Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Hedgehog Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
58,276 games: White 56.7% / Draw 6.9% / Black 36.3%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 21,20121K | ||
| 10,29210K | ||
| Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Closed Showalter Variation | 9,3879,387 | |
| 7,3757,375 | ||
| Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Closed Bernstein Variation | 4,9974,997 | |
| 2,4262,426 | ||
| 1,0281,028 | ||
| 360360 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.52 White is slightly better
Best play: 7. d5 Nb8 8. a4 O-O 9. Be2 Na6 10. a5 Re8 11. Re1 h6
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Hedgehog Variation (ECO C66, Open Games) is a variation of the Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Improved Steinitz Defense, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O d6 5. d4 Bd7 6. Nc3 Be7 (6 moves).
In 58,276 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 56.7%, Black 36.3% and 6.9% were drawn. White's most played move here is 7. Re1, in 36% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations; the most played are Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Closed Bernstein Variation and Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Closed Showalter Variation.
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How to play against the Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Hedgehog Variation
The most played answer, 7. Re1, also scores best for White: 64.2%, with White winning 60.5% and Black 32.1% of 21K games. Of the main answers, 7. d5 scores lowest: 54.3%. Stockfish's first choice is 7. d5.
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
Variations (2)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Hedgehog Variation (C66)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/ruy-lopez-berlin-defense-hedgehog-variation