Center Game

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Center Game
abcdefgh
8
a8 black rook
b8 black knight
c8 black bishop
d8 black queen
e8 black king
f8 black bishop
g8 black knight
h8 black rook
a7 black pawn
b7 black pawn
c7 black pawn
d7 black pawn
f7 black pawn
g7 black pawn
h7 black pawn
d4 black pawn
e4 white pawn
a2 white pawn
b2 white pawn
c2 white pawn
f2 white pawn
g2 white pawn
h2 white pawn
a1 white rook
b1 white knight
c1 white bishop
d1 white queen
e1 white king
f1 white bishop
g1 white knight
h1 white rook
8
77
66
55
44
33
22
11
abcdefgh
Moves1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4
ECOC21–C22
ParentOpen Game

The Center Game is a chess opening that begins with the moves:

1. e4 e5
2. d4 exd4

The game usually continues 3.Qxd4 Nc6, developing with a gain of tempo for Black due to the attack on the white queen. (Note that 3.c3 is considered a separate opening: the Danish Gambit.)

General concepts[edit]

abcdefgh
8
a8 black rook
c8 black bishop
d8 black queen
e8 black rook
g8 black king
a7 black pawn
b7 black pawn
c7 black pawn
d7 black pawn
f7 black pawn
g7 black pawn
h7 black pawn
c6 black knight
f6 black knight
b4 black bishop
e4 white pawn
c3 white knight
g3 white queen
a2 white pawn
b2 white pawn
c2 white pawn
d2 white bishop
f2 white pawn
g2 white pawn
h2 white pawn
c1 white king
d1 white rook
f1 white bishop
g1 white knight
h1 white rook
8
77
66
55
44
33
22
11
abcdefgh
Typical position (Paulsen's Attack variation) with White castled long and Qg3

White's 2nd move challenges the center by attacking the e-pawn and also opening up the d-file for the rook and queen to attack, but at the cost of moving the queen early and allowing Black to develop with a tempo with 3...Nc6. In White's favor, after 4.Qe3, the most commonly played retreat, the position of the white queen hinders Black's ability to play ...d5. The back rank is cleared of pieces quickly which facilitates queenside castling and may allow White to quickly develop an attack. From e3, the white queen may later move to g3 where she will pressure Black's g7-square.

History[edit]

The Center Game is an old opening. It was mostly abandoned by 1900 because no advantage could be demonstrated for White. Jacques Mieses, Savielly Tartakower and Rudolf Spielmann seemed to be the last strong players who would adopt it. The Center Game was rarely played by elite players until Alexander Shabalov revived it in the 1980s. Later, Alexei Shirov, Michael Adams, Judit Polgár and Alexander Morozevich also contributed to the theory of the Center Game by forcing re-evaluation of lines long thought to favor Black. In recent years, Ian Nepomniachtchi has also experimented with the opening.

Variations[edit]

3.Qxd4 Nc6[edit]

The nearly universal sequence of moves in the Center Game is 3.Qxd4 Nc6 (ECO code C22). Now White has a choice of retreat squares for the queen. Although 4.Qa4 corresponds to a fairly commonly played variation of the Scandinavian Defense (1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5) reversed, it is rarely played in the Center Game because tournament experience has not been favorable for White in this line.

The best move for the queen seems to be 4.Qe3, known as Paulsen's Attack. White intends to castle queenside in this line. Black usually continues 4...Nf6 when a typical line continues 5.Nc3 Bb4 6.Bd2 0-0 7.0-0-0 Re8. White may try to complicate play by means of the pawn sacrifice 8.Qg3!? intending 8...Rxe4 9.a3! – Shabalov's move. Black's best reply seems to be the quiet 9...Ba5. Even though this line gives White some compensation for the pawn, it is probably fine for Black.[1]

A more solid option for Black is the natural 5...Be7! intending ...d7–d5 (sometimes even after White plays 6.Bc4), opening up lines as soon as possible. Black also seems to get a good game with 4...g6, and 4...Bb4+ has been played successfully as well.

3.c3[edit]

3.Nf3 or 3.Bc4[edit]

Postponing recapture of the queen pawn is a standard idea in the Scandinavian Defense (1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Nf6), but 3.Nf3 is less commonly played in the Center Game. Black can safely transpose to the Scotch Game, Petrov's Defense or the Philidor Defense, or play a line recommended by Alexander Alekhine, 3...Bc5 4.Nxd4 Nf6 and now 5.e5 would be met with 5...Qe7. Similar ideas are possible after 3.Bc4, which is also uncommon. 3.Bc4 is referred to in older chess works as the Center Gambit.[2]

3.f4?! (Halasz Gambit)[edit]

The Halasz Gambit (3.f4?!) is another rare try. Although the move dates back to at least 1840, it has been championed more recently by the Hungarian correspondence player Dr. György Halasz. The gambit seems dubious but it has not been definitively refuted.[3]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Finding Nepo (On an old laptop) : Chess news by ChessVibes". Archived from the original on 2009-08-17. Retrieved 2009-08-15. Arne Moll, Finding Nepo (on an old laptop) (2009) at ChessVibes.com
  2. ^ British Chess Magazine, August 1898, page 324, article title The BCM Guide to the Openings. The Centre Game, by Hobart
  3. ^ Budzinski, Glenn (1998). "Anatomy of a Gambit: Dissecting the Halasz". ChessCafe. Retrieved 24 May 2016.

Further reading[edit]

  • Soszynski, Marek (2021). The Centre Game Re-examined. MarekMedia. ISBN 9781393536963.

External links[edit]