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 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
Ruy Lopez: Morphy 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. 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.

  6. 3…a6

    Advances the a-pawn to gain queenside edge space and control new squares.

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

  7. 4.Ba4

    Repositions the bishop to a4, where it influences a new part of the board.

    Idea: Improve the piece’s activity and support the next stage of the plan.

Book continuations

Waiting for Lichess game popularity.

9 moves
Nf6Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense96 named lines · Ruy Lopez: Open · Ruy Lopez: ClosedDevelops the knight to f6, bringing it into the game.Idea: Improve piece coordination and clear the back rank for castling and the rooks.b5Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Caro Variation5 named lines · Ruy Lopez: Noah's Ark Trap · Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Graz VariationAdvances the b-pawn to gain queenside space and control new squares.Idea: Prepare a fianchetto or discourage the opponent’s expansion on that wing.d6Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Modern Steinitz Defense3 named lines · Ruy Lopez: Closed, Kecskemet Variation · Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Modern Steinitz Defense, Siesta VariationAdvances to d6 to claim central space and control nearby key squares.Idea: Give the pieces room to develop behind a durable central foothold.f5Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Schliemann Defense Deferred2 named lines · Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Schliemann Defense Deferred, Jaenisch Gambit DeferredAdvances the f-pawn to gain kingside space and control new squares.Idea: Create useful wing space while keeping the central structure flexible.Bb4Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Alapin's Defense Deferred1 named lineDevelops the bishop to b4, bringing it into the game.Idea: Improve piece coordination and clear the back rank for castling and the rooks.Bc5Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Classical Defense Deferred1 named lineDevelops the bishop to c5, bringing it into the game.Idea: Improve piece coordination and clear the back rank for castling and the rooks.g6Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Fianchetto Defense Deferred1 named lineAdvances the g-pawn to gain kingside space and control new squares.Idea: Create useful wing space while keeping the central structure flexible.Nd4Ruy Lopez: Bird's Defense Deferred1 named lineRepositions 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: Morphy Defense, Cozio 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 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.