The King's Knight Opening is 1. 2.: your knight comes out hitting the pawn on e5, and your opponent has to defend it or counter against your pawn on e4. In 175,102 Lichess games rated 900 to 1700 (data from September 2026) you score 52.7%. Players rated over 2200 online score 57 out of 100 with it.
Lichess games from September 2026 (30,577,162 rated 900 to 1700) and 31,791 over-the-board games rated 2300+ from the last 12 months. Data updated: October 14, 2026.
3 named lines in this family; 1 with their own page.
The opening's share in each Lichess rating band.
After 2., 64 out of 100 opponents at your level defend e5 with ; 15 hold it with a pawn, , and 9 hit back at e4 with . Among strong players, reaches 81 out of 100. The real gap comes on your next move: at your level 42 out of 100 play 3. and 18 play 3., while strong players pick 3. most often, 46 out of 100. With 3., chosen by 20 out of 100 at your level, you score 55, your best result among the common replies. With 3. you drop to 51.
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 64.2% | 52.8% | 81.0% | 85.4% | |
| 15.4% | 52.6% | 4.2% | 1.5% | |
| 9.3% | 52.8% | 10.8% | 13.1% | |
| 3.2% | 53.1% | no data | no data | |
| 2.3% | 51.9% | no data | no data | |
| 1.9% | 50.9% | 2.1% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 1.1% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 0.3% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 42.1% | 52.4% | 29.0% | 32.6% | |
| 20.1% | 55.2% | 13.9% | 6.8% | |
| 18.1% | 53.3% | 45.8% | 50.4% | |
| 12.2% | 50.8% | 9.0% | 9.1% | |
| 3.8% | 52.5% | 1.3% | no data | |
| 1.3% | 48.3% | 0.3% | no data | |
| no data | no data | no data | 0.8% | |
| no data | no data | no data | 0.2% |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24.6% | 53.2% | no data | no data | |
| 20.7% | 54.0% | 28.1% | 22.1% | |
| 18.0% | 53.8% | 54.8% | 72.1% | |
| 11.7% | 51.9% | 3.7% | 1.2% | |
| 6.6% | 52.2% | 4.3% | 1.3% | |
| 6.1% | 51.7% | 1.4% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 4.8% | 1.2% | |
| no data | no data | no data | 1.2% |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 52.3% | 52.8% | 13.7% | 2.6% | |
| 44.9% | 55.5% | 86.2% | 97.4% | |
| 2.2% | 49.8% | 0.0% | no data | |
| 0.2% | 27.1% | 0.0% | no data | |
| 0.1% | 53.0% | no data | no data | |
| 0.1% | 31.7% | no data | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 46.0% | 57.0% | 5.4% | 1.7% | |
| 33.8% | 53.9% | 79.8% | 81.1% | |
| 7.7% | 55.2% | 6.3% | 8.5% | |
| 7.5% | 53.7% | 3.4% | 3.3% | |
| 0.8% | 53.2% | no data | no data | |
| 0.6% | 49.0% | no data | no data | |
| no data | no data | 1.7% | 3.1% | |
| no data | no data | 1.5% | 1.2% |
The strong players' line is 3. 4. 5. 6.. The whole sequence is about two pawns: you press on e5, and your opponent presses on your pawn on e4. By the end your king is castled, your rook guards e4, and your bishop is still aimed at the knight that defends e5.
, played by 81 out of 100 strong players, defends e5 with a piece that also develops. 3. doesn't attack e5. It attacks the defender. There's no threat yet: if you take on c6 and then on e5, the queen jumps to d4, hits your knight and your e4 pawn at once, and wins the pawn back. So you keep the pressure on c6 instead of cashing it in.
, played by 56 out of 100 strong players, puts the question to the bishop. 4., the choice of 87 out of 100, steps back without leaving the diagonal: from a4 it still hits the knight on c6. At your level, after , 52 out of 100 trade with 4.. You score 53 with that trade and 56 with 4..
brings out the other knight and attacks your pawn on e4. 5., played by 72 out of 100 strong players, doesn't defend it: it tucks your king away and leaves e4 hanging for one move. doesn't grab it; it develops the bishop and clears the way to castle short. 6., the choice of 78 out of 100, puts the rook on the e-file and guards e4.
With e4 covered, the idea behind 3. becomes real. If you now take on c6 and then on e5, the queen on d4 wins nothing back, because your rook protects e4. Your opponent has to deal with e5 again.
At your level this line breaks off early. After 4., only 34 out of 100 opponents play , against 80 out of 100 strong players. The most common move is , at 46 out of 100: the pawn hits the bishop again, it drops back to b3, and from there it eyes f7. Against you score 57 out of 100. The evaluation after 2. is 0.20 pawns in your favor.
| Move | Strong games | Chosen by |
|---|---|---|
| 132,799 | 81.2% | |
| 109,538 | 46.0% | |
| 50,326 | 55.5% | |
| 27,924 | 86.8% | |
| 24,229 | 79.9% | |
| 19,333 | 72.2% | |
| 13,995 | 53.7% | |
| 7,697 | 78.3% |
After 3. , 4. is a mistake. The knight hits f7 and h7, both covered, and you still haven't won back the pawn on d4. After , 5. sends it back to f3: two moves gone. 13 out of 100 play it. At your level it goes unpunished: you score 55 with it and 54 with 4..
13 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1.8 pawns of advantage. It scores 54.7%; scores 54.0%.
After , the pawn on e5 has no defender. 3. misses 3., which simply takes it. After the knight covers e5 and the game goes on quietly with 4.. 41 out of 100 play it. You score 53 with it and 55 with 3., a small gap at your level.
41 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1.7 pawns of advantage. It scores 52.6%; scores 54.8%.
After , 3. is an inaccuracy, not a serious mistake. It leaves your e4 pawn undefended: takes it, and after 4. that pawn hits your bishop and supports the knight, and the bishop backs off with 5.. 19 out of 100 play it. It goes unpunished: you score 53 with it and 52.5 with 3..
19 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.9 pawns of advantage. It scores 53.0%; scores 52.5%.
This is a trap. After 3. , 4. hits f7 with knight and bishop, but the knight has no defender. The queen takes it with and also hits your pawn on g2. 2 out of 100 play it, and it does get punished: you score 34 out of 100 with it and 54 with 4..
2 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 7.1 pawns of advantage. It scores 33.8%; scores 54.1%.
This position is in the free course: If Black develops the bishop to c5.
After , 3. is a mistake: 3. could take the undefended e5 pawn. After 4. , 5. attacks the bishop, but grabs your pawn, and after 6. the knight on e4 takes back the piece. 15 out of 100 play it. You score 53 with it and 55 with 3.: at your level it often goes unpunished.
14 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1.9 pawns of advantage. It scores 53.3%; scores 54.8%.
After , 3. gives time for , which defends e5 with a pawn. After 4. 5. , 6. wins the pawn, but the knight on f6 hits your e4 pawn, which has no guard. 13 out of 100 play it. You score 53 with it and 55 with 3.: at your level it often goes unpunished.
13 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1.5 pawns of advantage. It scores 53.0%; scores 54.8%.
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 70,176 | ||
| Not castled | Not castled | 28,690 |
| Not castled | 24,121 | |
| 15,426 | ||
| Not castled | 15,413 | |
| 9,805 |
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 34 | ||
| Not castled | Not castled | 2 |
| 2 |
1. 2. · 95,744 amateur games · 2 over the board
In games that stay under this name after , you score 47 out of 100.
1. 2. 3. · 13,571 amateur games · 34 over the board
3. after frees g2 for your bishop on f1; with it you score 49 out of 100.