Semi-open games

King's Pawn Game

1.e4

The King's Pawn Game starts with 1.e4 and is catalogued under ECO B00, in the semi-open games half of the book. The catalog indexes 38 lines inside it, grouped into 35 named variations, and the position after those moves has 2 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
Pirc Defense
9 plies
150 Attack, Sveshnikov-Jansa Attack
Popularity by Elo
Share of Lichess blitz, rapid, and classical games that continued with each move.
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a
b
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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. 1d6

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

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

  3. 2.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.

  4. 2Nf6

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

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

  5. 3.Nc3

    Develops the knight to c3, bringing it into the game.

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

  6. 3g6

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

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

  7. 4.Be3

    Develops the bishop to e3, bringing it into the game.

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

  8. 4c6

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

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

Book continuations

Waiting for Lichess game popularity.

2 moves

Named variations

Each line below is an indexed entry under King's Pawn Game. Open one to load it on the board and keep exploring from that position.

11 more named lines sit inside this family — the tree above walks all of them.

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