Center Game: Complete Guide

An immediate central clash — White answers 1...e5 with 2.d4, trading pawns in the middle and often bringing the queen out early at the cost of a tempo. Drill every main line against an adaptive engine, backed by real Lichess win rates and Stockfish evaluations.

29 variations 170,466,193 total games Avg Stockfish +0.07

Play the main line: Center Game

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All 29 variations of the Center Game

Gambits Center Game ECO C20 49M games Openings & Plans Center Game: Kieseritzky Variation: Nc6 ECO C21 32M games Gambits Center Game: d6 ECO C20 24M games Gambits Center Game: exd4 ECO C20 14M games Openings & Plans Center Game: Normal Variation ECO C22 12M games Openings & Plans Center Game: Kieseritzky Variation: d6 ECO C21 9M games Gambits Center Game: von der Lasa Gambit: Nc6 ECO C21 8M games Openings & Plans Center Game: Kieseritzky Variation ECO C21 4M games Openings & Plans Center Game: Normal Variation: Qd1 ECO C22 1M games Openings & Plans Center Game: Kieseritzky Variation: Bc5 ECO C21 1M games Gambits Center Game: f6 ECO C20 1M games Openings & Plans Center Game: Normal Variation: Qe3 ECO C22 1M games Gambits Center Game: Nc6 ECO C20 1M games Gambits Center Game: von der Lasa Gambit ECO C21 1M games Gambits Center Game: Nf6 ECO C20 824K games Openings & Plans Center Game: Kieseritzky Variation: Nf6 ECO C21 621K games Gambits Center Game: Halasz-McDonnell Gambit ECO C21 581K games Gambits Center Game: von der Lasa Gambit: c5 ECO C21 525K games Openings & Plans Center Game: Kieseritzky Variation: c5 ECO C21 525K games Openings & Plans Center Game: Normal Variation: Qa4 ECO C22 500K games Openings & Plans Center Game: Normal Variation: Qd5 ECO C22 338K games Gambits Center Game: von der Lasa Gambit: Bc5 ECO C21 269K games Openings & Plans Center Game: Normal Variation: Qc4 ECO C22 244K games Gambits Center Game: von der Lasa Gambit: d6 ECO C21 222K games Gambits Center Game: von der Lasa Gambit: Nf6 ECO C21 221K games Gambits Center Game: d5 ECO C20 217K games Gambits Center Game: Ross Gambit ECO C21 156K games Openings & Plans Center Game: Kieseritzky Variation: d5 ECO C21 74K games Openings & Plans Center Game: Normal Variation: Qd3 ECO C22 2K games

Frequently asked questions about the Center Game

What is the center in chess?

The Center is a chess opening family with 29 variations covered on Chessy. Over 170 million Lichess games have reached these positions across all rating levels.