Open games & French

Center Game

1.e4 e5 2.d4

The Center Game starts with 1.e4 e5 2.d4 and is catalogued under ECO C20, in the open games & french half of the book. The catalog indexes 18 lines inside it, grouped into 15 named variations, and the position after those moves has 3 playable continuations to walk from here.

Opening repertoire map

Root edges show how often each move is played around your Elo. Use the arrow on a position to reveal the next replies.

Current position
Danish Gambit
6 plies
Sörensen Defense
6 plies
Svenonius Defense
Popularity by Elo
Share of Lichess blitz, rapid, and classical games that continued with each move.
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Current setup

Move ideas

  1. 1.e4

    Claims the center with a pawn and opens lines for the queen and king’s bishop.

    Idea: Build quick development and make early castling possible.

  2. 1…e5

    Meets White’s center directly and opens lines for Black’s queen and bishop.

    Idea: Fight for equal central space in a balanced, open position.

  3. 2.d4

    Advances to d4 to claim central space and control nearby key squares.

    Idea: Give the pieces room to develop behind a durable central foothold.

  4. 2…exd4

    Captures the pawn on d4 and changes the local pawn or piece balance.

    Idea: Open lines in the center and reshape the center for the next phase.

  5. 3.c3

    Advances the c-pawn to gain queenside space and control new squares.

    Idea: Create useful wing space while keeping the central structure flexible.

Book continuations

Waiting for Lichess game popularity.

3 moves
dxc3Danish Gambit Accepted5 named lines · Danish Gambit Accepted: Chigorin Defense · Danish Gambit Accepted: Classical DefenseCaptures the pawn on c3 and changes the local pawn or piece balance.Idea: Open lines in the queenside and reshape the center for the next phase.d5Danish Gambit Declined: Sörensen Defense1 named lineAdvances to d5 to claim central space and control nearby key squares.Idea: Give the pieces room to develop behind a durable central foothold.Ne7Danish Gambit Accepted: Svenonius Defense1 named lineDevelops the knight to e7, bringing it into the game.Idea: Improve piece coordination and clear the back rank for castling and the rooks.

Named variations

Each line below is an indexed entry under Center Game. Open one to load it on the board and keep exploring from that position.

Openings from the same volume

ECO groups openings by the structures they lead to, so these families tend to share plans with the Center Game.