Bishop's Opening

ECO C23-C24beginner

The Bishop's Opening, 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4, develops toward f7 before committing the king's knight — a flexible move order that avoids Petrov's Defense entirely and keeps f2-f4 options alive. Its main strength is transpositional: after 2...Nf6 3.d3 c6 4.Nf3 White reaches Italian-style positions, while 3.Nc3 can become a Vienna. Played with the modern d3 setup it is a sophisticated system; played with early f4 it becomes a delayed King's Gambit.

Train as White Train as Black Explore all variations

Main line

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Diagram shows the position after 6 half-moves of the main line. On SpeakChess you can drill this line move by move — the trainer plays the other side and corrects you instantly, then spaced repetition schedules each variation so you review it right before you would forget it.

Move by move

The first 11 moves of the main line, explained one at a time. Every move of every variation is annotated like this inside the trainer — this page shows the opening moves so you can judge the explanations before signing up.

Let's open the game by marching the pawn from e2 up to e4, landing on a light square right in the middle. Grabbing the center early is a great way to start, and it opens paths for your pieces to come out later.
Black answers by pushing their pawn from e7 to e5, planting it on a dark square in the heart of the board. Now both sides have claimed a piece of the center, and the battle for those important middle squares is on.
White moves their bishop out from its starting spot. This is a good developing move, getting a strong piece into the game and ready for action!
Black moves their knight from g8 to f6. This is a great developing move, bringing a piece out from the corner and into the game!
The pawn moves forward one step from d2 to d3. It stays safe behind its friends for now. Good move!
Black moves their pawn forward one square from c7 to c6. This is a safe move that helps them control more of the board.
White develops the knight to f3, controlling the key central squares d4 and e5 and preparing kingside castling.
Black strides the pawn from d7 to d5, settling it on a light square in the middle. With pawns now on d5 and e5, Black is fighting hard for the center and giving their pieces more room to breathe.
The bishop slides back one square, from c4 to b3. It's a safe move, getting it away from any danger.
Black moves their bishop from f8 to d6. This is a good developing move that brings a piece into the game.
White develops the knight to c3, supporting a future d2-d4 pawn break to challenge Black's center.

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Win rates by rating

Results from real online games, measured after the line shown in each row. Most opening sites show one aggregate number — how an opening scores depends heavily on who is playing it.

Rating	Games	White wins	Draws	Black wins	Position after
400-600	237	50.2%	6.8%	43%	1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.d3
600-800	253	49.4%	6.3%	44.3%	1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.d3 c6 4.Nf3 d5 5.Bb3
800-1000	25	52%	4%	44%	1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.d3 c6 4.Nf3 d5 5.Bb3 Bd6 6.Nc3
1000-1200	80	57.5%	3.7%	38.7%	1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.d3 c6 4.Nf3 d5 5.Bb3
1200-1400	28	50%	0%	50%	1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.d3 c6 4.Nf3 d5 5.Bb3 Bd6 6.Nc3
1400-1600	29	62.1%	0%	37.9%	1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.d3 c6 4.Nf3 d5 5.Bb3 Bd6 6.Nc3
1600-1800	82	52.4%	4.9%	42.7%	1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.d3 c6 4.Nf3 d5 5.Bb3
1800-2000	44	47.7%	4.5%	47.7%	1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.d3 c6 4.Nf3 d5 5.Bb3 Bd6
2000-2200	39	69.2%	0%	30.8%	1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.d3 c6 4.Nf3 d5 5.Bb3 Bd6 6.Nc3
2200-2400	61	67.2%	6.6%	26.2%	1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.d3 c6 4.Nf3 d5 5.Bb3 Bd6 6.Nc3

Most played continuations (600-800 rating)

After 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.d3 c6 4.Nf3 d5 5.Bb3:

dxe4 — played 37.9% of the time (White wins 53.1%, draws 7.3%, Black wins 39.6%)
d4 — played 9.9% of the time (White wins 48%, draws 12%, Black wins 40%)
Bg4 — played 8.7% of the time (White wins 59.1%, draws 4.5%, Black wins 36.4%)

Frequently asked questions

Why play 2.Bc4 instead of 2.Nf3?

Two practical reasons: it dodges the Petrov (after 2.Nf3 Nf6) and preserves the option of f4 without gambiting. The cost is allowing 2...Nf6 hitting e4 immediately, which is why 3.d3 is the modern backbone of the system.

Should Black fear the early attack on f7?

No — calm development defuses it: 2...Nf6 3.d3 c6 preparing ...d5 is the cleanest equalizer, gaining the center while the c4 bishop bites on granite. The pitfalls only appear if Black ignores development and grabs material early.