8a7b6c5d4e3f2g1h

1. e4 e5 2. Bc4

Shown from White's side. ECO C23.

Opening guide · an opening for White

Bishop's Opening

The Bishop's Opening starts 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4. White develops the bishop before the king's knight, aims at f7 straight away and keeps the f pawn free to move. It often transposes to the Italian Game or the Vienna Game, and it avoids Petrov's Defense altogether.

Games in our sample
66,477
White wins
51.2%
Draws
4.1%
Black wins
44.8%
Open this position on the analysis boardResults by rating

How the Bishop's Opening scores at each rating

Each row is one rating band. The share is how much of all the games in that band started with this opening.

RatingGamesShareWhite winsDrawsBlack wins
under 10008,5783.8%51.9%4.1%44.0%
1000 to 11998,9682.8%51.7%3.9%44.4%
1200 to 139913,3582.8%52.1%3.6%44.3%
1400 to 159914,9522.5%51.0%4.0%45.0%
1600 to 179912,3151.9%50.6%4.0%45.4%
1800 to 19996,1161.2%50.0%4.9%45.2%
2000 to 21991,7250.7%48.3%5.7%45.9%
2200 and over4650.4%46.9%11.0%42.2%
All ratings66,4772.1%51.2%4.1%44.8%

Counted from 3,156,949 rated blitz, rapid and classical games played on Lichess from 2026-10-01 to 2026-10-02 (the first 5,000,000 games of the month's public file; bullet and unrated games left out). The rating is the average of the two players' Lichess ratings. Source: the Lichess open database (public domain).

Main lines

The named lines of the Bishop's Opening that were played most in our sample, each with the position it reaches.

  • 8a7b6c5d4e3f2g1h

    Berlin Defense

    1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6

    12,395 games · White 49.4% · draws 4.1% · Black 46.5%

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  • 8a7b6c5d4e3f2g1h

    Boi Variation

    1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Bc5

    8,954 games · White 52.9% · draws 4.2% · Black 42.9%

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  • 8a7b6c5d4e3f2g1h

    Vienna Hybrid

    1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. d3 Nc6 4. Nc3

    4,320 games · White 50.4% · draws 4.4% · Black 45.2%

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  • 8a7b6c5d4e3f2g1h

    Philidor Counterattack

    1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 c6

    2,344 games · White 51.0% · draws 3.5% · Black 45.5%

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  • 8a7b6c5d4e3f2g1h

    Vienna Hybrid, Spielmann Attack

    1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. d3

    1,751 games · White 52.2% · draws 4.1% · Black 43.7%

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  • 8a7b6c5d4e3f2g1h

    Ponziani Gambit

    1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. d4

    1,511 games · White 56.3% · draws 3.3% · Black 40.4%

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Ideas for White

  • Play d3 with Nf3 or Nc3 for a calm setup, or f4 for a sharper game.
  • A queen on h5 or f3 together with the bishop makes a threat against f7.

Ideas for Black

  • 2...Nf6 attacks e4 and is the most common reply.
  • Develop the king's knight early so that threats against f7 are covered.

Questions

What are the moves of the Bishop's Opening?
1. e4 e5 2. Bc4. In the ECO classification it is filed under C23.
How does the Bishop's Opening score?
In 66,477 games with it in our sample, White won 51.2%, 4.1% were drawn and Black won 44.8%.
At which ratings is the Bishop's Opening played most?
Among players rated under 1000 it is 3.8% of all games in our sample, its highest share. Its lowest share, 0.4%, is among players rated 2200 and over.
Which line of the Bishop's Opening is played most?
Bishop's Opening: Berlin Defense (1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6), with 12,395 games in our sample.

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