Tree path 2 levels King's Pawn Game › King's Pawn Opening: Van Hooydoon Gambit
- Chess Codex
- King's Pawn Game C20
- King's Pawn Opening: Van Hooydoon Gambit C20 you are here
King's Pawn Opening: Van Hooydoon Gambit
Overview
King's Pawn Opening: Van Hooydoon Gambit is a gambit, classified under ECO code C20 within the Open Games family. As with all gambits, one side sacrifices material early — usually a pawn — in exchange for development, open lines, or initiative.
The Open Games group covers open games — classical 1.e4 e5 openings where both sides contest the centre directly with pawns.
It is reached after 12 plies of play, with the move sequence 1. e4 e5 2. Qe2 Nc6 3. c3 Nf6 4. Nf3 Bc5 5. d4 exd4 6. cxd4 Nxd4.
It is a direct variation of King's Pawn Game.
Step through the moves on the interactive board below, review the live Lichess statistics, or play this position against Stockfish at one of six difficulty levels.
- ECO code
- C20
- Group
- Open Games (C)
- Plies
- 12
- Parent
- King's Pawn Game
This overview is generated automatically from the opening's metadata. Know this line well? Write a description — submissions are reviewed before publishing.
Statistics from Lichess
1,380 games · White 34.3% / Draw 4.7% / Black 60.9%
| Moves | Games | W / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Nxd4 | 1,302 | |
| Qc4 | 29 | |
| e5 | 16 | |
| Qd3 | 13 | |
| Be3 | 9 | |
| Qe3 | 3 | |
| Bg5 | 3 | |
| Qd1 | 2 |
Source: Lichess Opening Explorer · cached 2026-09-26 02:38:23
Write a description
Markdown supported (headings ###, bold, lists, links).
Submissions are reviewed before publishing.