King's Pawn Opening: Speers
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Statistics from Lichess
2,351 games: White 24.2% / Draw 3.0% / Black 72.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 974974 | ||
| 600600 | ||
| 420420 | ||
| 107107 | ||
| 7373 | ||
| 6161 | ||
| 5858 | ||
| 2323 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
−3.07 Black is clearly better
Best play: 3... Nc6 4. d3 d5 5. Qg5 Be6 6. Nf3 h6 7. Qd2 dxe4 8. dxe4
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
King's Pawn Opening: Speers (ECO C20, Open Games) is a variation of the King's Pawn Game, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Qg4 Nf6 3. Qf5 (3 moves).
In 2,351 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 24.2%, Black 72.8% and 3.0% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 3…d6, in 41% 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: Speers
3…Nc6 scores best for Black: 79.3%, with Black winning 77.2% and White 18.5% of 600 games. The most played, 3…d6, scores 74.7% in 974 games, and 3…d5 scores lowest: 74.4%. Stockfish's first choice is also 3…Nc6.
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 Opening: Speers (C20)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/kings-pawn-opening-speers