Chess lessons › Chess openings
The Bishop’s Opening
Play 2.Bc4 first and choose the knight and f-pawn moves later: to the Italian, the Vienna or a gambit.
The idea
The bishop goes out first, and the knight and f-pawn wait.
- The bishop goes straight to c4, where it aims at f7.
- Nf3 later can lead to an Italian Game.
- Nc3 can lead to a Vienna Game, and f4 to a King’s Gambit.
In a game: Play the bishop first when you want to keep the choice of Nf3, Nc3 or f4.
How the lesson begins
1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 is the Bishop’s Opening. The bishop goes straight to c4, where it aims at f7, and White waits to decide where the knight on g1 and the f-pawn belong.
That makes it a flexible move order: with the right moves later, the game can turn into an Italian Game, a Vienna Game or even a King’s Gambit. Among players rated 1200 to 1599 on Lichess, 2.Bc4 is chosen in 12% of games after 1.e4 e5.
Find the move
Black to move. Develop a knight with an attack on a white pawn.
A hint
Which pawn of White’s has no defender?
Show the answer
2... Nf6
2...Nf6, the Berlin Defence, attacks the pawn on e4 at once. Among players rated 2000 and above it is Black’s most played reply. The engine rates 2...Nc6 and 2...Bc5 nearly as highly.
In numbers
How often it is played
| Rating | Value |
|---|---|
| Under 800 | 52 |
| 800 to 1199 | 30 |
| 1200 to 1599 | 27 |
| 1600 to 1999 | 15 |
| 2000 and up | 4.3 |
How the games ended
White won 51%, 4% were drawn and Black won 46%, over 38,825 games that start this way, in a sample of rated Lichess games from 2026.