Center Game: Hall Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
180,556 games: White 49.6% / Draw 3.9% / Black 46.5%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 78,39578K | ||
| 58,03058K | ||
| 8,1898,189 | ||
| 7,3827,382 | ||
| 5,7025,702 | ||
| 4,2134,213 | ||
| 4,1954,195 | ||
| 2,8542,854 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 27, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.17 The position is about equal
Best play: 4... Nf6 5. Nc3 Bb4 6. Ne2 d6 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bh4 Be6 9. Qd3
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 better this line does for White: White scores 47% under 1400, 57% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 579K | |
| 1400–1799 | 330K | |
| 1800–2199 | 59K | |
| 2200 and up | 11K | |
| Masters, over the board | 73 |
Master games
- Wei Yi – Karjakin, S.
- Sethuraman, S. – So, W.
- Pranav, V. – Ivanchuk, V.
- Christiansen, J. – Horvath, D.
- Xu, X. – Sunilduth Lyna, N.
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: Hall Variation (ECO C22, Open Games) is a variation of the Center Game: Normal Variation, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. Qxd4 Nc6 4. Qc4 (4 moves).
In 180,556 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.6%, Black 46.5% and 3.9% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 4…Nf6, in 43% of those games.
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: Hall Variation
The most played answer, 4…Nf6, also scores best for Black: 49.9%, with Black winning 48.0% and White 48.1% of 78K games. Of the main answers, 4…d6 scores lowest: 46.9%. Stockfish's first choice is also 4…Nf6.
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: Hall Variation is played less than half as often as in 2016: 0.0067% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.014%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.014% | 5,099 |
| 2017 | 0.0066% | 3,618 |
| 2018 | 0.0057% | 4,497 |
| 2019 | 0.0054% | 6,738 |
| 2020 | 0.0065% | 18,999 |
| 2021 | 0.0079% | 31,086 |
| 2022 | 0.0075% | 28,112 |
| 2023 | 0.0071% | 26,796 |
| 2024 | 0.0064% | 23,028 |
| 2025 | 0.0067% | 23,137 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.0061% | 6,645 |
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Center Game: Hall Variation (C22)”. Lichess data as of 27 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/center-game-hall-variation