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Bishop's Opening C23

C — Open games & French · Family: Bishop's Opening

1. e4 e5 2. Bc4

🎓 Train this family

The Bishop's Opening (1.e4 e5 2.Bc4) attacks f7 from move two while keeping every option open: depending on Black's reply it can transpose into the Italian Game, the Vienna Game or the King's Gambit. That chameleon quality has kept it in repertoires from the romantic era to modern grandmaster practice.

Against 2...Nf6 White can play 3.d4 (the Ursel Gambit when Black takes) or quiet 3.d3 setups; against 2...Bc5 the moves 3.c3 and 3.Nc3 lead to rich Italian-Vienna hybrids; and Black's tricky 2...Qg5 counterattack needs one precise reply (3.Nf3), after which White is simply better. Typical plans: quick d4 and Nc3 development, f4-levers and piece pressure along the a2–g8 diagonal.

Play through the moves on the board above, explore the variations tree below — click any move of any branch — then test yourself against the engine from the position you picked.

• Position after 3 half-moves — Black to move.
• Material is balanced.
• Family “Bishop's Opening” contains 41 recorded variation(s) here.

Variations tree of the Bishop's Opening family

Click any move to jump to that position; switch branches at any point with the alternative moves. Test your knowledge plays the shown position against the engine.

Variations of this family

Related openings

Nearby ECO codes in the C — Open games & French volume — compare the move orders:

• King's Pawn Game (C20)
• French Defense (C00)