Open games & French

King's Gambit

1.e4 e5 2.f4

The King's Gambit starts with 1.e4 e5 2.f4 and is catalogued under ECO C30, in the open games & french half of the book. The catalog indexes 1 line inside it, grouped into 1 named variation, and the position after those moves has 1 playable continuation to walk from here.

Opening repertoire map

Root edges show how often each move is played around your Elo. Use the arrow on a position to reveal the next replies.

Current position
King's Gambit Declined: Falkbeer Countergambit, Charousek Gambit
Popularity by Elo
Share of Lichess blitz, rapid, and classical games that continued with each move.
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Current setup

Move ideas

  1. 1.e4

    Claims the center with a pawn and opens lines for the queen and king’s bishop.

    Idea: Build quick development and make early castling possible.

  2. 1e5

    Meets White’s center directly and opens lines for Black’s queen and bishop.

    Idea: Fight for equal central space in a balanced, open position.

  3. 2.f4

    Advances the f-pawn to gain kingside space and control new squares.

    Idea: Create useful wing space while keeping the central structure flexible.

  4. 2d5

    Advances to d5 to claim central space and control nearby key squares.

    Idea: Give the pieces room to develop behind a durable central foothold.

  5. 3.exd5

    Captures the pawn on d5 and changes the local pawn or piece balance.

    Idea: Open lines in the center and reshape the center for the next phase.

  6. 3e4

    Advances to e4 to claim central space and control nearby key squares.

    Idea: Give the pieces room to develop behind a durable central foothold.

  7. 4.d3

    Advances to d3 to claim central space and control nearby key squares.

    Idea: Give the pieces room to develop behind a durable central foothold.

Book continuations

Waiting for Lichess game popularity.

1 move

Named variations

Each line below is an indexed entry under King's Gambit. Open one to load it on the board and keep exploring from that position.

ECO groups openings by the structures they lead to, so these families tend to share plans with the King's Gambit.