Tree path 4 levels King's Pawn Game › Center Game › Center Game Accepted › Center Game: Halasz-McDonnell Gambit
- Chess Codex
- King's Pawn Game C20
- Center Game C20
- Center Game Accepted C21
- Center Game: Halasz-McDonnell Gambit C21 you are here
Center Game: Halasz-McDonnell Gambit
Overview
Center Game: Halasz-McDonnell Gambit is a gambit, classified under ECO code C21 within the Open Games family. As with all gambits, one side sacrifices material early — usually a pawn — in exchange for development, open lines, or initiative.
The Open Games group covers open games — classical 1.e4 e5 openings where both sides contest the centre directly with pawns.
Play reaches this position via 1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. f4, after 5 plies of opening development.
It is a variation of Center Game Accepted, which itself descends from the root opening King's Pawn Game.
It continues primarily into one named line, Crocodile Variation.
Step through the moves on the interactive board below, review the live Lichess statistics, or play this position against Stockfish at one of six difficulty levels.
- ECO code
- C21
- Group
- Open Games (C)
- Plies
- 5
- Parent
- Center Game Accepted
- Direct variations
- 1
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
671,765 games · White 50.4% / Draw 3.2% / Black 46.3%
| Moves | Games | W / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Nc6 | 271,046 | |
| d5 | 101,998 | |
| c5 | 86,219 | |
| d6 | 59,706 | |
| Bc5 | 52,440 | |
| Bb4+ | 28,213 | |
| Nf6 | 22,098 | |
| Qh4+ | 15,253 |
Source: Lichess Opening Explorer · cached 2026-09-26 01:10:11
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Submissions are reviewed before publishing.