An Open Game (or Double King's Pawn Opening) is a

chess opening A chess opening or simply an opening is the initial stage of a chess game. It usually consists of established theory; the other phases are the middlegame and the endgame. Many opening sequences have standard names such as the "Sicilian Defens ...

that begins with the following moves: :1. e4 e5 White has moved the king's pawn two squares and Black has replied in kind. The result is an Open Game. Other responses to 1.e4 are termed

Semi-Open Game A Semi-Open Game is a chess opening in which White plays 1.e4 and Black breaks symmetry immediately by replying with a move other than 1...e5. The Semi-Open Games are also called Single King Pawn, Asymmetrical King Pawn, or Half-Open Games (or Ope ...

s or Single King's Pawn Games. It should not be confused with the term "" (lowercase o and g), referring to a chess position where ranks, files and diagonals are open, and tending to more tactical gameplay.

Analysis

White opens by playing 1.e4, which is the most popular opening move and has many strengths—it immediately stakes a claim in the center, and frees two pieces (the

queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

and king's

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

) for action. The oldest openings in chess follow 1.e4.

Bobby Fischer Robert James Fischer (March 9, 1943January 17, 2008) was an American chess grandmaster and the eleventh World Chess Champion. A chess prodigy, he won his first of a record eight US Championships at the age of 14. In 1964, he won with an 11� ...

wrote that 1.e4 was "Best by test." On the negative side, 1.e4 places a

pawn Pawn most often refers to: * Pawn (chess), the weakest and most numerous piece in the game * Pawnbroker or pawnshop, a business that provides loans by taking personal property as collateral Pawn may also refer to: Places * Pawn, Oregon, an his ...

on an undefended square and weakens the squares d4 and f4. If Black keeps the symmetry by replying 1...e5, the result is an Open Game .

Variations

The most popular second move for White is 2.Nf3 (the

King's Knight Opening The King's Knight Opening is a chess opening consisting of the moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. Nf3 White's second move attacks the e-pawn. Black usually defends this with 2...Nc6, which leads to several named openings. Of the alternatives, the most im ...

), attacking Black's king

, preparing to

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

, and preparing for d2-d4. Black's most common reply is 2...Nc6, which usually leads to the

Ruy Lopez The Ruy Lopez (; ), also called the Spanish Opening or Spanish Game, is a chess opening characterised by the moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. Nf3 Nc6 :3. Bb5 The Ruy Lopez is named after 16th-century Spanish priest Ruy López de Segura. It is one o ...

(3.Bb5),

Italian Game The Italian Game is a family of chess openings beginning with the moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. Nf3 Nc6 :3. Bc4 This opening is defined by the of the white bishop to c4 (the so-called ""), where it attacks Black's vulnerable f7-square. It is part ...

(3.Bc4), or

Scotch Game The Scotch Game, or Scotch Opening, is a chess opening that begins with the moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. Nf3 Nc6 :3. d4 Ercole del Rio, in his 1750 treatise ''Sopra il giuoco degli Scacchi, Osservazioni pratiche d’anonimo Autore Modenese'' ("On t ...

(3.d4), though 3.Nc3 Nf6 (the

Four Knights Game The Four Knights Game is a chess opening that begins with the moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. Nf3 Nc6 :3. Nc3 Nf6 This is the most common sequence, but the knights may in any order to reach the same position. The opening is fairly popular with begin ...

), often played in the late 19th to early 20th century, or, less commonly, 3....g6 or ...Bb4, (the

Three Knights Game The Three Knights Game is a chess opening which most commonly begins with the moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. Nf3 Nc6 :3. Nc3 In the Three Knights Game, Black chooses to break symmetry in order to avoid the main lines of what is often considered the ...

), are other possibilities. Black's most popular alternative to 2...Nc6 is 2...Nf6, usually leading to

Petrov's Defense Petrov's Defence or the Petrov Defence (also called Petroff Defence, Petrov's Game, Russian Defence, or Russian Game – russian: Русская партия) is a chess opening characterised by the following moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. Nf3 Nf6 Tho ...

, though White can avoid the extensive theory of the Petrov by playing 3.Nc3. The

Philidor Defense The Philidor Defence (or Philidor's Defence) is a chess opening characterised by the moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. Nf3 d6 The opening is named after the famous 18th-century player François-André Danican Philidor, who advocated it as an alternativ ...

(2...d6) has the disadvantage of restricting the mobility of Black's king's bishop, and typically leads to solid but passive positions for Black. For this reason, it largely fell out of favor in the 20th century as Black players sought more dynamic options, however it is still occasionally seen at grandmaster level. The

Gunderam Defense The Gunderam Defense, also known as the Brazilian Defense or the Câmara Defense if followed by moves ...g6, ...Bg7 and ...Nf6, creating the typical King's Indian formation, is a rarely played chess opening starting with the moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. ...

(2...Qe7) is an offbeat choice which blocks the development of the king's bishop, and has never achieved widespread popularity. The

Elephant Gambit The Elephant Gambit (also called the Queen's Pawn Countergambit or Englund Counterattack) is a rarely played chess opening beginning with the moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. Nf3 d5 Although the Elephant Gambit is considered unsound, it has been used fr ...

(2...d5) and the

Latvian Gambit The Latvian Gambit (or Greco Countergambit) is a chess opening characterised by the moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. Nf3 f5 It is one of the oldest chess openings, having been analysed in the 17th century by Gioachino Greco, after whom it is sometimes ...

(2...f5) are considered very risky for Black, with the latter usually seen only in correspondence play. The

Damiano Defense The Damiano Defence is a chess opening beginning with the moves: # e4 e5 # Nf3 f6? The defence is one of the oldest chess openings, with games dating back to the 16th century. It is a weak opening that gives a large advantage for White after 3 ...

(2...f6) may be met by either 3.Nxe5 or 3.Bc4 with advantage and is almost never seen. The most popular alternatives to 2.Nf3 are 2.f4 (the

King's Gambit The King's Gambit is a chess opening that begins with the moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. f4 White offers a pawn to divert the black e-pawn. If Black accepts the gambit, White has two main plans. The first is to play d4 and Bxf4, regaining the gambit p ...

), 2.Nc3 (the

Vienna Game The Vienna Game is an opening in chess that begins with the moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. Nc3 White's second move is less common than 2.Nf3, and is also more recent. The original idea behind the Vienna Game was to play a delayed King's Gambit with f ...

), and 2.Bc4 (the

Bishop's Opening The Bishop's Opening is a chess opening that begins with the moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. Bc4 White attacks Black's f7-square and prevents Black from advancing the d-pawn to d5. By ignoring the beginner's maxim "develop knights before bishops", White ...

). These three openings have some similarities; some of the quieter lines in the Vienna and Bishop's Opening can

transpose In linear algebra, the transpose of a matrix is an operator which flips a matrix over its diagonal; that is, it switches the row and column indices of the matrix by producing another matrix, often denoted by (among other notations). The tr ...

to positional variations of the King's Gambit Declined, when White plays f2–f4 before playing Nf3. The King's Gambit was popular in the nineteenth century with grandmaster and amateur alike. White offers a pawn for speedy development, as well as to attack Black's central outpost. The Vienna Game also frequently features attacks on the Black center by means of f2–f4. In the

Center Game The Center Game is a chess opening that begins with the moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. d4 exd4 The game usually continues 3.Qxd4 Nc6, with a gain of tempo for Black due to the attack on the white queen. (Note that 3.c3 is considered a separate open ...

(2.d4), White immediately opens the center, though if the pawn is to be recovered after 2...exd4, White must prematurely develop their queen. An alternative is to

sacrifice Sacrifice is the offering of material possessions or the lives of animals or humans to a deity as an act of propitiation or worship. Evidence of ritual animal sacrifice has been seen at least since ancient Hebrews and Greeks, and possibly exi ...

one or two pawns by offering the

Danish Gambit The Danish Gambit, known as the ' in German and the ' in Dutch (both meaning Nordic Gambit), is a chess opening that begins with the moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. d4 exd4 :3. c3 White will sacrifice one or two pawns for the sake of rapid and the at ...

(3.c3). The early development of the queen in the

Danvers Opening The Danvers Opening,''Edward Winter''at chesshistory.com also known as the Kentucky Opening,''The_Talking_Drum_featuring_Bernard_Parham''_6_July_2003_is_an_unorthodox_chess_opening_characterized_by_the_moves: :1._ ''The_Talking_Drum_featuring_Ber ...

, also known as the

Parham Attack The Danvers Opening,''Edward Winter''at chesshistory.com also known as the Kentucky Opening,''The_Talking_Drum_featuring_Bernard_Parham''_6_July_2003_is_an_unorthodox_chess_opening_characterized_by_the_moves: :1._ ''The_Talking_Drum_featuring_Ber ...

(2.Qh5), is usually played only by amateurs, though

Hikaru Nakamura Christopher Hikaru NakamuraNapoleon Opening The Napoleon Opening is an irregular chess opening starting with the moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. Qf3 As with the similar Danvers Opening (2.Qh5), White hopes for the Scholar's mate (2...Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Qxf7), but Black can easily avoid the attack. ...

, 2.Qf3, has even less to recommend it as Black can easily block any mating threats without compromising their development. The Portuguese Opening (2.Bb5), Alapin's Opening (2.Ne2),

Konstantinopolsky Opening The Konstantinopolsky Opening is a rarely played chess opening that begins with the moves as illustrated below: :1. e4 e5 :2. Nf3 Nc6 :3. g3 Description The opening was first played in the game Alexander Konstantinopolsky versus Viachesl ...

(2.Nf3 Nc6 3.g3), and Inverted Hungarian Opening (2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Be2) are offbeat tries for White, though none promise any advantage in the face of correct play.

Examples of Open Games

* 1.e4 e5 2.Bb5 Portuguese Opening * 1.e4 e5 2.c3

Centre Pawn Opening The Centre Pawn OpeningHooper & Whyld (1992), p. 72. ''Centre Pawn Opening''. (or the MacLeod Attack) is a chess opening characterised by the moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. c3 The opening was played 17 times in the New York 1889 tournament by 19th-ce ...

* 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3

* 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4

* 1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.c3

* 1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.Qxd4

* 1.e4 e5 2.Ne2 Alapin's Opening * 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5

* 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.c3

Ponziani Opening The Ponziani Opening is a chess opening that begins with the moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. Nf3 Nc6 :3. c3 It is one of the oldest chess openings, having been discussed in the literature by 1497. It was advocated by Howard Staunton, generally conside ...

* 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 without 3...Nf6

* 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6

* 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4

* 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5

Giuoco Piano The Giuoco Piano (Italian: "Quiet Game"; ), also called the Italian Opening, is a chess opening beginning with the moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. Nf3 Nc6 :3. Bc4 Bc5 "White aims to develop quickly – but so does Black. White can construct a pawn cen ...

* 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4

Evans Gambit The Evans Gambit is a chess opening characterised by the moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. Nf3 Nc6 :3. Bc4 Bc5 :4. b4 The Evans Gambit is an aggressive line of the Giuoco Piano. White offers a pawn to divert the black bishop on c5. If Black accepts, ...

* 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Be7 Hungarian Defense * 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6

Two Knights Defense The Two Knights Defense is a chess opening that begins with the moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. Nf3 Nc6 :3. Bc4 Nf6 First recorded by Giulio Cesare Polerio (c. 1550 – c. 1610) in the late 16th century, this line of the Italian Game was extensiv ...

* 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4

* 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Be2 Inverted Hungarian Opening * 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.g3

* 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d5!?

* 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6

Philidor Defence The Philidor Defence (or Philidor's Defence) is a chess opening characterised by the moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. Nf3 d6 The opening is named after the famous 18th-century player François-André Danican Philidor, who advocated it as an alternative ...

* 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 f5

* 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 f6

* 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6

Petrov's Defence Petrov's Defence or the Petrov Defence (also called Petroff Defence, Petrov's Game, Russian Defence, or Russian Game – russian: Русская партия) is a chess opening characterised by the following moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. Nf3 Nf6 Tho ...

* 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Qf6 Greco Defense * 1.e4 e5 2.Qf3?!

Napoleon Opening The Napoleon Opening is an irregular chess opening starting with the moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. Qf3 As with the similar Danvers Opening (2.Qh5), White hopes for the Scholar's mate (2...Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Qxf7), but Black can easily avoid the attack. ...

* 1.e4 e5 2.f4

* 1.e4 e5 2.Qh5

* 1.e4 e5 2.Ke2?

Bongcloud Attack The Bongcloud Attack or Bongcloud Opening is an irregular chess opening that consists of the moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. Ke2 It is considered a joke opening, and is associated with internet chess humor. Being a poor move, its usage can suggest a se ...

Diagrams

References

* *

Analysis

Variations

Examples of Open Games

Diagrams

See also

References

Further reading