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 3 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
Italian Game: Classical Variation, Center Holding Variation
11 plies
Classical Variation, Mestel Variation
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.Bc4

    Develops the bishop onto an active diagonal aimed at f7.

    Idea: Accelerate kingside development and make Black’s weakest early square a target.

  6. 3…Bc5

    Develops the bishop to c5, bringing it into the game.

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

  7. 4.c3

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

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

  8. 4…Qe7

    Repositions the queen to e7, where it influences a new part of the board.

    Idea: Coordinate threats carefully while avoiding unnecessary tempi against the queen.

  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. 5…Bb6

    Repositions the bishop to b6, 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.

3 moves
Bg5Italian Game: Classical Variation, Mestel Variation1 named lineDevelops the bishop to g5, bringing it into the game.Idea: Improve piece coordination and clear the back rank for castling and the rooks.d5Italian Game: Classical Variation, Center Holding Variation1 named line · Italian Game: Classical Variation, Eisinger VariationAdvances to d5 to claim central space and control nearby key squares.Idea: Give the pieces room to develop behind a durable central foothold.O-OItalian Game: Classical Variation, Center Holding Variation1 named line · Italian Game: Classical Variation, Tarrasch VariationTucks the king away and activates the rook in a single move.Idea: Finish kingside development so the central pieces can coordinate safely.

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.