Center Game: Halasz-McDonnell Gambit
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Statistics from Lichess
671,765 games: White 50.4% / Draw 3.2% / Black 46.3%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 271,046271K | ||
| 101,998102K | ||
| 86,21986K | ||
| 59,70660K | ||
| 52,44052K | ||
| 28,21328K | ||
| 22,09822K | ||
| 15,25315K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 23, 2026
Engine evaluation
−1.35 Black is better
Best play: 3... Nc6 4. Nf3 d5 5. Bb5 dxe4 6. Nxd4 Bd7 7. Nc3 Nf6 8. Be3
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
The stronger the players, the worse this line does for White: White scores 50% under 1400, 44% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 153K | |
| 1400–1799 | 506K | |
| 1800–2199 | 356K | |
| 2200 and up | 11K | |
| Masters, over the board | 21 |
Master games
- Cueto Faus, M. – Beltran Rueda, S.
- Kovacs, L. – Koelle, A.
- Rooms, T. – Evans, D. G. R.
- Rovid, K. – Horvath, M.
- Bauer, M. – Romanov, O.
Rated blitz, rapid and classical Lichess games by rating band, and over-the-board games of players rated 2200+ from the Lichess masters database, updated Sep 27, 2026
Overview
Center Game: Halasz-McDonnell Gambit (ECO C21, Open Games) is a gambit in the Center Game Accepted, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. f4 (3 moves).
In 671,765 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 50.4%, Black 46.3% and 3.2% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 3…Nc6, in 40% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Center Game: Halasz-McDonnell Gambit, Crocodile Variation.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Center Game: Halasz-McDonnell Gambit
3…d5 scores best for Black: 53.3%, with Black winning 51.6% and White 44.9% of 102K games. The most played, 3…Nc6, scores 47.5% in 271K games, and 3…Bc5 scores lowest: 45.6%. Stockfish's first choice is 3…Nc6.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: Black's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings
Popularity by year
The Center Game: Halasz-McDonnell Gambit is played more than three times as often as in 2016: 0.051% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.015%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.015% | 5,476 |
| 2017 | 0.012% | 6,573 |
| 2018 | 0.013% | 10,381 |
| 2019 | 0.014% | 17,831 |
| 2020 | 0.013% | 38,062 |
| 2021 | 0.013% | 52,010 |
| 2022 | 0.013% | 49,423 |
| 2023 | 0.016% | 61,045 |
| 2024 | 0.052% | 184,757 |
| 2025 | 0.051% | 176,839 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.047% | 51,628 |
Share of rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500 (blitz, rapid and classical) that reach this position, by year; 2026: January to April. Which openings are rising and falling
Variations (1)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Center Game: Halasz-McDonnell Gambit (C21)”. Lichess data as of 23 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/center-game-halasz-mcdonnell-gambit