Openings 1.e4 e5: open games

Center Game and Danish Gambit: Lines and Stats by Rating

2.d4 opens the center on move two. After 2...exd4 White either takes back with the queen (Center Game) or offers more pawns with 3.c3 (Danish Gambit) for a huge lead in development.

For White1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4Seen in 1.1% of rated games

Lichess rating

C21Center Game Accepted

Games from this position (1600–1999): 64k

Played	Games	White · Draw · Black
42%	27k	54%42%
25%	16k	50%45%
22%	14k	53%43%
6%	3,631	50%46%
4%	2,697	52%45%
1.0%	628	51%47%
0.3%	215	40%56%

Practice as White Practice as Black

Plans for both sides

White

After 3.Qxd4 Nc6, the queen goes to e3 and White castles long.
In the Danish, the bishops on c4 and b2 rake the board after 3.c3 dxc3 4.Bc4 cxb2 5.Bxb2.
Speed matters more than material: develop and attack f7.

Black

Against 3.Qxd4, ...Nc6 gains a tempo on the queen; ...Nf6 and ...Be7 follow.
Against the Danish, 3...d5! returns the pawn and kills most of White’s attack.
If you take every pawn, give back material later rather than get mated.

Center Game and Danish Gambit at each rating

How often the position after 1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 comes up in rated Lichess games, how it scores and what players answer next.

Rating	Games (Share of games)	White · Draw · Black	Top next move
<1200	36k1.2%	47%49%	3.Qxd464%
1200–1599	78k1.3%	50%46%	3.Qxd442%
1600–1999	64k1.0%	52%44%	3.c342%
2000+	12k0.6%	51%43%	3.c342%
All	190k1.1%	51%46%	3.Qxd439%

What usually comes next

The most played moves from here, all ratings together. Thicker line = played more often.

Main variations

The main line. White plays Nc3, Bd2 and O-O-O.
7,265 games from this position (all ratings, any move order). White won 49%, 4% were drawn, Black won 47%.
Show on the board: 1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.Qxd4 Nc6 4.Qe3 Nf6
Two pawns down, two bishops aimed at Black’s king. Sharp.
14k games from this position (all ratings, any move order). White won 57%, 3% were drawn, Black won 40%.
Show on the board: 1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Bc4 cxb2 5.Bxb2
The safest answer for Black: give the pawn back and develop.
3,794 games from this position (all ratings, any move order). White won 44%, 5% were drawn, Black won 51%.
Show on the board: 1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.c3 d5

At club level

These lines are rare at master level. In these games White scores better with them from 1600 up than under 1200; check the table above for your rating.

Practice it

The trainer answers with the replies people at your rating choose, in the same proportions, and brings back your mistakes on a schedule.

Practice as White Practice as Black

Related openings

King’s Pawn Game: 1.e4 e5
1.e4 e5
4.6M games
King’s Knight Opening: 2.Nf3
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3
2.8M games
Italian Game
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4
825k games
Bishop’s Opening
1.e4 e5 2.Bc4
503k games
Philidor Defense
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6
426k games
Scotch Game
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4
383k games