- ECO code
- B00
- Moves
- 1.e4
- Family
- King's Pawn Game
- To move
- Black
- Master games
- 62,859
- Average game length
- 44 moves
- Years covered
- 1844–2026
King's Pawn Game is the opening filed under ECO code B00, reached after 1.e4. It belongs to the King's Pawn Game family; in the resulting position it is Black to move.
Katuranga's collection of 138,070 master games contains 62,859 games on this line — the 1st 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 25,369 games. An average game here lasts 44 moves.
White wins 37% of those games, 34% end in a draw, and Black wins 29%. That is close to the collection average (White 37%, draws 35%, Black 28%).
From this position the most popular move is 1...e5, played in 24,632 games, followed by 1...c5 (21,789) and 1...e6 (6,176). 1...e5 leads into King's Pawn Game (C20). After 1...e5 White scores 35% and Black 25%.
The name that appears most often on the White side of this line is Shirov,A (2,121 games); on the Black side, Nakamura,Hi (2,290).
24 named variations branch off this position and have their own page here, among them King's Pawn Game (C20); King's Knight Opening; Sicilian Defense.
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 37% (23,414)
- Draws 34% (21,419)
- Black 29% (18,026)
Most played continuations
| Move | Games | White / draws / Black | Leads into |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1...e5 | 24,632 | 35/40/25 | King's Pawn Game (C20) |
| 1...c5 | 21,789 | 38/32/30 | Sicilian Defense |
| 1...e6 | 6,176 | 40/32/28 | French Defense |
| 1...c6 | 5,477 | 39/30/31 | Caro-Kann Defense |
| 1...g6 | 1,323 | 35/19/46 | Modern Defense |
| 1...d6 | 1,186 | 48/25/27 | Pirc Defense |
| 1...d5 | 866 | 41/23/36 | Scandinavian Defense |
| 1...Nf6 | 772 | 44/26/30 | Alekhine Defense |
Variations from this position
- King's Pawn Game (C20) · 1...e5 · 24,632 games
- King's Knight Opening · 1...e5 2.Nf3 · 21,895 games
- Sicilian Defense · 1...c5 · 21,789 games
- King's Knight Opening: Normal Variation · 1...e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 · 19,295 games
- Sicilian Defense · 1...c5 2.Nf3 · 18,942 games
- Ruy Lopez · 1...e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 · 12,516 games
- Sicilian Defense: Modern Variations · 1...c5 2.Nf3 d6 · 9,282 games
- Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense · 1...e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 · 8,064 games
- Sicilian Defense · 1...c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 · 6,995 games
- Sicilian Defense · 1...c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 · 6,811 games
- Sicilian Defense: Modern Variations, Main Line · 1...c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 · 6,441 games
- French Defense · 1...e6 · 6,176 games
- Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense · 1...e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O · 5,861 games
- French Defense: Normal Variation · 1...e6 2.d4 · 5,579 games
- French Defense · 1...e6 2.d4 d5 · 5,533 games
- Caro-Kann Defense · 1...c6 · 5,477 games
- Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation · 1...c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 · 4,731 games
- Sicilian Defense: Old Sicilian · 1...c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 · 4,730 games
- Italian Game · 1...e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 · 4,424 games
- Sicilian Defense: French Variation · 1...c5 2.Nf3 e6 · 4,191 games
- Caro-Kann Defense · 1...c6 2.d4 · 4,145 games
- Caro-Kann Defense · 1...c6 2.d4 d5 · 4,064 games
- Ruy Lopez: Closed · 1...e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 · 3,942 games
- Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense · 1...e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 · 3,599 games
Played most often by
As White
- Shirov,A 2,121
- Vachier Lagrave,M 2,091
- Nepomniachtchi,I 1,978
As Black
- Nakamura,Hi 2,290
- Carlsen,M 1,853
- Grischuk,A 1,476
Games per decade
- 1840s 28
- 1850s 377
- 1860s 417
- 1870s 207
- 1880s 215
- 1890s 634
- 1900s 1,067
- 1910s 690
- 1920s 913
- 1930s 585
- 1940s 623
- 1950s 1,305
- 1960s 1,968
- 1970s 1,751
- 1980s 1,959
- 1990s 4,361
- 2000s 8,198
- 2010s 12,192
- 2020s 25,369
Master games on this line
| White | Black | Result | Year | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rapport,R | Ding Liren | 1-0 | 2026 | FIDE World Rapid Team |
| Martinez Alcantara,Jose Eduardo | Nakamura,Hi | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | 1st 3-0 Thu 15th Jan 2026 |
| Matyakubov,Miraziz | Erigaisi,Arjun | 1-0 | 2026 | Titled Tue 6th Jan 2026 |
| Carlsen,M | Lazavik,Denis | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | SpeedChess Final 2025 |
| Lazavik,Denis | Carlsen,M | 1-0 | 2026 | Chess.com Open Playoffs |
| Xiong,Jeffery | Caruana,F | 1-0 | 2026 | Titled Tue 12th May 2026 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the King's Pawn Game?
It is the opening with ECO code B00, reached after 1.e4. It belongs to the King's Pawn Game family.
Is the King's Pawn Game good for White or for Black?
In 62,859 master games on this line White wins 37%, 34% are drawn and Black wins 29%. The collection average is White 37%, draws 35%, Black 28% — so this line is a slightly better bargain for Black than the field as a whole.
What is the main continuation of the King's Pawn Game?
1...e5 — played in 24,632 of the master games on this line, which leads into King's Pawn Game (C20).
Which grandmasters play the King's Pawn Game?
On the White side Shirov,A (2,121), Vachier Lagrave,M (2,091), Nepomniachtchi,I (1,978); on the Black side Nakamura,Hi (2,290), Carlsen,M (1,853), Grischuk,A (1,476).
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.