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.

8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
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.Nh3

    Develops the knight to h3, bringing it into the game.

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

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.