Rubinstein Opening
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Statistics from Lichess
433,753 games: White 51.9% / Draw 5.1% / Black 43.0%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 260,215260K | ||
| 67,10367K | ||
| 25,92226K | ||
| 21,14621K | ||
| 17,51518K | ||
| 13,64014K | ||
| 10,48710K | ||
| 5,3775,377 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 23, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.11 The position is about equal
Best play: 5... Be7 6. Bb2 O-O 7. O-O b6 8. Nbd2 Bb7 9. dxc5 bxc5 10. c4
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: White scores 54% under 1400, 53% at 2200 and up and 54% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 18K | |
| 1400–1799 | 145K | |
| 1800–2199 | 279K | |
| 2200 and up | 51K | |
| Masters, over the board | 1,393 |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – Karjakin, S.
- Mamedyarov, S. – So, W.
- Firouzja, A. – Carlsen, M.
- Mamedyarov, S. – Nakamura, H.
- Bluebaum, M. – Carlsen, M.
Rated blitz, rapid and classical Lichess games by rating band, and over-the-board games of players rated 2200+ from the Lichess masters database, updated Sep 27, 2026
Overview
Rubinstein Opening (ECO D05, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a chess opening that starts 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. e3 c5 4. Bd3 d5 5. b3.
In 433,753 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 51.9%, Black 43.0% and 5.1% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 5…Nc6, in 60% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations; the most played are Rubinstein Opening: Classical Defense and Rubinstein Opening: Bogoljubow Defense.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Rubinstein Opening
5…a6 scores best for Black: 47.6%, with Black winning 45.1% and White 49.9% of 26K games. The most played, 5…Nc6, scores 45.8% in 260K games, and 5…cxd4 scores lowest: 44.1%. Stockfish's first choice is 5…Be7.
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
Popularity by year
The Rubinstein Opening has gained ground since 2016: 0.02% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.014%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.014% | 5,108 |
| 2017 | 0.018% | 9,803 |
| 2018 | 0.019% | 14,635 |
| 2019 | 0.017% | 20,960 |
| 2020 | 0.017% | 49,853 |
| 2021 | 0.014% | 53,729 |
| 2022 | 0.015% | 54,784 |
| 2023 | 0.016% | 58,647 |
| 2024 | 0.018% | 63,450 |
| 2025 | 0.02% | 69,632 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.022% | 24,601 |
Share of rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500 (blitz, rapid and classical) that reach this position, by year; 2026: January to April. Which openings are rising and falling
Variations (2)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Rubinstein Opening (D05)”. Lichess data as of 23 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/rubinstein-opening