Center Game
The Center Game is an old opening that is rarely played at the top level in the modern era. It results in positions with an open center and often lots of tactics.
Starting Position
The Center Game is a 1.e4 e5 opening defined by the move 2.d4.
Pros
- Will surprise opponents
- Leads to open, tactical games
- Quickly frees both bishops for development
Cons
- Brings the queen out prematurely
- Relatively unsound
Key Variations
Black does not need to capture with 2...exd4 but it is the best move. White has three main responses.
Accepted with 3.Qxd4
After the capture 3.Qxd4, Black's best reply is to immediately attack the queen with 3...Nc6. The standard continuation often leads to wild positions with opposite-side castling.
Danish Gambit
For a truly wild affair, White can go for the Danish Gambit. Instead of capturing the pawn with the queen, White plays the sacrifice 3.c3. The full continuation of the gambit goes 3...dxc3 4.Bc4 cxb2 5.Bb2 when White's bishops point dangerously to the kingside. Black usually returns a pawn with 5...d5 to catch up in development.
Transpositions with 3.Nf3
Players who don't want to bring the queen out early or give up too much material can play 3.Nf3. This will usually lead to openings besides the Center Game, however:
- 3...Nc6 enters a variation of the Scotch Game.
- 3...d6 becomes a Philidor Defense.
- 3...Nf6 turns into Petrov's Defense.
If you play 3.Nf3, you will have to know something about these variations. Note that 3...c5 is playable but Black will fall behind in development.
History
Some old masters such as Savielly Tartakower and Rudolf Spielmann played the Center Game at times. However, it has not been popular in more than a century and has never been played in the World Championship. It has occasionally been played at lower stakes by attacking players such as GM Alexei Shirov and GM Ian Nepomniachtchi.