- ECO code
- C20
- Moves
- 1.e4 e5
- Family
- King's Pawn Game
- To move
- White
- Master games
- 24,632
- Average game length
- 44 moves
- Years covered
- 1844–2026
King's Pawn Game is the opening filed under ECO code C20, reached after 1.e4 e5. It belongs to the King's Pawn Game family; in the resulting position it is White to move.
Katuranga's collection of 138,070 master games contains 24,632 games on this line — the 4th most played opening in the collection. The oldest game on this line is from 1844 and the most recent from 2026. The busiest decade in this collection is the 2020s, with 9,570 games. An average game here lasts 44 moves.
White wins 35% of those games, 40% end in a draw, and Black wins 25%. Compared with the collection average (White 37%, draws 35%, Black 28%), Black scores worse here by 3 percentage points. Draws are more common here than usual, by 5 points.
From this position the most popular move is 2.Nf3, played in 21,895 games, followed by 2.f4 (917) and 2.Nc3 (856). 2.Nf3 leads into King's Knight Opening. After 2.Nf3 White scores 34% and Black 24%.
The name that appears most often on the White side of this line is Vachier Lagrave,M (1,054 games); on the Black side, Nakamura,Hi (882).
24 named variations branch off this position and have their own page here, among them King's Knight Opening; King's Knight Opening: Normal Variation; Ruy Lopez.
Reading about an opening is not the same as knowing it. Play this line against the Katuranga bot, then let the engine mark your brilliant moves, mistakes and blunders in Analysis — the fastest way to find out which of these moves you actually understand.
Results in master games
- White 35% (8,696)
- Draws 40% (9,808)
- Black 25% (6,128)
Most played continuations
| Move | Games | White / draws / Black | Leads into |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.Nf3 | 21,895 | 34/42/24 | King's Knight Opening |
| 2.f4 | 917 | 50/18/32 | King's Gambit |
| 2.Nc3 | 856 | 43/29/28 | Vienna Game |
| 2.Bc4 | 652 | 46/29/25 | Bishop's Opening |
| 2.d4 | 202 | 47/17/36 | — |
| 2.d3 | 73 | 59/15/26 | — |
| 2.Ne2 | 10 | 30/40/30 | — |
| 2.Qh5 | 9 | 11/33/56 | — |
Variations from this position
- King's Knight Opening · 2.Nf3 · 21,895 games
- King's Knight Opening: Normal Variation · 2.Nf3 Nc6 · 19,295 games
- Ruy Lopez · 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 · 12,516 games
- Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense · 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 · 8,064 games
- Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense · 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O · 5,861 games
- Italian Game · 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 · 4,424 games
- Ruy Lopez: Closed · 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 · 3,942 games
- Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense · 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 · 3,599 games
- Ruy Lopez: Closed · 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 · 2,916 games
- Italian Game: Giuoco Piano · 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 · 2,675 games
- Petrov's Defense · 2.Nf3 Nf6 · 2,341 games
- Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense · 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.O-O · 1,850 games
- Petrov's Defense · 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 · 1,694 games
- Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Rio Gambit Accepted · 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.O-O Nxe4 · 1,680 games
- Italian Game: Two Knights Defense · 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 · 1,656 games
- Petrov's Defense · 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 · 1,655 games
- Petrov's Defense · 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 · 1,578 games
- Petrov's Defense · 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 · 1,578 games
- Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Anti-Berlin Variation · 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.d3 · 1,575 games
- Ruy Lopez: Closed · 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 O-O · 1,424 games
- Ruy Lopez: Closed · 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 O-O · 1,368 games
- Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Modern Bishop's Opening · 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.d3 · 1,354 games
- Ruy Lopez: Closed · 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 O-O 9.h3 · 1,234 games
- Three Knights Opening · 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 · 1,180 games
How the position is reached
- King's Pawn Game · 1.e4 · 62,859 games
Played most often by
As White
- Vachier Lagrave,M 1,054
- Nepomniachtchi,I 818
- Caruana,F 803
As Black
- Nakamura,Hi 882
- Aronian,L 850
- So,W 703
Games per decade
- 1840s 23
- 1850s 326
- 1860s 369
- 1870s 164
- 1880s 170
- 1890s 501
- 1900s 829
- 1910s 518
- 1920s 501
- 1930s 271
- 1940s 310
- 1950s 452
- 1960s 634
- 1970s 492
- 1980s 643
- 1990s 1,106
- 2000s 2,670
- 2010s 5,083
- 2020s 9,570
Master games on this line
| White | Black | Result | Year | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rapport,R | Ding Liren | 1-0 | 2026 | FIDE World Rapid Team |
| Matyakubov,Miraziz | Erigaisi,Arjun | 1-0 | 2026 | Titled Tue 6th Jan 2026 |
| So,W | Gukesh,D | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | 14th Norway Chess 2026 |
| Abdusattorov,Nodirbek | Keymer,Vincent | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | Titled Tue 10th Feb 2026 |
| Dominguez Perez,L | Wei Yi | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | FIDE World Rapid Team |
| Anand,V | Petrov,N | 1-0 | 2026 | FIDE World Rapid Team |
Frequently asked questions
What is the King's Pawn Game?
It is the opening with ECO code C20, reached after 1.e4 e5. It belongs to the King's Pawn Game family.
Is the King's Pawn Game good for White or for Black?
In 24,632 master games on this line White wins 35%, 40% are drawn and Black wins 25%. The collection average is White 37%, draws 35%, Black 28% — so this line is no worse than usual for White than the field as a whole.
What is the main continuation of the King's Pawn Game?
2.Nf3 — played in 21,895 of the master games on this line, which leads into King's Knight Opening.
Which grandmasters play the King's Pawn Game?
On the White side Vachier Lagrave,M (1,054), Nepomniachtchi,I (818), Caruana,F (803); on the Black side Nakamura,Hi (882), Aronian,L (850), So,W (703).
Every number on this page is computed from Katuranga's master game collection; names and ECO codes follow the lichess opening book (CC0).
Try this line on the board
Play this opening against the Katuranga bot, then review the game — the engine marks every brilliant move, mistake and blunder.