Center Game: Berger Variation
1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. Qxd4 Nc6 4. Qe3 Nf6
The Center Game: Berger Variation is a chess opening classified as ECO C22, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. Qxd4 Nc6 4. Qe3 Nf6. It is a line of the Center Game. White is to move. 1 named line continues from this position.
In 12.6 million rated Lichess games (blitz and slower), this position was reached 5,509 times by this move order. White won 49%, 4% were drawn and Black won 47%. The most popular continuation is 5. Nc3 (40% of games).
Engine evaluation: 0.00 (Stockfish, depth 60; best line 5. Bd2 Be7 6. Nc3 d5 7. Nxd5 Nxd5)
- ECO
- C22
- Moves
- 8 plies
- FEN
r1bqkb1r/pppp1ppp/2n2n2/8/4P3/4Q3/PPP2PPP/RNB1KBNR w KQkq - 3 5- PGN
1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. Qxd4 Nc6 4. Qe3 Nf6
Analyse with Stockfish · Board image (SVG) · Open on Lichess
Results by rating
| Average rating | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1499 | 3,226 | |
| 1500-1999 | 1,552 | |
| 2000+ | 731 | |
| All | 5,509 |
Most played moves
| Move | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 5. Nc3 | 2,218 (40%) | |
| 5. e5 | 883 (16%) | |
| 5. Bb5 | 427 (8%) | |
| 5. Nf3 | 322 (6%) | |
| 5. Bd2 | 319 (6%) | |
| 5. Bd3 | 258 (5%) | |
| 5. f3 | 232 (4%) | |
| 5. h3 | 214 (4%) |
Master games
1,286 over-the-board games are classified under this line (White 41%, draw 14%, Black 45%). The strongest:
- Stoofvlees II a14 (3730) – rofChade 2.303 (3661) 1/2-1/2 · TCEC 18 Premier 2020 · 2020-06-05
- rofChade 2.303 (3661) – Stoofvlees II a14 (3730) 1/2-1/2 · TCEC 18 Premier 2020 · 2020-06-02
- GM Ian Nepomniachtchi (2776) – GM Liren Ding (2811) 1-0 · chess.com Speed 2019 · 2019-11-18
- GM Levon Aronian (2782) – GM Liren Ding (2799) 0-1 · chess.com Speed 2021 · 2021-12-06
- GM Ian Nepomniachtchi (2770) – GM Fabiano Caruana (2796) 0-1 · SuperUnited CRO Blitz 2024 · 2024-07-14
Search all games of the Center Game: Berger Variation and its sub-variations
Highest-rated Lichess games
- IM AlexTriapishko (2823) – alexlele2008 (2630) 0-1 · 2026-09-02 · 180 + 0s
- Kingkennytv (2657) – HighQualityO (2676) 0-1 · 2026-09-06 · 180 + 0s
- Kingkennytv (2656) – whopper211 (2670) 1-0 · 2026-09-02 · 180 + 0s
Comes from
Center Game: Paulsen Attack Variation 1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. Qxd4 Nc6 4. Qe3
Continuations
- Center Game: Kupreichik Variation C22 · 1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. Qxd4 Nc6 4. Qe3 Nf6 5. Nc3 Bb4 6. Bd2 O-O 7. O-O-O Re8 8. Bc4 d6 9. Nh3
More Center Game lines (all)
- Center Game (1… e5 2. d4) C20
- Center Game (2… exd4 3. Qxd4) C21
- 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: 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.