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Bishop's Opening: Lewis Gambit

White Gambit

Source Lichess

You play
Play Thiswins clearly more often than it loses at this level
All Ratings
Edge at worst+19.9%

White wins at least 19.9 more of every 100 games than it loses

how far wins run ahead of losses, 90% confident

Rating TrendPeak: +22.9% at 1200-1399
0-9992200-2499
Win%58.5%
Games234K
BreakpointNeverfirst rating it isn't shown winning more than losing
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Does Bishop's Opening: Lewis Gambit work for White at All Ratings?

Snapshot

At All Ratings, Bishop's Opening: Lewis Gambit keeps White's wins running +19.9% ahead of its losses at worst, 90% confident, from 234K Lichess games. This gambit is effective. Win rate, draw rate and loss rate come from games played December 2023 to November 2025.

RatingEdge at worstWhite WinDrawWhite LossGames
0-999+9.9%54.1%3.5%42.4%8.8K
1000-1199+21.2%59.9%2.6%37.5%16K
1200-1399+22.9%60.6%2.6%36.8%35K
1400-1599+22.1%60.1%2.7%37.2%55K
1600-1799+19.2%58.3%3.2%38.4%66K
1800-1999+15.5%56.4%3.5%40.1%40K
2000-2199+13.3%55.2%4.3%40.5%12K
2200-2499+7.2%52.8%6.6%40.6%1.1K
Full Opening StatsSee rating/time-control breakdowns for White on the opening stats page
Analyze Bishop's Opening: Lewis Gambit PositionsGet move-by-move win rates with the TrueElo analyzer

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Bishop's Opening: Lewis Gambit sound?

The games never stop proving it. White comes out ahead at every rating we can see.

What is the Bishop's Opening: Lewis Gambit win rate?

White wins 58.5% of Bishop's Opening: Lewis Gambit games, draws 3.1% and loses 38.4%. That rests on 234K games from Lichess.

What is the best rating to play the Bishop's Opening: Lewis Gambit?

1200-1399. There White wins at least 22.9 more of every 100 games than it loses (90% confident), its highest Edge at worst.

Is the Bishop's Opening: Lewis Gambit better in blitz or rapid?

About the same. For White, the Edge at worst — how far wins run ahead of losses, 90% confident — is +20.1% in Blitz (134K games) and +19.4% in Rapid (66K games).

Does the Bishop's Opening: Lewis Gambit breakpoint vary by time control?

Yes. The first rating where the games do not show White coming out ahead is 1000-1199 in Classical. In Bullet, Blitz and Rapid, White comes out ahead at every rating we can see.

How sharp is the Bishop's Opening: Lewis Gambit?

The Bishop's Opening: Lewis Gambit is extremely sharp: 3.1% of its games are drawn, so 96.9% end with a winner.

Should I play the Bishop's Opening: Lewis Gambit?

Play it. White comes out ahead at every rating we can see.

How do I defend against the Bishop's Opening: Lewis Gambit?

This one is hard to meet at every level. As Black, develop fast, castle early, trade pieces, and do not get greedy with the extra material. If sharp positions are not your game, decline it.

How reliable is the Bishop's Opening: Lewis Gambit data?

This rests on 234K games from Lichess. Every figure carries the range it is in, 90% confident, and the table above shows how many games sit behind each rating and each clock — the fewer there are, the wider that range.