King's Pawn Game

Details about the move and the game plan

Popular continuations

• 1... c5, the Sicilian Defence, is in modern practice the most common continuation. The Sicilian Defence allows Black to fight for the center by preparing to meet a d2–d4 advance with...c5xd4. The Sicilian is among the sharpest and most analysed openings in chess, and it has eighty chapters, B20–B99, set aside for it in ECO.
• 1... e5 leads to the classical Open Games, which includes openings like the Ruy Lopez, King's Gambit, Italian Game, Scotch Game and Petrov's Defence. Also in this opening, Black is ready to meet a d2–d4 advance with e5xd4. These openings are covered in chapters C20–C99 in ECO.
• 1... e6 is the French Defence, covered in chapters C00–C19 in ECO. Black's restrained response allows White to play 2.d4. This gives White a spatial advantage, with two pawns in the center to Black's one. One or the other player will usually resolve the center tension, either by Black playing...dxe4 or White advancing with e5. In the latter case, Black typically works to undermine White's pawn center with...c5 and/or...f6.
• 1... c6 is the Caro–Kann Defence, covered in chapters B10–B19 in ECO. Like the French, this is also considered to be a solid reply, but Black will often need to surrender control over the center. On the other hand, the light-squared bishop will usually not wind up trapped behind its own pawns, as is common in the French.
• 1... d6 is usually played with the intention of playing the Pirc Defence, a hypermodern defence in which Black allows White to construct a dominant center, with the intention of subverting it later. It can also lead to the Modern Defence, Pribyl System or Philidor Defence.
• 1... g6 is the Modern Defence. This can lead to a related opening called the Pirc Defence. These openings allow White to build up a pawn center with 2.d4, but Black will develop the king's bishop to g7 and strike back at the center. These openings are covered in chapters B06–B09 in ECO, with the Modern Defence covered in chapter B06.
• 1... Nf6 is the Alekhine Defence, which invites White to attack the knight with 2.e5. Black is often forced to spend time moving the knight several times as it is chased around the board, all the while allowing White to build up a broad pawn center. Black counts on the pawns becoming overextended so that he can later undermine them. The Alekhine is covered in chapters B02–B05 of ECO.
• 1... d5, the Scandinavian Defence or Center Counter Defence, is a direct strike at the pawn at e4, forcing the situation in the center. After 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3, however, White gains time by attacking Black's prematurely developed queen. Alternatively, Black can play 2...Nf6, when White chooses between 3.d4 Nxd5 4.c4 with a spatial advantage, or 3.c4, when Black usually offers a gambit with either 3...c6 or 3...e6. The Scandinavian is covered in chapter B01 in ECO.

  Uncommon continuations

• 1... Nc6 is the Nimzowitsch Defence. After 2.d4, there are two distinctive main lines: 2...e5, favoured by British grandmaster Tony Miles, and 2...d5, introduced and often played by the influential Latvian-Danish player and writer Aron Nimzowitsch.
• 1... b6 is Owen's Defence, preparing to develop Black's bishop to b7 to put pressure on White's center.
• 1... a6 is the St. George Defence. Black prepares to advance on the with 2...b5, but allows White to occupy the center with 2.d4. The opening gained some attention after Miles used it to defeat Anatoly Karpov in 1980.
• 1... g5 is the Borg Defence or Basman Defence, often played by IM Michael Basman. The move weakens the severely, but according to Modern Chess Openings, Black is only somewhat worse.

  Rare continuations

• 1... h6, called the Carr Defence in Unorthodox Chess Openings. This defence has also been used by Michael Basman, and is likely to transpose to the Borg Defence after 2.d4 g5.
• 1... a5, the Corn Stalk Defence. United States chess player Preston Ware played the Corn Stalk in eleven recorded tournament games from 1880 to 1882, winning four and losing seven. Its chief fault is the very early and therefore potentially unnecessary development of a peripheral piece.
• 1... Na6, called the Lemming Defence in Unorthodox Chess Openings, develops the knight to an inferior square.
• 1... h5, the Goldsmith Defence or Pickering Defence. All this move achieves is to waste a tempo and weaken the kingside. It is the reversed version of the Kadas Opening.
• 1... f6 is known as the Barnes Defence after Thomas Wilson Barnes. This move is clearly inferior, taking away the f6-square from the knight and weakening Black's kingside, although Barnes managed to defeat Paul Morphy with this defence in 1858.
• 1... f5 is called the Duras Gambit in Unorthodox Chess Openings, and is also known as the Fred Defence. This is a pawn sacrifice which gives Black a lead in development after 2.exf5 Nf6, but without much additional compensation for the sacrificed pawn. Another move in this position is 2...Kf7, but after the move 3.Qh5+, Black has to play g6 and totally wreck his kingside. The line was played three times in an exhibition match between Ossip Bernstein and Oldřich Duras.
• 1... Nh6, the Adams Defence or Wild Bull Defence. It can transpose to the old hippo system.
• 1... b5 simply loses a pawn to 2.Bxb5.