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.

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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. 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.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.

  4. 2Nc6

    Develops the knight to c6, bringing it into the game.

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

  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. 3Bc5

    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.Qg4

    Repositions the queen to g4, where it influences a new part of the board.

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

  8. 4Qf6

    Repositions the queen to f6, where it influences a new part of the board.

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

  9. 5.Nd5

    Repositions the knight to d5, 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.

0 moves
This is the end of the indexed line.

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.