Center Game: Paulsen Attack Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
2,543,757 games: White 54.2% / Draw 3.9% / Black 41.9%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Center Game: Berger Variation | 798,526799K | |
| 652,884653K | ||
| 414,483414K | ||
| 214,805215K | ||
| 89,10489K | ||
| 82,89983K | ||
| 74,74175K | ||
| 55,66956K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 5, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.01 The position is about equal
Best play: 4... Nf6 5. Bd2 Be7 6. Nc3 d5 7. Nxd5 Nxd5 8. exd5 Qxd5 9. Ne2
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 49% under 1400, 56% at 2200 and up and 47% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 2.7M | |
| 1400–1799 | 2.7M | |
| 1800–2199 | 1.2M | |
| 2200 and up | 163K | |
| Masters, over the board | 901 |
Master games
- Nepomniachtchi, I. – Ding Liren
- Nepomniachtchi, I. – Carlsen, M.
- Nepomniachtchi, I. – Karjakin, S.
- Nepomniachtchi, I. – Anand, V.
- Nepomniachtchi, I. – Karjakin, S.
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 26, 2026
Overview
Center Game: Paulsen Attack 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. Qe3 (4 moves).
In 2,543,757 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 54.2%, Black 41.9% and 3.9% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 4…Nf6, in 31% of those games.
It branches into 3 named variations; the most played are Center Game: Berger Variation and Center Game: Charousek Variation. In all, 4 named lines continue from it.
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: Paulsen Attack Variation
The most played answer, 4…Nf6 (Center Game: Berger Variation), also scores best for Black: 46.4%, with Black winning 44.4% and White 51.6% of 799K games. Of the main answers, 4…b6 scores lowest: 39.9%. 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: Paulsen Attack Variation has stayed between 0.091% and 0.12% of Lichess games a year since 2016 (0.1% in 2025).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.12% | 41,890 |
| 2017 | 0.1% | 55,455 |
| 2018 | 0.095% | 74,587 |
| 2019 | 0.091% | 113,636 |
| 2020 | 0.094% | 276,088 |
| 2021 | 0.099% | 385,914 |
| 2022 | 0.097% | 363,337 |
| 2023 | 0.095% | 357,901 |
| 2024 | 0.1% | 366,876 |
| 2025 | 0.1% | 356,315 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.1% | 111,104 |
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 (3)
All 4 named lines that continue from here
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Center Game: Paulsen Attack Variation (C22)”. Lichess data as of 5 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/center-game-paulsen-attack-variation