White opens with the most popular of the twenty possible opening moves. Since nearly all openings beginning 1.e4 have names of their own, the termKing's Pawn Game, unlikeQueen's Pawn Game, is rarely used to describe the opening of the game.
Advancing the king's pawn two squares is highly useful because it occupies acenter square, attacks the center square d5, and allows thedevelopment of White'sking's bishop andqueen.Bobby Fischer said that the King's Pawn Game is "Best by test",[2] and proclaimed that "With 1.e4! I win."[3][page needed]
King's Pawn Games are further classified by whether Black responds with1...e5 or not. Openings beginning with1.e4e5 are calledDouble King's Pawn Games,Double King's Pawn Openings,Symmetrical King's Pawn Games, orOpen Games – these terms are equivalent. Openings where Black responds to1.e4 with a move other than1...e5 are calledAsymmetrical King's Pawn Games orSemi-Open Games.
TheEncyclopedia of Chess Openings (ECO) classifies all King's Pawn Games into volumes B or C: volume C if the game starts with1.e4 e6 (theFrench Defence) or1.e4e5; volume B if Black answers1.e4 with any other move. The rare instances where the opening does not fall into a more specific category than King's Pawn Game are included in codes B00 (includes theNimzowitsch Defence and unusual moves after 1.e4), C20 (includesAlapin's Opening and unusual moves after 1.e4 e5), and C40 (includes theLatvian Gambit and unusual moves after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3).
The Black responses which are given one or more chapters in theECO are given below, ranked in order of popularity according to FIDE-rated games onChessBase.
1...c5, theSicilian Defence, is the most common continuation in modern practice. The Sicilian Defence allows Black to fight for the center by preparing to meet a d2–d4 advance with ...cxd4. Black aims to unbalance the game and fight for a win on move one. The many variations include some of the sharpest and most analysed lines in chess. It has eighty chapters, B20–B99, set aside for it inECO.
1...e5 leads to the classicalOpen Games, which includes openings such as theRuy Lopez,King's Gambit,Italian Game,Scotch Game andPetrov's Defence. Also in this opening, Black is generally ready to meet a d2–d4 advance with exd4, though some variations offer the chance to holding the centre with ....d6. These openings are covered in chapters C20–C99 inECO.
1...e6 is theFrench Defence, covered in chapters C00–C19 inECO. Black's restrained response allows White to play 2.d4. This gives White a spatial advantage, with two pawns in the center to Black's one (after the usual 2... d5) and open lines for both of the bishops, while Black blocks in the light squared bishop and stops it from developing. One or the other player will usually resolve the central tension, either by Black playing ...dxe4 or White advancing with e5. In the latter case, Black typically works to undermine White's pawn center with ...c5 and/or ...f6.
1...c6 is theCaro–Kann Defence, covered in chapters B10–B19 inECO. Like the French, this is also considered to be a solid reply, but Black will often need to surrender control over the center (e.g., after 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Black usually plays 3...dxe4). On the other hand, the light-squared bishop will usually not wind up trapped behind its own pawns, as is common in the French.
1...d6 is usually played with the intention of playing thePirc Defence (1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6,ECO codes B07–B09), a hypermodern defence in which Black allows White to construct a dominant center, with the intention of subverting it later. It can also lead to theModern Defence,Pribyl System orPhilidor Defence.
1...g6 is theModern Defence. This is related to the Pirc Defence, to which it can transpose. These openings allow White to build up a pawn center with 2.d4, but Black will develop the king's bishop to g7 and strike back at the center. These openings are covered in chapters B06–B09 inECO, with theModern Defence covered in chapter B06.
1...d5, theScandinavian Defence or Center Counter Defence, is a direct strike at the pawn at e4, forcing the situation in the center. After 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3, however, White gains time by attacking Black's prematurely developedqueen. Alternatively, Black can play 2...Nf6 (theMarshall Gambit), when White chooses between 3.d4 Nxd5 4.c4 with a spatial advantage, or 3.c4, when Black usually offers agambit with either 3...c6 or 3...e6. The Scandinavian is covered in chapter B01 inECO.
1...Nf6 isAlekhine's Defence, which invites White to attack the knight with 2.e5. Black is often forced to spend time moving the knight several times as it is chased around the board, all the while allowing White to build up a broad pawn center. Black counts on the pawns becoming overextended so that they can later be undermined. The Alekhine is covered in chapters B02–B05 ofECO.
Apart from these eight responses, all other replies from Black are covered together inECO chapter B00. A few of these are not entirely obscure, and have been analyzed in detail.
1...Nc6 is theNimzowitsch Defence, an example of ahypermodern opening in which Black invites White to occupy the centre of the board at an early stage with pawns. After 2.d4, there are two distinctive main lines: 2...e5, favoured byTony Miles, and 2...d5, introduced and often played byAron Nimzowitsch.
1...b6 isOwen's Defence, preparing to develop Black's bishop to b7 to put pressure on White's center.
1...a6 is theSt. George Defence. Black prepares to advance on thequeenside with 2...b5, but allows White to occupy the center with 2.d4. The opening gained some attention after Tony Miles used it to defeatAnatoly Karpov in 1980.[4]
1...g5 is the Borg Defence ("Grob" backwards) or Basman Defence, often played byMichael Basman. The move weakens thekingside severely, but according toModern Chess Openings (MCO), Black is only somewhat worse.[5]
The remaining replies to 1.e4 are very rare, and have not received significant and serious attention by masters.MCO does not cover them, considering them so bad as not to merit discussion.[6] These openings sometimes lead to wild and exciting games, and are occasionally employed by weaker players to get better trained opponents "out-of-book". Some have exotic names. Such openings are listed below along with instances where they have been used by strong players.
1...a5, the Corn Stalk Defence. United States chess playerPreston Ware played the Corn Stalk in eleven recorded tournament games from 1880 to 1882, winning four and losing seven. Its chief fault is the very early and therefore potentially unnecessary development of a peripheral piece.
1...b5, the O'Neill Gambit. Black has no real compensation for the sacrificed pawn.
1...f5, Duras Gambit, per the bookUnorthodox Chess Openings. This is a pawnsacrifice which gives Black a lead in development after 2.exf5 Nf6, but without much additionalcompensation for the sacrificed pawn. Another move in this position is 2...Kf7, dubbed the "Fred", which is considered a joke opening. After 3.Qh5+, Black has to play g6 and ruin their kingside position. The line was played three times in an exhibition match betweenOssip Bernstein andOldřich Duras.
1...h5, the Goldsmith Defence or Pickering Defence. All this move achieves is to waste a tempo and weaken the kingside. It is the reversed version of the Kádas Opening.[7]
1...f6 is known as the Barnes Defence afterThomas Wilson Barnes. This move is clearly inferior, taking away the f6-square from the knight and weakening Black's kingside, although Barnes managed to defeatPaul Morphy with this defence in 1858.[8][9]
1...h6, called the Carr Defence inUnorthodox Chess Openings. This defence has also been used byMichael Basman andMagnus Carlsen. It is likely to transpose to the Borg Defence after 2.d4 g5.
1...Na6, called the Lemming Defence inUnorthodox Chess Openings, develops the knight to an inferior square.
1...Nh6, the Adams Defence or Wild Bull Defence. It can transpose to the oldhippo system.[7]
