The e Pawn vs. the d Pawn

The player with the White pieces makes the first move in chess. Therefore, they are tasked with making the first decision about the character of the battle to follow, and often the King's Pawn Opening is the choice!

The two most popular first moves for White at all levels are 1. e4 (the King’s Pawn Opening) and 1. d4 (the Queen’s Pawn Opening). Both moves look to control the center and prepare to develop the pieces off their starting squares.

For someone new to chess, these two opening moves may even seem rather indistinguishable!

But as any experienced chess player knows - the choice between starting with the king’s pawn or the queen’s pawn matters a great deal. The types of games that stem from advancing the e pawn are very different to those you get when you push the d pawn!

In this article, we will cover the King’s Pawn Opening and the main replies by Black.

This article is for you if you are:

Graphic with image of King's pawn opening on a chess board

Overall Characteristics Of The King’s Pawn Opening

It is widely accepted that 1. e4 tends to lead to more attacking chess than the main alternative first moves White can play.

To illustrate why this may be, let’s compare the King’s Pawn Opening with the Queen’s Pawn Opening.

Advancing the e-pawn on move one opens two diagonals for White’s pieces to develop. After 1. e4, the queen and the light-squared bishop are both free to move.

The kings pawn opening opens up lines for the bishop and queen

On the other hand, advancing the d-pawn opens just one diagonal - for the dark-squared bishop.

The Queens Pawn opening only allows the bishop to come into play

Looking at this, it may appear that the King’s Pawn Opening is simply better! 

However, the Queen’s Pawn Opening has a different advantage. Namely: the queen naturally defends the pawn on d4. The same is not true for the pawn on e4 in the King’s Pawn Opening - it is undefended for the time being. In several opening variations stemming from 1. e4, White’s central pawn can even become a target for Black to attack.

To be adept at playing the King’s Pawn Opening, more precise opening knowledge is necessary. Whether you consider that a good thing or not is a matter of taste. Some chess players enjoy opening study and see it as a way of gaining a competitive edge. Others dislike opening study, finding it tedious and time-consuming.

To put it plainly - if you do not have much appetite for opening study, then the King’s Pawn Opening probably isn’t for you. But if you are prepared to put in the work, you will be rewarded with exciting, interesting games every time you sit down at the board with the White pieces.

With that background behind us, let’s dive into the four main replies Black can play. You must become well-versed in these if you are going to play the King’s Pawn Opening skillfully.

Sicilian Defense (1. …c5)

The Sicilian Defense is Black’s most popular response to 1. e4. One idea of this move is to exert influence over the center of the board via the c-pawn’s attack on the d4 square. If White plays an early d4, Black will almost always capture cxd4 and prevent White from having the ideal d4 + e4 center.

Sicilian defense response to the King's pawn opening.

Sicilian players tend to be aggressive and to have studied a lot of opening theory. For this reason, many players with the White pieces prefer to adopt one of the many so-called “Anti-Sicilian” systems, which avoid the most theoretically-challenging lines. Others are happy to take on Black at their own game and play the sharpest lines - in which case the game can get extremely wild very early-on.

An aversion to facing the Sicilian is enough of a reason for many players to turn away from playing the King’s Pawn Opening entirely. But if you love spicy chess, then facing the Sicilian will be a great challenge!

Symmetrical King’s Pawn Opening Game (1. …e5)

The second-most played reply to the King’s Pawn Opening is for Black to occupy the center with a pawn of their own - locking up the center and gaining the same development advantages as White.

Symmetrical King’s Pawn Opening response

Games which start with this move tend not to be as sharp as the Sicilian Defense. At master level, the percentage of games which finish as draws is higher with this choice - reflecting the fact it’s a more balanced reply than the asymmetrical Sicilian Defense.

There are several distinct opening systems within the Symmetrical King’s Pawn Game. After 1. e4 e5, 2. Nf3, Black can play:

  • The Main Line with 2. …Nc6
  • Petrov’s Defense with 2. …Nf6
  • Philidor’s Defense with 2. …d6

All of these lines require independent study from the prospective King’s Pawn Opening player.

French Defense (1. … e6)

It may seem odd to move forward just one square with the e pawn when Black has the option of advancing two squares - but there is a deeper idea to this opening. Black intends to thrust ahead with 2. …d5 next, with the d pawn defended.

The French Defense response to the King's pawn opening.

The French is a counter-attacking opening. Black’s fortunes usually rest on playing on the queenside, while White’s chances often revolve around attacking Black’s king - especially if Black decides to castle kingside. In particular, the French Defense is one of the openings where the Greek Gift Sacrifice can be highly effective.

The perennial problem that Black often faces in the French Defense is their bad light-squared bishop, which is often blocked in by the Black pawn on e6. If White can keep this bishop behind its own pawn chain, Black’s life will be uncomfortable deep into the middlegame.

Caro-Kann (1. …c6)

Like in the French Defense, Black is going to play 2. …d5 as their follow-up, with a pawn in support. By supporting with the c-pawn rather than the e-pawn, Black hopes to achieve a solid setup just like in the French, but without the bad bishop.

The Caro-Kann opening in response.

The downside (from Black’s point of view) is they often want to play c5 later, and by playing first c6 and then c5, they have spent two moves on this pawn break rather than one move. This loss of tempo can be used by White to gain a development advantage.

There are many ways for White to play against the Caro-Kann. However most of the games tend to require patience and building the position slowly. If playing against someone of a similar level to yourself, expect the games to last the distance.

Other King Pawn Opening Replies By Black

Statistically speaking, the above four opening systems should account for over 80% of the games you can expect to get if you decide to play the King’s Pawn Opening. Therefore, they should also absorb the bulk of your attention when it comes to opening preparation.

There are of course other ways Black can play. They are less common than the aforementioned “big four”, but that doesn’t mean the King’s Pawn Opening player shouldn’t be prepared to face them. In brief:

  • Scandinavian Defense (1. …d5) - Black attacks White’s central pawn directly. After White captures exd5, Black often recaptures immediately with the queen, which White can harass with tempo, usually starting with Nc3.
  • Alekhine’s Defense (1. … Nf6) - with this provocative move, Black invites White to push ahead with 2. e5, gaining extra space and forcing Black’s knight to move away. Black’s idea is to later undermine the center that White builds.
  • Pirc Defense (1. …d6) - Black allows White to gain the center, and will usually fianchetto their dark-squared bishop with a g6 + Bg7 setup. Black will often try to engineer the c5 pawn break at some point.

These openings are less common for a reason: objectively, they are not as good. Study the main ideas of these fringe openings, but concentrate your effort on the openings that you will face most regularly.

The Best Chess Opening For You?

Your choice in opening should reflect the style of game you prefer. 

The King’s Pawn Game is a great choice if:

  • You like fighting, dynamic chess.
  • You enjoy (or can tolerate) a high amount of opening preparation.
  • You prefer tactics to slow, subtle maneuvering.

The former world chess champion Bobby Fischer famously called the King’s Pawn Opening “best by test” - but that was him, and you might have a very different style to his. The fact that the King’s Pawn Opening and the Queen’s Pawn Opening are both played frequently at the top level shows that both are fine choices to start the game.

The key is to experiment. Before investing a lot of time into opening study, give the King’s Pawn Opening a try and get a feel for the types of games it leads to. 

If you like what you see, and you decide to make it your main choice for starting the game with the White pieces, then get to work on studying your openings!