Center Game: Normal Variation
1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. Qxd4 Nc6
The Center Game: Normal Variation is a chess opening classified as ECO C22, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. Qxd4 Nc6. It is a line of the Center Game. White is to move. 2 named lines continue from this position.
In 12.6 million rated Lichess games (blitz and slower), this position was reached 44,257 times by this move order. White won 46%, 4% were drawn and Black won 50%. The most popular continuation is 4. Qe3 (37% of games).
Engine evaluation: −0.01 (Stockfish, depth 50; best line 4. Qe3 Nf6 5. Bd2 Be7 6. Nc3 d5)
- ECO
- C22
- Moves
- 6 plies
- FEN
r1bqkbnr/pppp1ppp/2n5/8/3QP3/8/PPP2PPP/RNB1KBNR w KQkq - 1 4- PGN
1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. Qxd4 Nc6
Analyse with Stockfish · Board image (SVG) · Open on Lichess
Results by rating
| Average rating | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1499 | 28,704 | |
| 1500-1999 | 13,758 | |
| 2000+ | 1,795 | |
| All | 44,257 |
Most played moves
| Move | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 4. Qe3 Paulsen Attack Variation | 16,439 (37%) | |
| 4. Qd1 | 14,547 (33%) | |
| 4. Qa4 | 4,592 (10%) | |
| 4. Qd3 | 2,356 (5%) | |
| 4. Qc4 Hall Variation | 2,155 (5%) | |
| 4. Qd5 | 1,733 (4%) | |
| 4. Qc3 | 1,216 (3%) | |
| 4. Qd2 | 804 (2%) |
Master games
436 over-the-board games are classified under this line (White 49%, draw 12%, Black 39%). The strongest:
- GM Alireza Firouzja (2766) – GM Ian Nepomniachtchi (2757) 1/2-1/2 · Titled Tue 10th Jun Late · 2025-06-10
- IM Kirk Ghazarian (2474) – GM Alexander Grischuk (2736) 0-1 · Titled Tue 22nd Aug Late · 2023-08-22
- GM Thomas Beerdsen (2504) – GM Bogdan-Daniel Deac (2700) 0-1 · Titled Tue 21st Nov Late · 2023-11-21
- GM Illya Nyzhnyk (2569) – GM Dariusz Swiercz (2569) 1-0 · American Cup Blitz 2025 · 2025-03-24
- GM Niclas Huschenbeth (2575) – GM Rudik Makarian (2556) 0-1 · Titled Tue 15th Sep 2026 · 2026-09-15
Search all games of the Center Game: Normal Variation and its sub-variations
Highest-rated Lichess games
- Superstitions_Guy (2853) – Chess1Love0 (2788) 1-0 · 2026-09-07 · 180 + 0s
- Superstitions_Guy (2819) – Chess1Love0 (2788) 0-1 · 2026-09-05 · 180 + 0s
- Superstitions_Guy (2739) – kuhmft (2842) 0-1 · 2026-09-03 · 180 + 0s
Comes from
Center Game (2… exd4 3. Qxd4) 1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. Qxd4
Continuations
- Center Game: Hall Variation C22 · 1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. Qxd4 Nc6 4. Qc4
- Center Game: Paulsen Attack Variation C22 · 1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. Qxd4 Nc6 4. Qe3
More Center Game lines (all)
- Center Game (1… e5 2. d4) C20
- 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: Berger Variation C22
- 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.