This position comes from the King's Gambit Declined: Falkbeer Countergambit, after 1.e4 e5 2.f4 d5. It was reached in 3,521 rated blitz, rapid and classical games on Lichess from June 2024 to September 2026, with White to move, and 167 times White played 3.fxe5. Stockfish 18, checking it again at depth 18, calls fxe5 a mistake.
What would you play? Open the position to analyse it before you read on.
How often players fall for it
By the players' average rating, the share of games where White played each move, and the score it got (a draw counts as half):
- 800 to 1,199, 135 games: 3.fxe5 in 15%, scoring 43%; 3.exd5 in 41%, scoring 46%
- 1,200 to 1,599, 764 games: 3.fxe5 in 8%, scoring 33%; 3.exd5 in 65%, scoring 51%
- 1,600 to 1,999, 1,836 games: 3.fxe5 in 4%, scoring 34%; 3.exd5 in 69%, scoring 48%
- 2,000 to 2,199, 490 games: 3.fxe5 in 1%, scoring 0%; 3.exd5 in 74%, scoring 48%
- 2,200 to 2,399, 156 games: 3.fxe5 in 1%, scoring 100%; 3.exd5 in 78%, scoring 52%
- 2,400 to 2,599, 117 games: 3.fxe5 in 2%, scoring 50%; 3.exd5 in 74%, scoring 49%
The mistake is most common among players rated 800 to 1,199.
Why 3.fxe5 is a mistake
Stockfish's answer is 3...Qh4+ 4.g3 Qxe4+ 5.Qe2. The first move: the queen goes to h4, with check. Along that line, White has taken a pawn, and Black has taken a pawn, so the material is level. After fxe5, the engine gives White a disadvantage of 4.6 pawns.
The better move
3.exd5: the pawn takes the pawn on d5. Stockfish's line goes on 3.exd5 exf4 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.Bc4 c6, and gives White a disadvantage of 0.3 pawns. Other moves come close to it, so it is the move to remember rather than the only one.
Learn more
The lesson The King's Gambit covers this opening's ideas. Traps to know shows famous tricks of the opening and how to meet them. To find the mistakes in your own games, game review checks them with Stockfish on your device and turns your mistakes into practice.