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 Accepted: Becker Defense
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. 2exf4

    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.Nf3

    Develops the knight to f3, bringing it into the game.

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

  6. 3h6

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

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

  7. 4.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.

  8. 4d6

    Advances to d6 to claim central space and control nearby key squares.

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

  9. 5.d4

    Advances to d4 to claim central space and control nearby key squares.

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

  10. 5g5

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

    Idea: Prepare a fianchetto or discourage the opponent’s expansion on that wing.

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.