King's Knight Opening

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King's Knight Opening
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Moves1.e4 e5 2.Nf3
ECO C40 (–C99)
Parent Open Game

The King's Knight Opening is a chess opening consisting of the moves:

Contents

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 important are Petrov's Defense (2...Nf6) and Philidor's Defense (2...d6).

Main line: 2...Nc6

Most games (more than 80%) continue with 2...Nc6.

Some moves from here include:

Other Black defenses

Of the alternatives, 2...Nf6 (Petrov's Defense) is considered fully respectable and is common in grandmaster games. Philidor's Defense is playable but is seen more rarely.

Less common defenses

A number of less popular continuations are possible. These openings are generally considered to be less sound than those mentioned above. These openings are all categorized in the ECO under code C40.

References