According to Lichess (September 2026, N = 52,753 games between 900 and 1700), your opponent scores 47.1% with White against the Stafford Gambit: 1. 2. 3. . You leave the e5 pawn hanging, and after 4. your c8 bishop and queen get open lines. The target is f2, which only the king guards early on. Among players rated 2200+ online, White's score climbs to 54.1%.
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.
After , opponents at your level take with 4. in 82 of 100 games, same as strong players, and nearly everyone recaptures . Then the crowd splits: 5. in 34 of 100, 5. in 33 and 5. in 17. Strong players go 5. 67 times in 100. After 5. , your opponents pick 6. in 38 of 100; strong players in 71. Watch for 6., played in 16 of 100: it pins your knight to the queen, and your opponent scores just 23 of 100 with it. In no band from 900 to 1700 does your opponent top 49 of 100.
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 81.9% | 46.0% | 81.3% | no data | |
| 6.7% | 52.6% | 12.9% | no data | |
| 5.6% | 55.7% | 3.9% | no data | |
| 3.4% | 55.3% | 0.8% | no data | |
| 0.5% | 32.7% | no data | no data | |
| 0.3% | 44.5% | 1.0% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 98.2% | 45.6% | 100.0% | no data | |
| 1.6% | 61.5% | no data | no data | |
| 0.1% | 93.5% | no data | no data | |
| 0.1% | 93.5% | no data | no data | |
| 0.1% | 92.9% | no data | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34.3% | 47.4% | 67.1% | no data | |
| 32.7% | 42.6% | 20.8% | no data | |
| 17.2% | 49.1% | 6.8% | no data | |
| 4.7% | 41.3% | 1.1% | no data | |
| 2.7% | 52.3% | 2.2% | no data | |
| 2.0% | 33.6% | no data | no data | |
| no data | no data | 1.1% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 93.5% | 46.7% | 91.2% | no data | |
| 1.3% | 52.6% | no data | no data | |
| 1.2% | 66.2% | no data | no data | |
| 1.0% | 53.7% | no data | no data | |
| 0.7% | 59.6% | no data | no data | |
| 0.6% | 36.8% | no data | no data | |
| no data | no data | 8.8% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 38.0% | 53.2% | 71.0% | no data | |
| 18.2% | 50.7% | 8.4% | no data | |
| 15.8% | 23.4% | no data | no data | |
| 12.2% | 51.5% | 11.5% | no data | |
| 7.5% | 41.7% | 1.6% | no data | |
| 2.2% | 54.7% | 5.2% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 2.3% | no data |
The Stafford trades a pawn for time and open lines against f2. After 4. you have doubled c-pawns, but the d7 pawn is out of the way: your c8 bishop sees all the way to h3 and your queen looks down the d-file to d2. That's why almost everyone takes back with the d-pawn: keeps both lines shut, and your opponent's score rises to 62 of 100. The strong-player line is 5. 6. 7., followed by or .
Your pieces point at f2. hits it along the diagonal toward g1, and your f6 knight wants to reach g4 to hit it a second time. Then f2 has two attackers and only the king to defend it. Your opponent's moves work against that. 5. props up e4 and frees the c1 bishop, and 6. covers g4. Hence : the pawn guards g4, and if the e2 bishop ever takes a knight there, you recapture with that pawn and your h8 rook sees down the h-file to h2. Strong players choose in 89 of 100 games, though right away is slightly more accurate.
7. prepares d4, which would hit your c5 bishop. This is where your level and the top split apart: strong players answer in 49 of 100 games, while the public plays it in only 10. You pull the bishop back before the pawn arrives and keep it on the same diagonal toward f2. The other half of strong players go , putting two pieces on f2 with only the king to guard it.
If your opponent steps away from 5., the idea stays the same. Against 5., which covers e4 with the knight, your opponent scores 43 of 100. Against 5., which kicks your knight, send it to d5 with : no white pawn attacks it there.
| Move | Strong games | Chosen by |
|---|---|---|
| 788 | 81.3% | |
| 638 | 100.0% | |
| 630 | 67.1% | |
| 421 | 91.2% | |
| 383 | 71.0% | |
| 255 | 89.4% | |
| 220 | 41.8% | |
| 84 | 51.2% |
After 5., hits e5 and f2, but 6. protects the pawn. Next comes 7. 8. : your knight ends up on the rim, gets traded, and you're left with doubled h-pawns. 46 of 100 play it, and at your level it rarely gets punished: you score 50, versus 48 with .
47 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1.2 pawns of advantage. It scores 49.8%; scores 48.0%.
After 5., puts the knight on an undefended square. After 6. you hit f2 twice, but 7. covers it and attacks the knight, which drops back with 8. . 31 of 100 play it. At your level it rarely gets punished: you score 55, versus 48 with .
31 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1.8 pawns of advantage. It scores 54.8%; scores 48.0%.
After 4., nothing defends e4, and wins your pawn back. With you stay a pawn down while your opponent grabs the center by hitting your pieces: 5. 6. 7. . 42 of 100 play it. At your level the cost barely shows: you score 47.5, versus 47 taking on e4.
42 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 2.5 pawns of advantage. It scores 47.5%; scores 47.3%.
After 4. 5., leaves the king on the e-file. Then 6. 7. 8. : the king goes back to f7 and your extra knight is now worth only the three pawns you're missing. At your level it rarely gets punished: you score 43.5, versus 42.5 with , which hits the bishop.
47 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 4.8 pawns of advantage. It scores 43.5%; scores 42.5%.
After 5. 6., hits d4, but the c6 pawn was the one guarding d5. Then 7. 8. 9.: the pawns on d5 and e5 cramp you. 48 of 100 play it, and this one does get punished: you score 42, versus 55 with , which covers d5.
48 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 2.7 pawns of advantage. It scores 42.4%; scores 55.4%.
After 6., is what strong players choose in 89 of 100 games, but hits f2 a move sooner. With the pawn on h5, 7. prepares d4 against your bishop: 8. 9. , and your opponent has already castled. At your level it isn't punished: you score 52, versus 47.5 with .
57 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.9 pawns of advantage. It scores 52.0%; scores 47.5%.
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 11,413 | ||
| Not castled | Not castled | 8,613 |
| Not castled | 7,984 | |
| Not castled | 7,303 | |
| 6,147 | ||
| Not castled | 4,443 |
It's a Black line in Petrov's Defense: 1. 2. 3. . Instead of chasing the e5 pawn, you bring out the other knight and offer it. If your opponent takes with 4., as 82 of 100 do, you recapture and go after f2 with the c5 bishop and a knight on g4.
Declining means not taking on c6. At your level, 4. comes up in 7 of 100 games and 4. in 6; strong players retreat with 4. in 13 of 100. Against 4., e4 has no defender, so wins the pawn back. Against 4. your opponent scores 56 of 100, above the 46 they get after 4..
Three lines cover most declined games. After 4., take on e4 with ; lets 5. 6. drive your pieces back. After 4., your opponent scores 56 of 100, the best result of the three. After 4. 5., block the bishop with rather than retreating with .