets the moment for pass. 5. covers g5 with pawn and knight, so your g-pawn can no longer defend f4. After 6. 7. , the c1 bishop attacks f4 and nothing defends it. 28 out of 100 play it. You score 44 with and 52 with .
28 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1.1 pawns of advantage. It scores 44.3%; scores 51.7%.
This is a trap. After 3. 4., attacks the knight but opens the h5-e8 diagonal. 5. 6. follows, and if you take with , 7. picks up the rook: a rook and a pawn for a knight. 8 out of 100 play it. You score 39 with and 56 with , which also hits the knight.
8 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 5.2 pawns of advantage. It scores 39.3%; scores 55.8%.
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 3,913 | ||
| Not castled | Not castled | 3,463 |
| Not castled | 2,534 | |
| Not castled | 1,708 | |
| 1,591 | ||
| Not castled | 1,422 |
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | ||
| 1 |
1. 2. 3. · 4,427 amateur games · 1 over the board
Against 3., which hits your e5 pawn with the knight, you score 49 out of 100.
1. 2. 3. · C31
3,027 amateur games · White's score: 48.4%
1. 2. 3. · C31
1,334 amateur games · White's score: 44.4%
1. 2. 3. · C31
1,085 amateur games · White's score: 49.2%
1. 2. 3. · C31
718 amateur games · White's score: 51.3%
1. 2. 3. · C31
683 amateur games · White's score: 43.0%
1. 2. 3. 4. · C31
635 amateur games · White's score: 50.4%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. · C31
211 amateur games · White's score: 45.5%
1. 2. 3. · C31
177 amateur games · White's score: 53.4%
1. 2. 3. 4. · C31
88 amateur games · White's score: 37.5%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. · C32
86 amateur games · White's score: 55.2%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. · C32
44 amateur games · White's score: 54.5%
1. 2. 3. 4. · C31
42 amateur games · White's score: 53.6%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. · C31
20 amateur games · White's score: 42.5%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. · C32
2 amateur games · White's score: 50.0%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. · C32
1 amateur game · White's score: 100.0%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. · C32
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. · C32
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. · C32
It's 1. 2. : rather than taking the f4 pawn, you strike at e4 with your d-pawn. Most opponents at your level, 59 out of 100, answer 3.. The strong players' reply is then , taking the f4 pawn with your e5 pawn. Across 17,136 Lichess games rated 900-1700, you score 53 out of 100.
Not exactly. This page starts from 2. . Falkbeer structures can also come from the Vienna move order: the data lists the Charousek Gambit, Morphy Defense, which begins 1. 2. 3. . That full line has only 20 public games, so at your level you'll almost always meet it through 2..