King's Gambit Accepted: Bishop's Gambit, Maurian Defense
The Maurian Defense is 3...Nc6 in the Bishop's Gambit, where Black develops the queen's knight first and keeps ...Qh4+ in reserve. White wants d4 and Nf3 to rebuild the center, while Black aims for ...Qh4+, ...d6 and ...Bg4 to harass White's king and pieces.
- Moves
- 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Bc4 Nc6
- ECO
- C33
- Engine
- −0.76 · a clear edge for Black (Stockfish 17.1, depth 20)
- Played
- 559 games in our lichess sample
- White scores
- 53.6%
Key ideas for both sides
White
- Play d4 to grab the center, and meet ...Qh4+ with Kf1 and Nf3.
- Use Nf3 to attack the queen on h4, gaining time for development.
- After ...Bg4, consider trading queens with Nxh4 and Bxd1 to reach a calm endgame.
- Develop Nc3 and Qd2 to prepare long castling if the king stays exposed.
Black
- Check with ...Qh4+ after d4 to push the king to f1 and break castling.
- Follow with ...d6 and ...Bg4 to pin the f3 knight and pressure the queen.
- Use ...g5 to protect the f4 pawn against Bxf4 and keep the extra material.
- Play ...O-O-O in some lines to put the king safe and use the d-file.
Plans and pawn structure
After 4.d4 Qh4+ 5.Kf1 d6 6.Nf3 Bg4 7.Nxh4 Bxd1 the queens come off and the game becomes an endgame where Black keeps the f4 pawn. White recaptures on d1 with the king and aims for Bxf4 to regain material. Black plays ...Nxd4 or ...g5 to keep the extra pawn. If White avoids the trade, Black keeps pressure with ...Bg4 and ...O-O-O.
What the engine plays from here
Stockfish 17.1 at depth 20 rates the position −0.76: a clear edge for Black. Its three top choices for White:
- −0.76 4.d4 Qh4+ 5.Kf1 d6 6.Nf3 Bg4
- −0.80 4.Nf3 g5 5.d4 g4 6.O-O gxf3
- −0.83 4.Nc3 d6 5.d4 Qh4+ 6.Kf1 Bg4
Pawns, from White's side.
How it scores on lichess
559 rated lichess games reached this position; White scored 53.6%.
Light: White wins. Grey: draws. Dark: Black wins. About the sample.
How to play against it
As White, play 4.d4 and accept Kf1 after ...Qh4+. Use Nf3 to hit the queen and be ready to trade queens into an endgame. Avoid slow moves that let Black play ...g5 and ...Bg7, which keep the f4 pawn for good. Your center pawns are your compensation.
Questions
What are the moves of the King's Gambit Accepted: Bishop's Gambit, Maurian Defense?
The King's Gambit Accepted: Bishop's Gambit, Maurian Defense starts 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Bc4 Nc6. Its ECO code is C33.
Is the King's Gambit Accepted: Bishop's Gambit, Maurian Defense good for Black?
Stockfish 17.1 rates the position −0.76 at depth 20, which is a clear edge for Black. In 559 lichess games from our sample, White scored 53.6%. A practical choice for Black that leads to simple positions, while White must accept a slightly worse endgame or find active play.
What is the main idea of the King's Gambit Accepted: Bishop's Gambit, Maurian Defense?
Black develops with ...Nc6 and prepares ...Qh4+ to keep White's king in the center. After d4 and Nf3, queens often come off and Black keeps the f4 pawn.
What should White play next?
The engine's first choice is d4, with Nf3 and Nc3 close behind. 4.d4 takes the center and prepares Nf3, accepting Kf1 after ...Qh4+.
Related lines
Updated October 2026. Sources and method.