Open games & French

King's Knight Opening

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3

The King's Knight Opening starts with 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 and is catalogued under ECO C40, in the open games & french half of the book. The catalog indexes 3 lines inside it, grouped into 3 named variations, and the position after those moves has 10 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 Knight Opening
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.Nf3

    Develops the king’s knight and attacks Black’s e5-pawn.

    Idea: Increase central pressure while getting ready to castle.

Book continuations

Waiting for Lichess game popularity.

10 moves
Nc6King's Knight Opening: Normal Variation470 named lines · Ruy Lopez · Scotch GameDefends e5 while developing the queen’s knight toward the center.Idea: Hold the central pawn and keep several classical setups available.Nf6Petrov's Defense49 named lines · Petrov's Defense: Cozio Attack · Petrov's Defense: Moody GambitDevelops the knight to f6, bringing it into the game.Idea: Improve piece coordination and clear the back rank for castling and the rooks.d6Philidor Defense36 named lines · Philidor Defense: Bird Gambit · Philidor Defense: Morphy GambitAdvances to d6 to claim central space and control nearby key squares.Idea: Give the pieces room to develop behind a durable central foothold.f5Latvian Gambit25 named lines · Latvian Gambit Accepted · Latvian Gambit: Mayet AttackAdvances the f-pawn to gain kingside space and control new squares.Idea: Create useful wing space while keeping the central structure flexible.d5Elephant Gambit4 named lines · Elephant Gambit: Maróczy Gambit · Elephant Gambit: Wasp VariationAdvances to d5 to claim central space and control nearby key squares.Idea: Give the pieces room to develop behind a durable central foothold.f6King's Pawn Game: Damiano Defense3 named lines · King's Pawn Game: Damiano Defense, Damiano Gambit · King's Pawn Game: Damiano Defense, Damiano Gambit, Chigorin GambitAdvances the f-pawn to gain kingside space and control new squares.Idea: Create useful wing space while keeping the central structure flexible.Bc5King's Pawn Game: Busch-Gass Gambit2 named lines · King's Pawn Game: Busch-Gass Gambit, Chiodini GambitDevelops the bishop to c5, bringing it into the game.Idea: Improve piece coordination and clear the back rank for castling and the rooks.Qe7Gunderam Defense2 named lines · King's Pawn Game: Gunderam Defense, Gunderam GambitRepositions the queen to e7, where it influences a new part of the board.Idea: Coordinate threats carefully while avoiding unnecessary tempi against the queen.Qf6King's Pawn Game: McConnell Defense2 named lines · King's Pawn Game: La Bourdonnais GambitRepositions the queen to f6, where it influences a new part of the board.Idea: Coordinate threats carefully while avoiding unnecessary tempi against the queen.c6King's Pawn Game: Gunderam Gambit1 named lineAdvances the c-pawn to gain queenside space and control new squares.Idea: Create useful wing space while keeping the central structure flexible.

Named variations

Each line below is an indexed entry under King's Knight Opening. 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 Knight Opening.