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 1 playable continuation 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
Latvian Gambit: Mayet Attack
Popularity by Elo
Share of Lichess blitz, rapid, and classical games that continued with each move.
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h

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. 1e5

    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. 2f5

    Advances the f-pawn to gain kingside space and control new squares.

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

  5. 3.Bc4

    Develops the bishop to c4, bringing it into the game.

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

  6. 3fxe4

    Captures the pawn on e4 and changes the local pawn or piece balance.

    Idea: Open lines in the center and reshape the center for the next phase.

  7. 4.Nxe5

    Captures the pawn on e5 and changes the local pawn or piece balance.

    Idea: Remove an active defender and improve the moving piece’s influence.

  8. 4Qg5

    Repositions the queen to g5, where it influences a new part of the board.

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

  9. 5.Nf7

    Repositions the knight to f7, where it influences a new part of the board.

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

  10. 5Qxg2

    Captures the pawn on g2 and changes the local pawn or piece balance.

    Idea: Remove an active defender and improve the moving piece’s influence.

  11. 6.Rf1

    Repositions the rook to f1, where it influences a new part of the board.

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

  12. 6d5

    Advances to d5 to claim central space and control nearby key squares.

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

Book continuations

Waiting for Lichess game popularity.

1 move

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.

ECO groups openings by the structures they lead to, so these families tend to share plans with the King's Knight Opening.