Chessy
The King's Gambit Accepted: Bishop's Gambit with 4.Nc3
The King's Gambit is one of the oldest and sharpest openings in chess, and the Bishop's Gambit with 4.Nc3 is a fearless way to play it. After 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Bc4 g5, you push 4.Nc3 — developing a piece and refusing to back down. Even though Stockfish calls the position dead level at -0.09 (a tiny fraction in Black's favour), real games tell a different story: White wins 57.0% of the time from here. This page will show you what the engine wants, which replies you should hope for, and how to punish Black's most common mistakes. Jump into the drill below to start practising.
Play the King's Gambit Accepted: Bishop's Gambit: g5 against the engine
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Ready to put this into practice? Play through the position in the drill below — you'll face Black's most common replies and learn to punish the mistakes that 57
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The Bishop's Gambit g5 line is all about King safety. By playing 3.Bc4, you aim your light-squared bishop at f7, Black's most vulnerable point. After Black pushes g5 to defend the f4-pawn, your 4.Nc3 develops with tempo — you're now threatening both the g5-pawn and ideas like Qh5. The engine may call this -0.09, but in practical play Black has to navigate serious pressure. The pawn structure is chaotic early on: Black's extra pawn on f4 is a strength, but their kingside is loose and can be prised open with h4. If you keep the initiative, your attack often outruns Black's material advantage.
The Engine's Best Move and How to Continue
Stockfish's top choice for Black after 4.Nc3 is 4...Bg7. This develops the bishop to a natural diagonal and prepares to castle. The engine's suggested continuation is: Bg7 h4 Nc6 Qh5. Your plan is simple — push h4 to tear open the kingside, then bring the queen to h5 with threats. Black's king is stuck in the centre, and every move they make to defend creates new weaknesses. Even in this best-case line for Black, White's practical winning chances are excellent because the attack is straightforward to play.
The Most Popular Replies and Your Scores
Here is what Black actually plays most often, and how White has scored in each case (from 4,472 games): d6 is the most common (978 games), and White scores 53.8% — solid. Bg7 (the engine's choice) sees White scoring 50.3%, essentially a toss-up. c6 appears 657 times, with White scoring a strong 56.8%. Nc6, the engine's recommended alternative, gives White 55.0%. Nf6 is played 359 times, and White scores an impressive 64.9%. h6 (218 games) also favours White at 59.2%. The pattern is clear: in every line, White scores above 50%, even when Black plays the engine's first choice.
Three Mistakes to Punish
The FACTS reveal three specific inaccuracies Black often makes in this position, and crucially, the engine says each is worse than the alternative Nc6. 4...c6 is an inaccuracy costing about 1.0 pawns — the better move was Nc6. 4...Nf6 loses roughly 0.8 pawns, also inferior to Nc6. And 4...h6 is an inaccuracy worth about 0.7 pawns, again falling short of Nc6. If Black plays any of these, the position shifts from dead level to slightly in your favour. Your task in the drill is to learn how to capitalise — typically by pushing h4, developing threats, and keeping the black king stuck in the centre while you build up an attack.
Results across 4,472 Lichess games
| Most-played continuation | Games | White wins |
|---|---|---|
| d6 | 978 | 53.8% |
| Bg7 | 717 | 50.3% |
| c6 | 657 | 56.8% |
| Nc6 | 531 | 55.0% |
| Nf6 | 359 | 64.9% |
| h6 | 218 | 59.2% |
Frequently asked questions
Is the King's Gambit Accepted: Bishop's Gambit g5 good for White?
Statistically, yes — White scores 57.0% across 4,472 games in this exact position. The engine evaluates it as dead level (-0.09), but in practice Black has to defend accurately. If Black makes any of the common inaccuracies (c6, Nf6, or h6), White gets a clear edge.
What is the best move for Black after 4.Nc3 in the Bishop's Gambit?
According to Stockfish, the best move is 4...Bg7, continuing with the plan of h4 Nc6 Qh5. However, the most popular move in practice is 4...d6, which has been played 978 times. Against both, White scores well — 50.3% against Bg7 and 53.8% against d6.
Why does White win so often if the engine says it's equal?
The engine evaluates the position based on perfect play, but club players rarely defend perfectly. White's attacking plan — pushing h4 to open the kingside and bringing the queen to h5 — is much easier to execute than Black's defensive task. This practical difficulty accounts for the gap between the -0.09 evaluation and White's 57.0% win rate.
What are the worst moves Black can play in this position?
The three moves flagged as inaccuracies are c6 (loses about 1.0 pawns), Nf6 (loses about 0.8 pawns), and h6 (loses about 0.7 pawns). The engine says Nc6 is the better choice in all these cases. If Black plays any of these three, the position shifts in your favour.