Center Game win rate

White scored 52.2% (margin 0.9 points) in 12,505 rated games of the Center Game, ECO C22, played between players within 100 rating points on 1 September 2026. It ranked number 34 of 117 openings by popularity and made up 0.8% of all games.

50.2%

45.7%

White wins 50.2%
Draws 4.1%
Black wins 45.7%

12,505 games

How often does White win in the Center Game?

White won 50.2% of the 12,505 games, 4.1% were drawn and Black won 45.7%. White's score of 52.2% is no clear difference from White's score across all openings (51.9%): the gap of 0.4 points is inside the margin of 0.9 points.

Results of 12,505 games of the Center Game, 1 September 2026.
Result	Games	Share
White wins	6,280	50.2%
Draws	507	4.1%
Black wins	5,718	45.7%

Does the Center Game score differently at different ratings?

White's score is highest at 1600 to 1999 (54.1%) and lowest at under 1200 (50.4%). That spread of 3.8 points is larger than the two margins added together, so the score does differ between these rating bands.

Players rated under 1200 choose the Center Game most often relative to their other openings, in 1.4 percent of their games.

White's score in the Center Game by the lower rating of the two players, 1 September 2026.
Rating band	Games	Share of the band	White score	Margin (points)
under 1200	3,945	1.4%	50.4%	1.5
1200 to 1599	5,423	0.9%	52.0%	1.3
1600 to 1999	2,792	0.5%	54.1%	1.8

How does the Center Game do in blitz, rapid and classical?

The time control changes who tends to win, because the clock matters more in faster games. Rows with fewer than 1,500 games are left out.

White's score in the Center Game by time control, 1 September 2026.
Time control	Games	White score	Margin (points)
Blitz	8,600	53.3%	1.0
Rapid	3,807	50.1%	1.6

What are the most played lines of the Center Game?

The most played named line is the Normal Variation, with 3,348 games and a White score of 46.4%. The table lists the ten most played lines that reached 300 games; a line below that is counted in the last row.

Named lines of the Center Game, most played first, 1 September 2026.
Line	Games	White score	Margin (points)
Normal Variation	3,348	46.4%	1.6
Paulsen Attack Variation	1,491	53.8%	2.5
Kieseritzky Variation	1,227	55.3%	2.7
Berger Variation	686	53.1%	3.7
Halasz-McDonnell Gambit	563	52.0%	4.1
von der Lasa Gambit	314	51.8%	5.4
Main line and less played lines	4,876	54.9%	1.4

How were these opening statistics measured?

Rated Blitz, Rapid and Classical games on 1 September 2026 between players within 100 rating points, banded by the lower rating. A score is wins plus half the draws, with a 95 percent margin. The hub page explains the method in full.

Frequently asked questions

What is the win rate of the Center Game?

White won 50.2%, drew 4.1% and lost 45.7% of 12,505 games, a White score of 52.2% with a margin of 0.9 points. These are games on Lichess on 1 September 2026.

Is the Center Game good for White?

At these ratings White's score was no clear difference from White's score across all openings (51.9%): the gap of 0.4 points is inside the margin of 0.9 points. A difference of a point or two is small, and the side that picks an opening also picks which games reach it, so the number describes what happened at these ratings and is not a ruling on the opening.

What is the most popular line of the Center Game?

The Normal Variation was the most played named line, with 3,348 games, which is 26.8% of the games of the Center Game.

Sources

Lichess open database, standard rated games (CC0), file for September 2026, read 2026-10-22

Related guides and tools

Last updated 2026-10-22.

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