Chess opening · ECO C23
Bishop's Opening
1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 is the Bishop's Opening. White develops the light-squared bishop first, onto the a2-g8 diagonal toward the f7 pawn, and holds back the king's knight. That keeps the f-pawn free to advance and leaves White many ways to steer the game. Black can hit the e4 pawn at once, since no white piece defends it yet.
- Rank by weighted share
- #17 of 159
Key moves
1. e4 e5 2. Bc4
- 2. Bc4The bishop lands on c4 and immediately bears on f7, which only the black king defends. Leaving the g1 knight at home means nothing stands in front of the f-pawn, so ideas with f4 stay available for later.
Why the knight stays on g1
In many 1.e4 e5 openings White plays Nf3 on move two, which attacks e5 but blocks the f-pawn. By delaying it, White can later choose f4 and a King's Gambit style attack with the bishop already on c4, or play d3, Nf3 and c3 for a slow Italian-type game.
Three replies for Black
2...Nf6 counterattacks e4 at once and is the Berlin Defense, the child page of this one. 2...Nc6 develops and often turns into the Italian Game after 3.Nf3.
2...Bc5 copies White's move. Black's bishop then sits on the c5-f2 diagonal, aiming at White's f2 pawn the same way White's bishop aims at f7.
Top replies by rating
Nf6 tops every band, and its share jumps at 2000 and up. Bc5 climbs into the top three from 1600, replacing d6.
Questions
Does 2.Bc4 set up Scholar's Mate?
Only if White's queen joins the bishop against f7, for example from h5 or f3. A black knight on f6 covers h5 and blocks the f-file, so in most games the opening is about development and move-order choices rather than a quick mate.
Which openings can it turn into?
With Nc3 it can become a Vienna Game, with Nf3 against ...Nc6 an Italian Game or a Two Knights Defense, and with f4 a King's Gambit position. Knowing those families helps more than memorizing the Bishop's Opening alone.
Related openings
Try it on the board. The first coached game and three analyses are free.