Center Game: Halasz-McDonnell Gambit, Crocodile Variation
1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. f4 Bc5 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. c3
The Center Game: Halasz-McDonnell Gambit, Crocodile Variation is a chess opening classified as ECO C21, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. f4 Bc5 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. c3. It is a line of the Center Game. Black is to move.
This exact move order didn't appear in our sample of 12.6 million Lichess games: it's a rare line.
Engine evaluation: −1.12 (Stockfish, depth 29; best line 5… d5 6. e5 Bg4 7. Nbd2 Nge7 8. Nb3)
- ECO
- C21
- Moves
- 9 plies
- FEN
r1bqk1nr/pppp1ppp/2n5/2b5/3pPP2/2P2N2/PP4PP/RNBQKB1R b KQkq - 0 5- PGN
1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. f4 Bc5 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. c3
Analyse with Stockfish · Board image (SVG) · Open on Lichess
Comes from
Center Game: Halasz-McDonnell Gambit 1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. f4
More Center Game lines (all)
- Center Game (1… e5 2. d4) C20
- Center Game (2… exd4 3. Qxd4) 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
- Center Game: Hall 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.