Center Game: Lanc-Arnold Gambit
1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. Nf3 Bc5 4. c3
The Center Game: Lanc-Arnold Gambit is a chess opening classified as ECO C21, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. Nf3 Bc5 4. c3. 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 211 times by this move order. White won 61%, 3% were drawn and Black won 36%. The most popular continuation is 4… dxc3 (75% of games).
Engine evaluation: −0.19 (Stockfish, depth 32; best line 4… dxc3 5. Bc4 cxb2 6. Bxb2 Nf6 7. O-O)
- ECO
- C21
- Moves
- 7 plies
- FEN
rnbqk1nr/pppp1ppp/8/2b5/3pP3/2P2N2/PP3PPP/RNBQKB1R b KQkq - 0 4- PGN
1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. Nf3 Bc5 4. c3
Analyse with Stockfish · Board image (SVG) · Open on Lichess
Results by rating
| Average rating | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1499 | 89 | |
| 1500-1999 | 109 | |
| 2000+ | 13 | |
| All | 211 |
Most played moves
| Move | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 4… dxc3 | 158 (75%) | |
| 4… Nc6 | 16 (8%) | |
| 4… Nf6 | 10 (5%) | |
| 4… Ne7 | 8 (4%) | |
| 4… d6 | 7 (3%) | |
| 4… d3 | 7 (3%) | |
| 4… Qe7 | 2 (1%) | |
| 4… Qf6 | 2 (1%) |
Master games
3 over-the-board games are classified under this line (White 33%, draw 0%, Black 67%). The strongest:
- FM Lucas Cumpe (2294) – GM David Paravyan (2596) 0-1 · Titled Tue 29th Apr Late · 2025-04-29
- Nuno Sousa (1979) – FM Andre Ventura Sousa (2411) 1-0 · Portuguese Top League · 2016-08-15
- WIM Carolina Munoz Solis (1981) – WIM Fiona Steil-Antoni (2173) 0-1 · 40th Olympiad Women · 2012-08-30
Search all games of the Center Game: Lanc-Arnold Gambit and its sub-variations
Highest-rated Lichess games
- tukTUKshukla (2248) – elo_fide_1529 (2157) 0-1 · 2026-09-01 · 180 + 2s
- visionaryman (2157) – Alas_de_Angel1920 (2161) 0-1 · 2026-09-01 · 600 + 0s
- Essameldeen1 (2110) – KillerExclusive (2142) 1-0 · 2026-09-06 · 180 + 0s
Comes from
Center Game: Kieseritzky Variation (2… exd4 3. Nf3) 1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. Nf3
Continuations
- Center Game: Lanc-Arnold Gambit, Schippler Gambit C21 · 1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. Nf3 Bc5 4. c3 dxc3 5. Bc4
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. Nf3 c5) C21
- Center Game: Kieseritzky Variation (3… c5 4. Bc4) 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.