King's Pawn Opening
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Statistics from Lichess
869,155 games: White 44.9% / Draw 4.0% / Black 51.1%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 308,598309K | ||
| 241,407241K | ||
| 95,96396K | ||
| 94,92195K | ||
| 45,59846K | ||
| 14,76715K | ||
| 10,37210K | ||
| 10,10710K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 23, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.57 Black is slightly better
Best play: 2... Nf6 3. Nc3 Bc5 4. Nf3 O-O 5. Be2 d5 6. d3 c6 7. O-O
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
The stronger the players, the worse this line does for White: White scores 48% under 1400, 45% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 1.3M | |
| 1400–1799 | 1.3M | |
| 1800–2199 | 304K | |
| 2200 and up | 7,424 | |
| Masters, over the board | 4 |
Master games
- Solakian, J. – Dunnington, A. J.
- Bezsilko, P. – De Wit, M.
- Matnadze, A. – Gomez Jurado, L.
- Nogrady, V. – Meszaros, G.
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 Opening (ECO C20, Open Games) is a variation of the King's Pawn Game, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. b3 (2 moves).
In 869,155 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 44.9%, Black 51.1% and 4.0% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 2…Nc6, in 36% of those games.
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 Opening
2…Nf6 scores best for Black: 54.9%, with Black winning 52.9% and White 43.2% of 241K games. The most played, 2…Nc6, scores 53.6% in 309K games, and 2…d6 scores lowest: 50.1%. Stockfish's first choice is also 2…Nf6.
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 Opening has lost ground since 2016: 0.028% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.052%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.052% | 18,686 |
| 2017 | 0.045% | 24,565 |
| 2018 | 0.037% | 28,696 |
| 2019 | 0.036% | 44,753 |
| 2020 | 0.035% | 103,311 |
| 2021 | 0.039% | 152,493 |
| 2022 | 0.035% | 131,564 |
| 2023 | 0.032% | 119,673 |
| 2024 | 0.029% | 105,409 |
| 2025 | 0.028% | 97,223 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.027% | 29,077 |
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
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “King's Pawn Opening (C20)”. Lichess data as of 23 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/kings-pawn-opening