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 18 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
Ruy Lopez
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.

  4. 2…Nc6

    Defends e5 while developing the queen’s knight toward the center.

    Idea: Hold the central pawn and keep several classical setups available.

  5. 3.Bb5

    Develops the bishop and pressures the knight that helps defend e5.

    Idea: Create long-term pressure on Black’s center before deciding whether to exchange.

Book continuations

Waiting for Lichess game popularity.

18 moves
a6Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense121 named lines · Ruy Lopez: Open · Ruy Lopez: ClosedAdvances the a-pawn to gain queenside edge space and control new squares.Idea: Create useful wing space while keeping the central structure flexible.Nf6Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense35 named lines · Ruy Lopez: Halloween Attack · Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Berlin WallDevelops the knight to f6, bringing it into the game.Idea: Improve piece coordination and clear the back rank for castling and the rooks.f5Ruy Lopez: Schliemann Defense9 named lines · Ruy Lopez: Schliemann Defense, Kostić Defense · Ruy Lopez: Schliemann Defense, Möhring VariationAdvances the f-pawn to gain kingside space and control new squares.Idea: Create useful wing space while keeping the central structure flexible.Bc5Ruy Lopez: Classical Variation8 named lines · Ruy Lopez: Classical Defense, Boden Variation · Ruy Lopez: Classical Variation, Cordel GambitDevelops the bishop to c5, bringing it into the game.Idea: Improve piece coordination and clear the back rank for castling and the rooks.d6Ruy Lopez: Steinitz Defense5 named lines · Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Tarrasch Trap · Ruy Lopez: Steinitz Defense, Center GambitAdvances to d6 to claim central space and control nearby key squares.Idea: Give the pieces room to develop behind a durable central foothold.g6Ruy Lopez: Fianchetto Defense4 named lines · Ruy Lopez: Cozio Defense, Tartakower Gambit · Ruy Lopez: Fianchetto Defense, Kevitz GambitAdvances the g-pawn to gain kingside space and control new squares.Idea: Create useful wing space while keeping the central structure flexible.d5Ruy Lopez: Spanish Countergambit3 named lines · Ruy Lopez: Spanish Countergambit, Harding Gambit · Ruy Lopez: Spanish Countergambit, Harding Countergambit, Fricke GambitAdvances to d5 to claim central space and control nearby key squares.Idea: Give the pieces room to develop behind a durable central foothold.Bb4Ruy Lopez: Alapin Defense2 named lines · Ruy Lopez: Alapin Defense, Alapin GambitDevelops the bishop to b4, bringing it into the game.Idea: Improve piece coordination and clear the back rank for castling and the rooks.Nd4Ruy Lopez: Bird Variation2 named lines · Ruy Lopez: Bird Variation, Paulsen VariationRepositions the knight to d4, where it influences a new part of the board.Idea: Improve the piece’s activity and support the next stage of the plan.Nge7Ruy Lopez: Cozio Defense2 named lines · Ruy Lopez: Cozio Defense, Paulsen VariationDevelops the knight to e7, bringing it into the game.Idea: Improve piece coordination and clear the back rank for castling and the rooks.a5Ruy Lopez: Bulgarian Variation1 named lineAdvances the a-pawn to gain queenside edge space and control new squares.Idea: Create useful wing space while keeping the central structure flexible.b6Ruy Lopez: Rotary-Albany Gambit1 named lineAdvances the b-pawn to gain queenside space and control new squares.Idea: Create useful wing space while keeping the central structure flexible.Be7Ruy Lopez: Lucena Variation1 named lineDevelops the bishop to e7, bringing it into the game.Idea: Improve piece coordination and clear the back rank for castling and the rooks.f6Ruy Lopez: Nürnberg Variation1 named lineAdvances the f-pawn to gain kingside space and control new squares.Idea: Create useful wing space while keeping the central structure flexible.g5Ruy Lopez: Brentano Gambit1 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.Na5Ruy Lopez: Pollock Defense1 named lineRepositions the knight to a5, where it influences a new part of the board.Idea: Improve the piece’s activity and support the next stage of the plan.Nb8Ruy Lopez: Retreat Variation1 named lineRepositions the knight to b8, where it influences a new part of the board.Idea: Improve the piece’s activity and support the next stage of the plan.Qe7Ruy Lopez: Vinogradov Variation1 named lineRepositions the queen to e7, where it influences a new part of the board.Idea: Coordinate threats carefully while avoiding unnecessary tempi against the queen.

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.