Center Game: Halasz-McDonnell Gambit
1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. f4
The Center Game: Halasz-McDonnell Gambit is a chess opening classified as ECO C21, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. f4. It is a line of the Center Game. 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 4,626 times by this move order. White won 51%, 3% were drawn and Black won 46%. The most popular continuation is 3… Nc6 (44% of games).
Engine evaluation: −1.34 (Stockfish, depth 44; best line 3… Bc5 4. Nf3 d5 5. Nbd2 Nh6 6. Bb5+)
- ECO
- C21
- Moves
- 5 plies
- FEN
rnbqkbnr/pppp1ppp/8/8/3pPP2/8/PPP3PP/RNBQKBNR b KQkq - 0 3- PGN
1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. f4
Analyse with Stockfish · Board image (SVG) · Open on Lichess
Results by rating
| Average rating | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1499 | 1,386 | |
| 1500-1999 | 3,044 | |
| 2000+ | 196 | |
| All | 4,626 |
Most played moves
| Move | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 3… Nc6 | 2,043 (44%) | |
| 3… c5 | 578 (12%) | |
| 3… d5 | 493 (11%) | |
| 3… d6 | 394 (9%) | |
| 3… Bc5 | 387 (8%) | |
| 3… Bb4+ | 197 (4%) | |
| 3… Nf6 | 169 (4%) | |
| 3… Qh4+ | 118 (3%) |
Master games
18 over-the-board games are classified under this line (White 33%, draw 11%, Black 56%). The strongest:
- IM Artyom Zubritskiy (2468) – GM Pablo Zarnicki (2514) 0-1 · Titled Tue 9th Jan Late · 2024-01-09
- IM Timofey Iljin (2242) – GM Andrew Tang (2529) 0-1 · Titled Tue 3rd Jun Early · 2025-06-03
- Attila Lantos (2028) – GM Tamas Banusz (2595) 0-1 · TCh-HUN 2014-15 · 2014-12-14
- IM Timofey Iljin (2242) – CM David Henry Maycock Bates (2274) 1-0 · Titled Tue 20th May Early · 2025-05-20
- FM Derek Wu (2295) – FM Evgeny V. Melikhov (2172) 0-1 · Titled Tue 26th Mar Early · 2024-03-26
Search all games of the Center Game: Halasz-McDonnell Gambit and its sub-variations
Highest-rated Lichess games
- Demon_of_Draws (2522) – andrew_blr (2533) 0-1 · 2026-09-05 · 180 + 0s
- Dam0n11 (2346) – Spartanecz (2340) 0-1 · 2026-09-07 · 180 + 0s
- serg_kse777 (2319) – Minhkhoik13 (2364) 0-1 · 2026-09-04 · 180 + 2s
Comes from
Center Game Accepted 1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4
Continuations
- Center Game: Halasz-McDonnell Gambit, Crocodile Variation C21 · 1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. f4 Bc5 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. c3
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.