Center Game: von der Lasa Gambit
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Statistics from Lichess
1,118,671 games: White 53.5% / Draw 3.6% / Black 42.9%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 462,801463K | ||
| 170,209170K | ||
| 131,416131K | ||
| 110,197110K | ||
| 81,26281K | ||
| 38,21738K | ||
| 29,02129K | ||
| 20,96421K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 20, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.23 The position is about equal
Best play: 3... Nf6 4. Nf3 Bb4+ 5. c3 dxc3 6. bxc3 d5 7. exd5 Be7 8. O-O
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: White scores 52% under 1400, 51% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 394K | |
| 1400–1799 | 862K | |
| 1800–2199 | 620K | |
| 2200 and up | 34K | |
| Masters, over the board | 42 |
Master games
- Miralles, G. – Jussupow, A.
- Lagno, K. – Zhu, J.
- Lagno, K. – Goryachkina, A.
- Miralles, G. – Fontaine, R.
- Skatchkov, P. – Yandemirov, V.
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: von der Lasa Gambit (ECO C21, Open Games) is a gambit in the Center Game Accepted, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. Bc4 (3 moves).
In 1,118,671 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 53.5%, Black 42.9% and 3.6% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 3…Nc6, in 41% 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: von der Lasa Gambit
3…Nf6 scores best for Black: 48.5%, with Black winning 46.5% and White 49.6% of 170K games. The most played, 3…Nc6, scores 45.4% in 463K games, and 3…Bc5 scores lowest: 39.7%. Stockfish's first choice is also 3…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: von der Lasa Gambit has lost ground since 2016: 0.042% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.055%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.055% | 19,473 |
| 2017 | 0.055% | 30,113 |
| 2018 | 0.046% | 36,327 |
| 2019 | 0.049% | 60,705 |
| 2020 | 0.044% | 128,206 |
| 2021 | 0.041% | 162,098 |
| 2022 | 0.042% | 156,409 |
| 2023 | 0.043% | 161,176 |
| 2024 | 0.043% | 155,225 |
| 2025 | 0.042% | 147,417 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.041% | 44,794 |
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: von der Lasa Gambit (C21)”. Lichess data as of 20 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/center-game-von-der-lasa-gambit