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 7 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
6 plies
Paris Defense
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.

Book continuations

Waiting for Lichess game popularity.

7 moves
Bc5Italian Game: Giuoco Piano94 named lines · Italian Game: Deutz Gambit · Italian Game: Evans GambitDevelops the bishop to c5, bringing it into the game.Idea: Improve piece coordination and clear the back rank for castling and the rooks.Nf6Italian Game: Two Knights Defense53 named lines · Italian Game: Scotch Gambit · Italian Game: Giuoco PianissimoDevelops the knight to f6, bringing it into the game.Idea: Improve piece coordination and clear the back rank for castling and the rooks.Be7Italian Game: Hungarian Defense3 named lines · Scotch Game: Benima Defense · Italian Game: Hungarian Defense, Tartakower VariationDevelops the bishop to e7, bringing it into the game.Idea: Improve piece coordination and clear the back rank for castling and the rooks.d6Italian Game: Paris Defense1 named lineAdvances to d6 to claim central space and control nearby key squares.Idea: Give the pieces room to develop behind a durable central foothold.f5Italian Game: Rousseau Gambit1 named lineAdvances the f-pawn to gain kingside space and control new squares.Idea: Create useful wing space while keeping the central structure flexible.h6Italian Game: Anti-Fried Liver Defense1 named lineAdvances the h-pawn to gain kingside edge space and control new squares.Idea: Create useful wing space while keeping the central structure flexible.Nd4Italian Game: Blackburne-Kostić Gambit1 named lineRepositions the knight to d4, 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 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.

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 Pawn Game.