Tree path 4 levels King's Pawn Game › Center Game › Center Game Accepted › Center Game
- Caissa Codex
- King's Pawn Game C20
- Center Game C20
- Center Game Accepted C21
- Center Game C21 you are here
Center Game
Overview
Center Game is a named branch in the Open Games group of chess theory, classified under ECO C21.
The Open Games group covers open games — classical 1.e4 e5 openings where both sides contest the centre directly with pawns.
It is reached after 5 plies of play, with the move sequence 1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. Qxd4.
In the opening tree, this line branches off from Center Game Accepted, part of the broader King's Pawn Game system.
It continues primarily into one named line, Normal Variation.
In total, the branch covers 7 sub-variations across all depths.
Use the board to walk through every move, check how the position has scored on Lichess, or take it head-to-head against Stockfish.
- ECO code
- C21
- Group
- Open Games (C)
- Plies
- 5
- Parent
- Center Game Accepted
- Direct variations
- 1
- Total in subtree
- 7
This overview is generated automatically from the opening's metadata. Know this line well? Write a description — submissions are reviewed before publishing.
Statistics from Lichess
6,444,776 games · White 49.3% / Draw 4.1% / Black 46.5%
| Moves | Games | W / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Nc6 | 5,433,043 | |
| d6 | 365,018 | |
| Nf6 | 233,879 | |
| c5 | 161,978 | |
| Qf6 | 109,761 | |
| b6 | 32,590 | |
| d5 | 27,314 | |
| Qe7 | 18,250 |
Source: Lichess Opening Explorer · cached 2026-09-26 01:10:08
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