King's Pawn Game: King's Head Opening
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Statistics from Lichess
824,117 games: White 42.1% / Draw 4.0% / Black 53.9%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 284,277284K | ||
| 179,047179K | ||
| 97,09797K | ||
| 91,88192K | ||
| 85,38685K | ||
| 21,32121K | ||
| 14,40814K | ||
| 11,23011K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.85 Black is better
Best play: 2... Bc5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nge2 d5 5. exd5 Nxd5 6. Nxd5 Qxd5 7. Nc3
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: White scores 44% under 1400, 42% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 3.5M | |
| 1400–1799 | 1.3M | |
| 1800–2199 | 343K | |
| 2200 and up | 19K | |
| Masters, over the board | 1 |
Master games
Rated blitz, rapid and classical Lichess games by rating band, and over-the-board games of players rated 2200+ from the Lichess masters database, updated Sep 27, 2026
Overview
King's Pawn Game: King's Head Opening (ECO C20, Open Games) is a variation of the King's Pawn Game, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. f3 (2 moves).
In 824,117 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 42.1%, Black 53.9% and 4.0% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 2…Nc6, in 34% of those games.
It continues into one named variation.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the King's Pawn Game: King's Head Opening
2…d5 scores best for Black: 57.8%, with Black winning 55.7% and White 40.1% of 92K games. The most played, 2…Nc6, scores 56.0% in 284K games, and 2…d6 scores lowest: 51.6%. Stockfish's first choice is 2…Bc5.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: Black's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings
Popularity by year
The King's Pawn Game: King's Head Opening has lost ground since 2016: 0.03% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.04%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.04% | 14,303 |
| 2017 | 0.031% | 17,083 |
| 2018 | 0.029% | 23,113 |
| 2019 | 0.03% | 37,048 |
| 2020 | 0.031% | 91,988 |
| 2021 | 0.032% | 127,045 |
| 2022 | 0.034% | 126,755 |
| 2023 | 0.032% | 121,854 |
| 2024 | 0.032% | 114,569 |
| 2025 | 0.03% | 104,249 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.03% | 33,127 |
Share of rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500 (blitz, rapid and classical) that reach this position, by year; 2026: January to April. Which openings are rising and falling
Variations (1)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “King's Pawn Game: King's Head Opening (C20)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/kings-pawn-game-kings-head-opening