- The moves1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4
- Chosen byWhite
- ECOC51–C52
The Evans Gambit comes out of the Italian Game after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4. White offers the b-pawn to lure the bishop away from c5. If Black takes the pawn, c3 and d4 follow with tempo, and White gets a big center and quick development. Often a second pawn is offered.
The gambit is named after the Welsh sea captain William Davies Evans. The first known game with it was his, against Alexander McDonnell in London in 1827, with a slightly different move order. In the 1800s the gambit was very popular and was played by Anderssen, Morphy and Chigorin, among others. Emanuel Lasker then showed how Black can give the pawn back on good terms, and for most of the 1900s the gambit was out of fashion. In the 1990s Garry Kasparov took it up again, notably in a famous 25-move win against Viswanathan Anand in Riga in 1995.
In Sweden, too, the gambit caused some head-scratching. Ludvig Collijn's chess textbook, Lärobok i schack, from 1903 says that the extensive theoretical studies had not yet been able to settle whether the tempo gained makes up for the lost pawn.
The main line, move by move
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 Bxb4 5. c3 Ba5 6. d4 exd4 7. O-O Nge7 8. cxd4 d5 9. exd5 Nxd5
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The ideas
White wants to
- Gain time: c3 and d4 come with tempo against the bishop and give a big center.
- Aim at f7 with the bishop on c4 and the queen from b3.
- Make it hard for Black to castle, for example with the bishop to a3.
Black wants to
- Take the pawn and give back material at the right moment, as Lasker showed.
- Develop quickly and get the king to safety before White's attack gets going.
- Strike back in the center with …d5.
Important variations
Lasker Defense: 6…d6 and 7…Bb6
Emanuel Lasker found a way to take the sting out of the gambit. Black protects e5 with 6…d6 and answers 7.O-O with 7…Bb6. After 8.dxe5 dxe5 9.Qxd8+ Nxd8 10.Nxe5 Be6 the queens have gone, and with them most of White's attack. Reuben Fine called the line psychologically depressing for the gambit player.
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. Nxe5 Be6
The greedy line: 7…dxc3
Black can take another pawn with 7…dxc3. It is called the Compromised Defense, and the name says a lot. After 8.Qb3 Qf6 9.e5 Qg6 10.Nxc3 Nge7 11.Ba3, White is two pawns down but has a very dangerous initiative.
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 Bxb4 5. c3 Ba5 6. d4 exd4 7. O-O dxc3 8. Qb3 Qf6 9. e5 Qg6 10. Nxc3 Nge7 11. Ba3
The calmer 5…Be7
A solid alternative is to retreat the bishop to e7 instead of a5. After 6.d4 Na5 White can try to keep the initiative with 7.Be2, and the line 7…exd4 8.Qxd4 was made popular by Garry Kasparov. Viswanathan Anand has played 5…Be7 with Black.
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 Bxb4 5. c3 Be7 6. d4 Na5 7. Be2 exd4 8. Qxd4
The trap: 8.Ng5 O-O? in the Mieses Defense
In the Mieses Defense, Black should answer 8.Ng5 with 8…d5. If Black castles instead with 8…O-O?, 9.Qh5 follows, threatening mate on h7. After 9…h6 10.Nxf7 Rxf7 11.Bxf7+ the king can't take back, because the queen on h5 protects the bishop. White has won the exchange and a pawn and now has more material than Black, with an attack into the bargain.
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 Bxb4 5. c3 Ba5 6. d4 exd4 7. O-O Nge7 8. Ng5 O-O 9. Qh5 h6 10. Nxf7 Rxf7 11. Bxf7+
11. Bxf7+
The bishop takes the rook with check, and the king can't take back: the queen on h5 protects f7.
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How it goes in real games
How the games ended once the position had come up on the board, in blitz, rapid and classical games. White wins, draws and Black wins, as a percentage of the games.
| Position | Level | Games | White wins | Draw | Black wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evans Gambit 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 | Club players | 3,869,486 | 52% | 3% | 44% |
| Beginners | 2,173,284 | 53% | 3% | 44% | |
| Evans Gambit, main line 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 Bxb4 5. c3 Ba5 6. d4 exd4 7. O-O Nge7 8. cxd4 d5 9. exd5 Nxd5 | Club players | 21,796 | 44% | 4% | 52% |
| Beginners | 2,071 | 41% | 3% | 56% | |
| Lasker Defense: 6…d6 and 7…Bb6 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. Nxe5 Be6 | Club players | 1,724 | 35% | 8% | 57% |
| Beginners | 94 | too few games for percentages | |||
| The greedy line: 7…dxc3 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 Bxb4 5. c3 Ba5 6. d4 exd4 7. O-O dxc3 8. Qb3 Qf6 9. e5 Qg6 10. Nxc3 Nge7 11. Ba3 | Club players | 4,380 | 47% | 4% | 50% |
| Beginners | 149 | too few games for percentages | |||
The most common continuations after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4
Club players, share of the games in the position.
- 4…Bxb4 78% (3,032,924 games)
- 4…Bb6 14% (531,753 games)
- 4…Nxb4 4% (155,731 games)
- 4…Bd4 1% (33,388 games)
- 4…Be7 1% (26,171 games)
Source: games on Lichess, fetched October 28, 2026. Club players means games where the players average 1600 or more, beginners games where they average 1000–1599.
Is this opening for you?
The Evans Gambit suits White players who love to attack and don't count pawns needlessly. It is an excellent way to learn what tempo and development are worth, and against an unprepared opponent things can go very fast.
Against a Black player who knows the Lasker Defense or the Mieses Defense, though, it becomes an ordinary, balanced game. So the gambit is best for those who are also happy in quieter positions when the attack doesn't come off.
A famous game
The Evans Gambit was the opening of Anderssen's famous win against Dufresne in 1852, where Black tried 7…d3: The Evergreen Game
Practice the main line
Choose a color and one of the house players. Your opponent follows the main line, and you try to find your moves. If you play something else, you'll see the main line's move, but the game goes on. When the main line ends, you play freely.
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The main line with all the comments as text
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 Black plays the Giuoco Piano. Now the gambit comes. 4. b4 This is the Evans Gambit. The pawn is offered to lure the bishop away from c5. 4… Bxb4 Black accepts. Declining with 4…Bb6 is possible too, but usually the pawn is taken. 5. c3 With tempo: the bishop has to move again, and d4 is prepared. 5… Ba5 The most common retreat. From a5 the bishop pins the pawn on c3 to the king if White plays d4. 6. d4 White offers another pawn to open the center. 6… exd4 Black takes. White can't take back with cxd4 at once, because the pawn on c3 is pinned to the king. 7. O-O White castles first and lets Black choose a path. 7… Nge7 The Mieses Defense, one of today's main lines. Black intends to strike back with …d5, and in many lines Black then gives back material to get the pieces out. 8. cxd4 Now White takes back one of the pawns and has a big center. 8… d5 Black strikes back at the center and opens lines for the pieces. 9. exd5 Nxd5 The knight stands centrally. Black is still a pawn up, but White has castled while Black's king is still in the middle. White's pawn on d4 is isolated.
More openings
Italian Game
The bishop to c4 aims at f7. Classical, logical and perfect to learn first.
King's Gambit
2.f4 sacrifices a pawn for the initiative. The great attacking opening of the 1800s.
Scotch Game
3.d4 at once: an open game, free pieces and no long maneuvering.
Ruy Lopez
The bishop to b5 presses on e5 from a distance. The masters' favorite since the 1800s.
Every move on this page has been checked against the rules of chess.
Updated November 6, 2026
4. b4
This is the Evans Gambit. The pawn is offered to lure the bishop away from c5.