All Chess Positions Open the map

C23Opening

Bishop's Opening

1. e4 e5 2. Bc4

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Black to move

Legal moves
29
Games in the next 4 moves
897,302
Different positions among them
295,834
Named lines from here
37

See it on the mapOn the opening map

One of the oldest openings, already found in Lucena’s book of 1497. White aims the bishop at f7 before committing the king’s knight.

It is reached after 3 moves: 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4.

Black is to move and has 29 legal moves. Over the next four moves — two for each side — the game can branch into 897,302 different games. Those games reach 295,834 different positions: most positions can be reached in more than one way, 3 on average.

The Lichess opening list names 37 further lines after this position, such as Berlin Defense (2... Nf6) and Boi Variation (2... Bc5).

No other order of these moves reaches this position: each move depends on the one before.

Map of every game of the next four moves after the Bishop's Opening
Every game of the next four moves from this position, as the map draws it. Each ring is one more move; the outer ring holds all 897,302 games.

Move by move

  1. 1. e4King's Pawn Game
  2. 1... e5King's Pawn Game
  3. 2. Bc4Bishop's Opening

Named lines from here

Famous games through this position

Scholar's MateThe classic trap, move 2Queen and bishop strike together at f7, Black's weakest square.

Related openings

FEN

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