Open games & French

Vienna Game

1.e4 e5 2.Nc3

The Vienna Game starts with 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 and is catalogued under ECO C25, in the open games & french half of the book. The catalog indexes 41 lines inside it, grouped into 40 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
Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Modern Variation
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.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.

  4. 2Nf6

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

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

  5. 3.f4

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

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

  6. 3d5

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

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

  7. 4.fxe5

    Captures the pawn on e5 and changes the local pawn or piece balance.

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

  8. 4Nxe4

    Captures the pawn on e4 and changes the local pawn or piece balance.

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

  9. 5.d3

    Advances to d3 to claim central space and control nearby key squares.

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

  10. 5Qh4+

    Repositions the queen to h4, where it influences a new part of the board, forcing the king to answer a check.

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

  11. 6.g3

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

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

  12. 6Nxg3

    Captures the pawn on g3 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.

1 move

Named variations

Each line below is an indexed entry under Vienna Game. Open one to load it on the board and keep exploring from that position.

16 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 Vienna Game.