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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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.f4

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

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

  4. 2exf4

    Captures the pawn on f4 and changes the local pawn or piece balance.

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

  5. 3.Nf3

    Develops the knight to f3, bringing it into the game.

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

  6. 3g5

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

    Idea: Prepare a fianchetto or discourage the opponent’s expansion on that wing.

  7. 4.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.

  8. 4Bg7

    Develops the bishop to g7, bringing it into the game.

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

  9. 5.h4

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

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

  10. 5h6

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

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

  11. 6.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.

  12. 6d6

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

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

  13. 7.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.

  14. 7c6

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

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

  15. 8.hxg5

    Captures the pawn on g5 and changes the local pawn or piece balance.

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

  16. 8hxg5

    Captures the pawn on g5 and changes the local pawn or piece balance.

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

  17. 9.Rxh8

    Captures the rook on h8 and changes the local pawn or piece balance.

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

  18. 9Bxh8

    Captures the rook on h8 and changes the local pawn or piece balance.

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

  19. 10.Ne5

    Repositions the knight to e5, 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.