Open games & French

King's Pawn Opening

1.e4 e5 2.b3

The King's Pawn Opening starts with 1.e4 e5 2.b3 and is catalogued under ECO C20, in the open games & french half of the book. The catalog indexes 3 lines inside it, grouped into 3 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.Qe2

    Repositions the queen to e2, where it influences a new part of the board.

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

  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.c3

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

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

  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.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.

  8. 4Bc5

    Develops the bishop to c5, bringing it into the game.

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

  9. 5.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.

  10. 5exd4

    Captures the pawn on d4 and changes the local pawn or piece balance.

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

  11. 6.cxd4

    Captures the pawn on d4 and changes the local pawn or piece balance.

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

  12. 6Nxd4

    Captures the pawn on d4 and changes the local pawn or piece balance.

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

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 Opening. Open one to load it on the board and keep exploring from that position.

ECO groups openings by the structures they lead to, so these families tend to share plans with the King's Pawn Opening.