Bishop's Opening: Lopez Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
14,024 games: White 49.4% / Draw 3.9% / Black 46.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 5,0945,094 | ||
| 3,8103,810 | ||
| 3,0663,066 | ||
| 775775 | ||
| 267267 | ||
| 207207 | ||
| 191191 | ||
| 147147 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 27, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.31 Black is slightly better
Best play: 3... Nf6 4. Nf3 O-O 5. d3 c6 6. Bb3 Re8 7. O-O a5 8. a4
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Bishop's Opening: Lopez Variation (ECO C23, Open Games) is a variation of the Bishop's Opening: Boi Variation, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Bc5 3. Qe2 (3 moves).
In 14,024 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.4%, Black 46.8% and 3.9% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 3…Nf6, in 36% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations; the most played are Bishop's Opening: Lopez Gambit and Bishop's Opening: Lopez Variation, Lopez Gambit.
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: Lopez Variation
3…Qf6 scores best for Black: 54.3%, with Black winning 52.4% and White 43.7% of 775 games. The most played answer, 3…Nf6, scores lowest: 47.4% in 5,094 games. Stockfish's first choice is 3…Nf6.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: Black's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings
Variations (2)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Bishop's Opening: Lopez Variation (C23)”. Lichess data as of 27 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/bishops-opening-lopez-variation