Center Game (2… exd4 3. Qxd4)
1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. Qxd4
The Center Game is a chess opening classified as ECO C21, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. Qxd4. Black is to move. 1 named line continues from this position.
In 12.6 million rated Lichess games (blitz and slower), this position was reached 54,103 times by this move order. White won 47%, 4% were drawn and Black won 49%. The most popular continuation is 3… Nc6 (82% of games).
Engine evaluation: −0.08 (Stockfish, depth 50; best line 3… Nc6 4. Qe3 Nf6 5. Bd2 Be7 6. Nc3)
- ECO
- C21
- Moves
- 5 plies
- FEN
rnbqkbnr/pppp1ppp/8/8/3QP3/8/PPP2PPP/RNB1KBNR b KQkq - 0 3- PGN
1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. Qxd4
Analyse with Stockfish · Board image (SVG) · Open on Lichess
Results by rating
| Average rating | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1499 | 35,448 | |
| 1500-1999 | 16,672 | |
| 2000+ | 1,983 | |
| All | 54,103 |
Most played moves
| Move | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 3… Nc6 Normal Variation | 44,257 (82%) | |
| 3… d6 | 2,774 (5%) | |
| 3… Nf6 | 2,258 (4%) | |
| 3… c5 | 1,573 (3%) | |
| 3… Qf6 | 1,150 (2%) | |
| 3… b6 | 430 (1%) | |
| 3… Qe7 | 390 (1%) | |
| 3… d5 | 229 (0%) |
Master games
73 over-the-board games are classified under this line (White 48%, draw 18%, Black 34%). The strongest:
- GM Alireza Firouzja (2767) – GM David Navara (2683) 1-0 · Titled Tue 29th Oct Early · 2024-10-29
- FM Moritz Weishaeutel (2401) – GM Chithambaram VR. Aravindh (2731) 0-1 · Titled Tue 25th Mar Early · 2025-03-25
- FM Moritz Weishaeutel (2402) – GM Dmitry Andreikin (2710) 0-1 · Titled Tue 9th Jun 2026 · 2026-06-09
- GM Li Min Peng (2526) – IM Harsh Suresh (2436) 1/2-1/2 · 36th Staufer-Open 2025 · 2026-01-03
- GM Faruk Bistric (2349) – GM Predrag Nikolic (2607) 0-1 · 47th Bosna Open 2017 · 2017-05-14
Highest-rated Lichess games
- Superstitions_Guy (2853) – Chess1Love0 (2788) 1-0 · 2026-09-07 · 180 + 0s
- Superstitions_Guy (2819) – Chess1Love0 (2788) 0-1 · 2026-09-05 · 180 + 0s
- Superstitions_Guy (2739) – kuhmft (2842) 0-1 · 2026-09-03 · 180 + 0s
Comes from
Center Game Accepted 1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4
Continuations
- Center Game: Normal Variation C22 · 1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. Qxd4 Nc6
More Center Game lines (all)
- Center Game (1… e5 2. d4) C20
- Center Game: Halasz-McDonnell Gambit C21
- Center Game: Halasz-McDonnell Gambit, Crocodile Variation C21
- Center Game: Kieseritzky Variation (2… exd4 3. Nf3) C21
- Center Game: Kieseritzky Variation (3. Nf3 c5) C21
- Center Game: Kieseritzky Variation (3… c5 4. Bc4) C21
- Center Game: Lanc-Arnold Gambit C21
- Center Game: Lanc-Arnold Gambit, Schippler Gambit C21
- Center Game: Ross Gambit C21
- Center Game: von der Lasa Gambit C21
- Center Game: Berger Variation C22
- Center Game: Charousek Variation C22
Opening names and moves from the Lichess openings dataset; statistics from the Lichess open database, 2026-09 (CC0), sample of 12.6 million games, bots excluded; evaluations from Lichess cloud analysis (all CC0). Master games from The Week in Chess #920–#1664 by Mark Crowther, used with permission.