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 4 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
Philidor Defense: Nimzowitsch Variation
7 plies
Nimzowitsch Variation, Klein Variation
7 plies
Nimzowitsch, Locock 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…d6

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

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

  5. 3.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.

  6. 3…Nf6

    Develops the knight to f6, bringing it into the game.

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

Book continuations

Waiting for Lichess game popularity.

4 moves
Nc3Philidor Defense: Nimzowitsch Variation6 named lines · Philidor Defense: Lion Variation · Philidor Defense: Lion Variation, Forcing LineDevelops the knight to c3, bringing it into the game.Idea: Improve piece coordination and clear the back rank for castling and the rooks.dxe5Philidor Defense: Nimzowitsch Variation3 named lines · Philidor Defense: Nimzowitsch Variation, Rellstab Variation · Philidor Defense: Nimzowitsch Variation, Sokolsky VariationCaptures the pawn on e5 and changes the local pawn or piece balance.Idea: Open lines in the center and reshape the center for the next phase.Bc4Philidor Defense: Nimzowitsch Variation, Klein Variation1 named lineDevelops the bishop to c4, bringing it into the game.Idea: Improve piece coordination and clear the back rank for castling and the rooks.Ng5Philidor Defense: Nimzowitsch, Locock Variation1 named lineRepositions the knight to g5, where it influences a new part of the board.Idea: Improve the piece’s activity and support the next stage of the plan.

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.