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 9 playable continuations 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 Accepted: Bishop's 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. 1…e5

    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. 2…exf4

    Captures the pawn on f4 and changes the local pawn or piece balance.

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

  5. 3.Bc4

    Develops the bishop to c4, bringing it into the game.

    Idea: Improve piece coordination and clear the back rank for castling and the rooks.

Book continuations

Waiting for Lichess game popularity.

9 moves
Qh4+King's Gambit Accepted: Bishop's Gambit12 named lines · King's Gambit Accepted: Bishop's Gambit, Grimm Attack · King's Gambit Accepted: Bishop's Gambit, Boden VariationRepositions the queen to h4, where it influences a new part of the board, forcing the king to answer a check.Idea: Coordinate threats carefully while avoiding unnecessary tempi against the queen.d5King's Gambit Accepted: Bishop's Gambit, Bledow Variation4 named lines · King's Gambit Accepted: Bishop's Gambit, Anderssen Variation · King's Gambit Accepted: Bishop's Gambit, Bledow CountergambitAdvances to d5 to claim central space and control nearby key squares.Idea: Give the pieces room to develop behind a durable central foothold.Nf6King's Gambit Accepted: Bishop's Gambit, Cozio Defense4 named lines · King's Gambit Accepted: Bishop's Gambit, Paulsen Attack · King's Gambit Accepted: Bishop's Gambit, Bogoljubow DefenseDevelops the knight to f6, bringing it into the game.Idea: Improve piece coordination and clear the back rank for castling and the rooks.f5King's Gambit Accepted: Bishop's Gambit, Gianutio Gambit2 named lines · King's Gambit Accepted: Lopez-Gianutio Countergambit, Hein VariationAdvances the f-pawn to gain kingside space and control new squares.Idea: Create useful wing space while keeping the central structure flexible.b5King's Gambit Accepted: Bishop's Gambit, Kieseritzky Gambit1 named lineAdvances the b-pawn to gain queenside space and control new squares.Idea: Prepare a fianchetto or discourage the opponent’s expansion on that wing.c6King's Gambit Accepted: Bishop's Gambit, Lopez Defense1 named lineAdvances the c-pawn to gain queenside space and control new squares.Idea: Create useful wing space while keeping the central structure flexible.g5King's Gambit Accepted: Bishop's Gambit, Anderssen Defense1 named lineAdvances the g-pawn to gain kingside space and control new squares.Idea: Prepare a fianchetto or discourage the opponent’s expansion on that wing.Nc6King's Gambit Accepted: Bishop's Gambit, Maurian Defense1 named lineDevelops the knight to c6, bringing it into the game.Idea: Improve piece coordination and clear the back rank for castling and the rooks.Ne7King's Gambit Accepted: Bishop's Gambit, Steinitz Defense1 named lineDevelops the knight to e7, bringing it into the game.Idea: Improve piece coordination and clear the back rank for castling and the rooks.

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.

Openings from the same volume

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