Chess opening · ECO C21
Center Game Accepted
With 2...exd4 Black accepts the trade and is briefly a pawn up. The black pawn on d4 cuts into White's half of the board, so White has to decide how to treat it: win it back at once with the queen, bring out a knight and recapture later, or leave it and play for development. Each choice leads into a different opening.
- Rank by weighted share
- #39 of 159
- Material
- Black +1
Key moves
1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4
- 2... exd4Black takes White's d-pawn, leaving the e4 pawn alone in the center and the white queen staring at d4. Black has no need to cling to the extra pawn. Developing the knights while White spends moves regaining it is the usual approach.
3.Nf3 and the road to the Scotch
Nf3 develops and attacks d4 a second time, together with the queen on d1. After 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.Nxd4 the board matches the Scotch Game, reached by another order. Black can also hit e4 with 3...Nf6, since no white piece guards it, or hold the pawn a little longer with 3...Bc5.
Recapturing at once with 3.Qxd4
Taking back with the queen restores material immediately. The price is a queen in the middle of the board that ...Nc6 can attack with tempo, and that position is the Normal Variation page.
Leaving the d4 pawn alone
3.c3 offers a pawn and is the Danish Gambit, which has a page of its own. 3.Bc4 points a bishop at f7 and keeps White's options open, though 3...Nf6 attacks the e4 pawn straight away.
A Scotch by transposition
3. Nf3 Nc6 4. Nxd4
White waits a move and takes back with the knight instead of the queen, so ...Nc6 gains no time against a queen. The pieces now stand exactly as in the Scotch Game, with White's knight centralized on d4, defended by the queen, and Black's knight on c6.
Top replies by rating
Qxd4 leads every band under 1600. From 1600 up c3 takes over, and from there Nf3 gains ground while the queen recapture shrinks.
Related openings
Try it on the board. The first coached game and three analyses are free.