Bishop's Opening: del Rio Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
690 games: White 47.7% / Draw 3.6% / Black 48.7%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 401401 | ||
| 102102 | ||
| 7474 | ||
| 7272 | ||
| 88 | ||
| 66 | ||
| 55 | ||
| 55 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 24, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.14 The position is about equal
Best play: 4. d4 Qxg2 5. Qf3 Qxf3 6. Nxf3 exd4 7. cxd4 Bb4+ 8. Nc3 d5
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Bishop's Opening: del Rio Variation (ECO C23, Open Games) is a variation of the Bishop's Opening: Philidor Variation, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Bc5 3. c3 Qg5 (3 moves).
In 690 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 47.7%, Black 48.7% and 3.6% were drawn. White's most played move here is 4. Qf3, in 58% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Bishop's Opening: del Rio Variation
The most played answer, 4. Qf3, also scores best for White: 54.6%, with White winning 52.6% and Black 43.4% of 401 games. Of the main answers, 4. Nf3 scores lowest: 34.8%. Stockfish's first choice is 4. d4.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: White's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Bishop's Opening: del Rio Variation (C23)”. Lichess data as of 24 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/bishops-opening-del-rio-variation