Center Game: Kieseritzky Variation (2… exd4 3. Nf3)
1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. Nf3
The Center Game: Kieseritzky Variation is a chess opening classified as ECO C21, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. Nf3. It is a line of the Center Game. Black is to move. 2 named lines continue from this position.
In 12.6 million rated Lichess games (blitz and slower), this position was reached 25,193 times by this move order. White won 53%, 3% were drawn and Black won 44%. The most popular continuation is 3… Nc6 (51% of games).
Engine evaluation: −0.10 (Stockfish, depth 55; best line 3… Bb4+ 4. Nbd2 Nc6 5. Bd3 Nf6 6. e5)
- ECO
- C21
- Moves
- 5 plies
- FEN
rnbqkbnr/pppp1ppp/8/8/3pP3/5N2/PPP2PPP/RNBQKB1R b KQkq - 1 3- PGN
1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. Nf3
Analyse with Stockfish · Board image (SVG) · Open on Lichess
Results by rating
| Average rating | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1499 | 10,179 | |
| 1500-1999 | 12,669 | |
| 2000+ | 2,345 | |
| All | 25,193 |
Most played moves
| Move | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 3… Nc6 | 12,946 (51%) | |
| 3… c5 Kieseritzky Variation (3. Nf3 c5) | 4,520 (18%) | |
| 3… d6 | 1,600 (6%) | |
| 3… Bc5 | 1,562 (6%) | |
| 3… d5 | 1,359 (5%) | |
| 3… Nf6 | 1,287 (5%) | |
| 3… Bb4+ | 658 (3%) | |
| 3… d3 | 406 (2%) |
Master games
822 over-the-board games are classified under this line (White 44%, draw 18%, Black 38%). The strongest:
- GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (2736) – GM Magnus Carlsen (2859) 0-1 · chess.com SpeedChess 2022 · 2022-12-16
- GM Daniil Dubov (2716) – GM Leinier Dominguez Perez (2739) 1-0 · Global Chess League 2023 · 2023-06-27
- GM Gawain C B Maroroa Jones (2702) – GM Leinier Dominguez Perez (2750) 0-1 · IMSA World Masters Blitz · 2019-05-18
- GM Gawain C B Maroroa Jones (2702) – GM Yangyi Yu (2739) 1-0 · IMSA World Masters Blitz · 2019-05-18
- GM Gawain C B Maroroa Jones (2702) – GM Hao Wang (2735) 0-1 · IMSA World Masters Blitz · 2019-05-18
Search all games of the Center Game: Kieseritzky Variation and its sub-variations
Highest-rated Lichess games
- FM Guary1 (2852) – GladiatorDefence (2796) 1/2-1/2 · 2026-09-04 · 180 + 0s
- FM Squoznyak (2793) – FM dclasby (2781) 1-0 · 2026-09-06 · 180 + 0s
- TheorySpeedrun (2655) – Kruciatos (2701) 0-1 · 2026-09-04 · 180 + 0s
Comes from
Center Game Accepted 1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4
Continuations
- Center Game: Kieseritzky Variation (3. Nf3 c5) C21 · 1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. Nf3 c5
- Center Game: Lanc-Arnold Gambit C21 · 1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. Nf3 Bc5 4. c3
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 (3… c5 4. Bc4) 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
- Center Game: Kupreichik 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.