Openings 1.e4 e5: open games
Evans Gambit: Accepted and Declined Lines, Plans and Stats
4.b4 offers a pawn to pull the c5 bishop away. If Black takes, White plays c3 and d4 with gain of time and aims every piece at f7 and the black king. Kasparov brought it back to top level in the 1990s, and at 2000+ almost nine in ten of our players take the pawn.
C51Italian Game: Evans Gambit
Games from this position (1600–1999): 6,983
- 1.
- 2.
- 3.
- 4.
| Move | Played | Games | White · Draw · Black |
|---|---|---|---|
| 78% | 5,455 | ||
| 14% | 965 | ||
| 4% | 297 | ||
| 0.9% | 64 | ||
| 0.7% | 48 | ||
| 0.7% | 47 | ||
| 0.7% | 47 | ||
| 0.5% | 36 | ||
| 0.2% | 14 |
Plans for both sides
White
- After 4...Bxb4 5.c3 the bishop must move again, and d4 follows with tempo. Castle fast and do not hurry to win the pawn back.
- Against 5...Ba5 the main line is 6.d4; 6.O-O and 6.Qb3 are good alternatives with the same idea: open the center while Black’s king is still at home.
- If Black declines with 4...Bb6, 5.a4 gains queenside space and makes Black spend time on ...a6 or ...a5.
Black
- Taking with 4...Bxb4 is the critical test. After 5.c3 the safest retreats are 5...Ba5 and 5...Be7.
- 5...Ba5 6.d4 d6 7.O-O Bb6 is Lasker’s Defense: Black returns the pawn, trades queens and reaches a level endgame.
- Put king safety first: castle quickly and trade queens when you can, since every exchange takes steam out of the attack.
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Evans Gambit at each rating
How often the position after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 comes up in rated Lichess games, how it scores and what players answer next.
| Rating | Games (Share of games) | White · Draw · Black | Top next move |
|---|---|---|---|
| <1200 | 1,172<0.1% | 4...Bxb464% | |
| 1200–1599 | 4,222<0.1% | 4...Bxb464% | |
| 1600–1999 | 6,9830.1% | 4...Bxb478% | |
| 2000+ | 2,1270.1% | 4...Bxb488% | |
| All | 15k<0.1% | 4...Bxb474% |
What usually comes next
The most played moves from here, all ratings together. Thicker line = played more often.
Main variations
Black holds the center with ...d6; 7.Qb3 hits f7 and b7 at once.
175 games from this position (all ratings, any move order). White won 42%, 13% were drawn, Black won 46%.
Show on the board: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 Bxb4 5.c3 Ba5 6.d4 d6 7.Qb3Black returns the pawn to trade queens. The endgame is about level and the attack is gone, which is why many gambit players avoid 7.O-O here.
Too rare in our data for numbers.
Show on the board: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 Bxb4 5.c3 Ba5 6.d4 d6 7.O-O Bb6 8.dxe5 dxe5 9.Qxd8+ Nxd8 10.Nxe5The bishop guards the king side, and ...Na5 hits White’s best attacker on c4 and offers to trade it.
217 games from this position (all ratings, any move order). White won 42%, 7% were drawn, Black won 51%.
Show on the board: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 Bxb4 5.c3 Be7 6.d4 Na5Natural but less accurate: after 6.d4 exd4 7.cxd4 the bishop is hit again and White has a big pawn center.
958 games from this position (all ratings, any move order). White won 53%, 3% were drawn, Black won 44%.
Show on the board: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 Bxb4 5.c3 Bc5 6.d4 exd4 7.cxd4 Bb4+No pawn, no attack. White gains space with a4 and can still play c3 and d4 later.
249 games from this position (all ratings, any move order). White won 46%, 3% were drawn, Black won 51%.
Show on the board: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 Bb6 5.a4 a6
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At club level
Below 1200 about four in five players answer 5.c3 with 5...Bc5, which walks into d4 with tempo. At 2000+ half play 5...Ba5 and about a quarter 5...Be7. If you play the Evans as White, prepare 6.d4 against all three.
Practice it
The trainer answers with the replies people at your rating choose, in the same proportions, and brings back your mistakes on a schedule.
Related openings
- King’s Pawn Game: 1.e4 e5
1.e4 e5
- King’s Knight Opening: 2.Nf3
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3
- Italian Game
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4
- Bishop’s Opening
1.e4 e5 2.Bc4
- Philidor Defense
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6
- Scotch Game
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4