Center Game
Chess opening · ECO C20 · 3 half-moves
1. e4 e5 2. d4
The Center Game is reached after 1. e4 e5 2. d4. It is Black's move in the position shown.
It branches from the King's Pawn Game with 1… e5 2. d4.
How often it is played
The Center Game and its variations appeared in 1.00% of games — 29,943 of 3,000,000 rated games sampled from Lichess in September 2026. That makes it number 50 of the openings listed here.
Results
White won 51%, 3.4% were drawn and Black won 45%. These are games between players of every strength and time control, so they say how the opening does in practice rather than how sound it is.
What the engine thinks
Stockfish, at depth 18, evaluates the position at -0.07 — which is level. Positive numbers favour White; see reading the evaluation bar.
Similar openings
The most-played alternatives — what else could have been chosen around the move where this opening begins.
| Opening | Moves | Share of games |
|---|---|---|
| King's Knight Opening | 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 | 15% |
| Sicilian Defense | 1. e4 c5 | 9.6% |
| French Defense | 1. e4 e6 | 6.4% |
Main continuations
| Variation | Moves | Share of games |
|---|---|---|
| Center Game Accepted | 1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 | 0.70% |
| King's Pawn Game: Beyer Gambit | 1. e4 e5 2. d4 d5 | 0.05% |
| King's Pawn Game: Philidor Gambit | 1. e4 e5 2. d4 d6 3. dxe5 Bd7 | 0.00% |
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