Chess opening · ECO C40

King's Knight Opening

The King's Knight Opening starts 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3. It ranks #3 of the 174 openings on this site by how often rated players on Lichess reach it.

The position after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3. Black to move.

Move by move

  1. 1. e4White pushes the e-pawn two squares to e4, staking a claim in the center.
  2. 1... e5Black pushes the e-pawn two squares to e5, staking a claim in the center.
  3. 2. Nf3White develops the kingside knight to f3.

What players choose next, by rating

The three most common Black moves from this position in rated Lichess games, grouped by the rating of the player making the move. Nc6 is the most popular next move in every rating band.

RatingMost commonSecondThird
Under 1200Nc6 43%d6 22%Nf6 13%
1200–1399Nc6 52%d6 26%Nf6 8%
1400–1599Nc6 56%d6 27%Nf6 7%
1600–1799Nc6 61%d6 24%Nf6 8%
1800–1999Nc6 72%d6 14%Nf6 8%
2000 and upNc6 81%Nf6 9%d6 5%

Related openings

King's Pawn GameThe line this one grows fromKing's Knight Opening: Normal VariationA variation of this linePhilidor DefenseA variation of this linePetrov's DefenseA variation of this lineElephant GambitA variation of this lineLatvian GambitA variation of this line

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