On Lichess, across N = 321,036 games between players rated 900 to 1700 (September 2026 data), you score 51.4% with the Center Game. After 1. 2. you win the pawn back with 3., but your queen comes out early and hits it. The plan is to tuck it away on e3, develop the b1 knight and the c1 bishop, and castle queenside.
Lichess games from September 2026 (30,577,162 rated 900 to 1700) and 31,791 over-the-board games rated 2300+ from the last 12 months. Data updated: October 14, 2026.
16 named lines in this family; 1 with their own page.
The opening's share in each Lichess rating band.
Among strong players, the most common line is 3. 4. 5. 6.. At your level, opponents take on d4 in 62 of every 100 games, against 85 in 100 among players rated 2200+. After , the usual retreat at your level is 4., and with it you score 47 out of 100. Strong players pick 4. in 81 of every 100 games, and at your level you score 51 with it. After , 5. shows up in 29 of every 100 games at your level and 80 in 100 among strong players. The higher the rating, the rarer the opening: 16 in every 1000 games at 900–1100, 7 in every 1000 at 1500–1700.
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 62.2% | 51.8% | 85.0% | 83.9% | |
| 13.3% | 55.4% | 9.3% | 16.1% | |
| 8.0% | 54.0% | 3.1% | no data | |
| 3.4% | 53.5% | 1.6% | no data | |
| 3.4% | 61.5% | no data | no data | |
| 3.2% | 56.7% | 0.6% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 0.3% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45.7% | 48.3% | 40.0% | 100.0% | |
| 29.3% | 55.8% | 28.9% | no data | |
| 17.1% | 54.6% | 26.3% | no data | |
| 2.9% | 53.4% | 3.7% | no data | |
| 2.8% | 53.4% | 1.1% | no data | |
| 0.7% | 51.1% | no data | no data | |
| no data | no data | 0.1% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 82.4% | 47.4% | 94.2% | 100.0% | |
| 5.1% | 50.6% | 1.0% | no data | |
| 4.2% | 48.9% | 3.3% | no data | |
| 2.9% | 53.7% | no data | no data | |
| 2.0% | 52.5% | 0.7% | no data | |
| 0.7% | 50.3% | 0.2% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 0.3% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 37.0% | 47.0% | 0.9% | no data | |
| 32.9% | 50.8% | 80.6% | 50.0% | |
| 10.2% | 50.4% | 6.9% | no data | |
| 5.5% | 47.9% | 7.3% | no data | |
| 4.6% | 49.0% | 4.4% | 50.0% | |
| 4.1% | 41.1% | no data | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31.6% | 49.7% | 74.9% | 100.0% | |
| 21.4% | 50.9% | 7.2% | no data | |
| 16.7% | 52.3% | 2.6% | no data | |
| 7.8% | 48.6% | 5.2% | no data | |
| 3.7% | 51.7% | no data | no data | |
| 3.2% | 48.3% | 1.6% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 6.9% | no data |
The strong players' line, 3. 4. 5. 6., is working toward one thing: clearing b1, c1 and d1 so you can castle queenside, with your king on c1 and your rook on d1, on the file your d-pawn has already left.
2. opens the center straight away, and after you regain the pawn with 3.. It's the most direct way to avoid being a pawn down, but it comes at a cost: your queen is out before your knights and bishops, and attacks it while developing. You lose a tempo, and in return your queen is already off d1.
That is why 4. is the retreat that makes the line work. On e3 the queen still guards e4 along the e-file, the c6 knight can't reach it, and d1 stays empty. The drawback is that it blocks your c1 bishop, which will have to come out via d2. 4., the most common retreat at your level, sends the queen home: two moves spent going out and coming back.
attacks e4, and 5. defends it while clearing b1. pins that knight to your king on e1. Even so, e4 holds: if the f6 knight takes it, your queen recaptures on e4 with check, because the e-file is open all the way to the enemy king. 6. breaks the pin and covers c3, so if your opponent trades the bishop on c3 you take back with your bishop and avoid doubled pawns. It also clears c1.
With b1, c1 and d1 empty, queenside castling is now legal, and it follows naturally from everything before it: in over-the-board games between players rated 2300+, the Center Game player castles queenside in more than 8 of every 10. At your level the sequence usually breaks early, since after only 29 of every 100 games go on with 5.. Learn it to the end and you are playing the version strong players choose.
| Move | Strong games | Chosen by |
|---|---|---|
| 6,238 | 85.0% | |
| 5,288 | 40.2% | |
| 2,120 | 94.3% | |
| 1,990 | 80.3% | |
| 1,574 | 75.0% | |
| 1,167 | 79.8% | |
| 982 | 88.4% | |
| 883 | 95.1% |
After 3. , 4. hits f7 with the knight alone, and the king defends it. attacks the knight, which goes back with 5.: you've spent two moves and your opponent still has the d4 pawn. The right move is 4.. At your level it rarely gets punished: you score 55 out of 100, and 54 with 4..
13 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1.8 pawns of advantage. It scores 54.7%; scores 54.0%.
After , 4. puts your queen on the same diagonal as your king. pins it: the only capture it has is on b4, where the c6 knight takes it. After 5. 6. you have given up your queen for a bishop. This trap works at your level: you score 26 out of 100, against 51 with 4..
3 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 7.3 pawns of advantage. It scores 25.7%; scores 50.8%.
After 3. , the knight sits in your half. 4. attacks it, and every square it could retreat to is covered, so you win it for at most a pawn. 4. lets it out with 5., and the trade throws that advantage away. You score 57 out of 100, against 70 with 4..
18 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 6.1 pawns of advantage. It scores 57.1%; scores 70.3%.
After , 3. doesn't win the pawn back. Your opponent protects it with and, after 4., with , developing all the while, and you stay a pawn down. Better is 3., which hits d4 and gets ready to take it back with the knight. At your level the gap is small: you score 53 out of 100 against 55.
3 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1.4 pawns of advantage. It scores 53.4%; scores 54.6%.
After 3. , 4. attacks the knight, but the e5 pawn defends it. Your opponent uses the time for , which hits d5 and covers b5. If you now attack with 5., the knight escapes with , protected there by the c6 pawn. 4. straight away was correct. You score close to 60 out of 100, against 70.
11 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 5.4 pawns of advantage. It scores 59.5%; scores 70.3%.
After , 3. lets your opponent trade on d4: 4. 5. , and your two-pawn center is gone. 3. hits the knight and gains space with tempo. It's an inaccuracy, and at your level opponents often don't punish it: you score 55 out of 100, against 56.
16 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.7 pawns of advantage. It scores 54.7%; scores 56.1%.
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 86,568 | ||
| Not castled | Not castled | 54,182 |
| 44,167 | ||
| Not castled | 40,971 | |
| Not castled | 36,057 | |
| 22,210 |
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 16 | ||
| 3 | ||
| Not castled | 2 | |
| Not castled | Not castled | 1 |
| 1 |
1. 2. 3. · 94,230 amateur games · 1 over the board
hits your queen on d4 and gains a tempo: you score 46 out of 100.
1. 2. 3. 4. · 33,768 amateur games · 2 over the board
4. moves the queen, guards e4 and frees d1 for queenside castling: you score 51 out of 100.
1. 2. 3. · 25,685 amateur games
3. develops first and wins back the d4 pawn with the knight: you score 55 out of 100.
1. 2. 3. 4. · 15,848 amateur games · 8 over the board
attacks e4, and you defend it with 5.: you score close to 50 out of 100.
1. 2. 3. · 11,327 amateur games
3. leaves the d4 pawn in your opponent's hands: you score 53 out of 100.
1. 2. 3. 4. · 6,875 amateur games · 10 over the board
4. drops the queen back to c4, where it eyes f7: you score 49 out of 100.
1. 2. 3. · 6,599 amateur games · 1 over the board
3. develops the bishop and leaves regaining the pawn for later: you score 53 out of 100.
1. 2. · 5,716 amateur games
After , before you choose how to win back the d4 pawn: you score 42 out of 100.
1. 2. 3. · C21
2,900 amateur games · White's score: 51.1%
1. 2. 3. 4. · C21
2,634 amateur games · White's score: 55.2%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. · C21
1,531 amateur games · White's score: 57.5%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. · C22
102 amateur games · White's score: 42.6%
1. 2. 3. 4. · C22
60 amateur games · White's score: 45.0%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. · C22