Bishop's Opening: Lewis Gambit
The Lewis Gambit is 3.d4 after 2...Bc5, offering the d-pawn with the bishop already on c4. Black's best reply is ...Bxd4, taking with the bishop, while White wants Nf3, Be3 and Qh5 to punish the time Black spends.
- Moves
- 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.d4
- ECO
- C23
- Engine
- +0.06 · level (Stockfish 17.1, depth 20)
- Played
- 583 games in our lichess sample
- White scores
- 58.8%
Key ideas for both sides
White
- After ...Bxd4, Nf3 hits the bishop, and after the trades on d4, Be3 and Qh5 hit f7 and e5.
- If Black takes with ...exd4, Bxf7+ and the queen checks Qh5+, Qd5+ and Qxc5 win the c5 bishop.
- Against ...Bb6, dxe5 grabs space and a pawn with a strong position.
Black
- Take with ...Bxd4, not with the pawn. The bishop is safe enough and Black keeps a sound position.
- After the knight trade, ...Nc6 back from d4 covers e5 and keeps White's queen short of targets.
- Guard f7 with ...Qe7 or ...Nf6 before White's queen arrives on h5.
Plans and pawn structure
If Black takes with the bishop, White gets a lead in development and open lines for Qh5 and tricks on f7, while Black has an extra pawn. The usual plan for White is quick castling and a rook to d1, pressing the d-file. Black plays ...Nf6, ...d6 and castles, then tries to trade queens. A wrong recapture on move three loses material at once, so Black's first decision matters more than any plan.
What the engine plays from here
Stockfish 17.1 at depth 20 rates the position +0.06: level. Its three top choices for Black:
- +0.06 3...Bxd4 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.Nxd4 Nxd4 6.Be3
- +0.98 3...exd4 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Qh5+ g6 6.Qd5+
- +1.69 3...Bb6 4.dxe5 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qe7 6.Bf4
Pawns, from White's side.
How it scores on lichess
583 rated lichess games reached this position; White scored 58.8%.
Light: White wins. Grey: draws. Dark: Black wins. About the sample.
How to play against it
As Black, play ...Bxd4. Never take with ...exd4, which walks into Bxf7+ and a queen fork that wins the c5 bishop. ...Bb6 is also poor, because dxe5 leaves White a clean extra pawn and good play.
Questions
What are the moves of the Bishop's Opening: Lewis Gambit?
The Bishop's Opening: Lewis Gambit starts 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.d4. Its ECO code is C23.
Is the Bishop's Opening: Lewis Gambit good for White?
Stockfish 17.1 rates the position +0.06 at depth 20, which is level. In 583 lichess games from our sample, White scored 58.8%. A tricky gambit that scores well in practice; Black who knows ...Bxd4 is fine, but one wrong capture loses at once.
What is the main idea of the Bishop's Opening: Lewis Gambit?
White offers the d-pawn to open lines and set a trap. If Black takes with the pawn, Bxf7+ and queen checks win the c5 bishop, so Black must take with the bishop.
What should Black play next?
The engine's first choice is Bxd4, with exd4 and Bb6 close behind. 3...Bxd4 takes the pawn with the piece and avoids the Bxf7+ trap that follows a pawn capture.
Related lines
Updated October 2026. Sources and method.