Center Game: Kupreichik Variation
Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.
Statistics from Lichess
778 games: White 50.3% / Draw 5.9% / Black 43.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 263263 | ||
| 205205 | ||
| 101101 | ||
| 4040 | ||
| 3232 | ||
| 2929 | ||
| 2828 | ||
| 2525 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.66 Black is slightly better
Best play: 9... Ne5 10. Bb3 h6 11. Nd5 Bxd2+ 12. Rxd2 a5 13. a3 a4 14. Ba2
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Center Game: Kupreichik Variation (ECO C22, Open Games) is a variation of the Center Game: Berger Variation, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. Qxd4 Nc6 4. Qe3 Nf6 5. Nc3 Bb4 6. Bd2 O-O 7. O-O-O Re8 8. Bc4 d6 9. Nh3 (9 moves).
In 778 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 50.3%, Black 43.8% and 5.9% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 9…Ne5, in 34% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
Write a description or report a mistake
How to play against the Center Game: Kupreichik Variation
The most played answer, 9…Ne5, also scores best for Black: 47.9%, with Black winning 45.2% and White 49.4% of 263 games. Of the main answers, 9…Be6 scores lowest: 41.7%. Stockfish's first choice is also 9…Ne5.
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Center Game: Kupreichik Variation (C22)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/center-game-kupreichik-variation