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 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
Italian Game: Two Knights 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. 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. 2Nc6

    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.

  6. 3Nf6

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

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

  7. 4.Ng5

    Repositions 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.

  8. 4d5

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

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

  9. 5.exd5

    Captures the pawn on d5 and changes the local pawn or piece balance.

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

  10. 5Na5

    Repositions the knight to a5, where it influences a new part of the board.

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

  11. 6.Bb5+

    Repositions the bishop to b5, where it influences a new part of the board, forcing the king to answer a check.

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

  12. 6c6

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

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

  13. 7.dxc6

    Captures the pawn on c6 and changes the local pawn or piece balance.

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

  14. 7bxc6

    Captures the pawn on c6 and changes the local pawn or piece balance.

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

  15. 8.Be2

    Repositions the bishop to e2, 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.

1 move

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.