Vienna Game: Falkbeer Variation
1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6
The Vienna Game: Falkbeer Variation is a chess opening classified as ECO C26, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6. It is a line of the Vienna Game. White is to move. 4 named lines continue from this position.
In 12.6 million rated Lichess games (blitz and slower), this position was reached 66,393 times by this move order. White won 52%, 4% were drawn and Black won 44%. The most popular continuation is 3. f4 (34% of games).
Engine evaluation: +0.03 (Stockfish, depth 60; best line 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. d4 exd4 5. Nxd4 Bb4)
- ECO
- C26
- Moves
- 4 plies
- FEN
rnbqkb1r/pppp1ppp/5n2/4p3/4P3/2N5/PPPP1PPP/R1BQKBNR w KQkq - 2 3- PGN
1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6
Analyse with Stockfish · Board image (SVG) · Open on Lichess
Results by rating
| Average rating | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1499 | 35,036 | |
| 1500-1999 | 26,294 | |
| 2000+ | 5,063 | |
| All | 66,393 |
Most played moves
| Move | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 3. f4 Vienna Gambit | 22,748 (34%) | |
| 3. Nf3 | 21,896 (33%) | |
| 3. Bc4 Stanley Variation | 10,847 (16%) | |
| 3. d3 | 4,084 (6%) | |
| 3. g3 Mieses Variation | 1,780 (3%) | |
| 3. d4 | 1,436 (2%) | |
| 3. a3 Mengarini Variation | 528 (1%) | |
| 3. f3 | 492 (1%) |
Master games
2,101 over-the-board games are classified under this line (White 45%, draw 20%, Black 35%). The strongest:
- GM Fabiano Caruana (2766) – GM Magnus Carlsen (2859) 1/2-1/2 · chess.com SpeedChess 2022 · 2022-12-13
- GM Fabiano Caruana (2766) – GM Magnus Carlsen (2859) 1/2-1/2 · chess.com SpeedChess 2022 · 2022-12-13
- GM Magnus Carlsen (2835) – GM Alireza Firouzja (2777) 1-0 · Bullet Chess Losers 2023 · 2023-07-21
- GM Magnus Carlsen (2835) – GM Alireza Firouzja (2777) 0-1 · Bullet Chess Losers 2023 · 2023-07-21
- GM Magnus Carlsen (2835) – GM Alireza Firouzja (2777) 1-0 · Bullet Chess Losers 2023 · 2023-07-21
Search all games of the Vienna Game: Falkbeer Variation and its sub-variations
Highest-rated Lichess games
- Nana_jede_cevape (2888) – NM Andrey11976 (2795) 1/2-1/2 · 2026-09-05 · 180 + 0s
- Forester_19 (2792) – Hercule_Poirot-20 (2762) 1-0 · 2026-09-01 · 180 + 0s
- IM Jamorris94 (2770) – LATRANCA (2752) 1-0 · 2026-09-06 · 180 + 0s
Comes from
Vienna Game 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3
Continuations
- Vienna Game: Mengarini Variation C26 · 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. a3
- Vienna Game: Mieses Variation C26 · 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. g3
- Vienna Game: Stanley Variation C26 · 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Bc4
- Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit C29 · 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. f4
More Vienna Game lines (all)
- Vienna Game: Anderssen Defense C25
- Vienna Game: Fyfe Gambit C25
- Vienna Game: Giraffe Attack C25
- Vienna Game: Hamppe-Meitner Variation C25
- Vienna Game: Hamppe-Muzio Gambit C25
- Vienna Game: Hamppe-Muzio, Dubois Variation C25
- Vienna Game: Max Lange Defense C25
- Vienna Game: Omaha Gambit C25
- Vienna Game: Paulsen Variation (2… Nc6 3. g3) C25
- Vienna Game: Paulsen Variation (5. Nge2 d5) C25
- Vienna Game: Paulsen Variation, Mariotti Gambit C25
- Vienna Game: Philidor Countergambit C25
Opening names and moves from the Lichess openings dataset; statistics from the Lichess open database, 2026-09 (CC0), sample of 12.6 million games, bots excluded; evaluations from Lichess cloud analysis (all CC0). Master games from The Week in Chess #920–#1664 by Mark Crowther, used with permission.