King's Pawn Game: King's Head Opening 2…Nf6 3. Nc3
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Statistics from Lichess
92,511 games: White 40.8% / Draw 4.0% / Black 55.2%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 21,64222K | ||
| 19,07719K | ||
| 18,28918K | ||
| 15,82816K | ||
| 5,7375,737 | ||
| 3,3693,369 | ||
| 3,2753,275 | ||
| 2,1552,155 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
−1.00 Black is better
Best play: 3... Bc5 4. Nge2 d5 5. exd5 Nxd5 6. Nxd5 Qxd5 7. Nc3 Qd8 8. Bb5+
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
King's Pawn Game: King's Head Opening (ECO C20, Open Games) is a variation of the King's Pawn Game: King's Head Opening, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. f3 Nf6 3. Nc3 (3 moves).
In 92,511 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 40.8%, Black 55.2% and 4.0% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 3…Bc5, in 23% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to answer 3. Nc3
3…d5 scores best for Black: 62.2%, with Black winning 60.0% and White 35.7% of 19K games. The most played, 3…Bc5, scores 58.4% in 22K games, and 3…Bb4 scores lowest: 53.9%. Stockfish's first choice is 3…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
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “King's Pawn Game: King's Head Opening (C20)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/kings-pawn-game-kings-head-opening-2