Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Improved Steinitz Defense
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Statistics from Lichess
1,933,610 games: White 53.6% / Draw 5.1% / Black 41.3%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 784,088784K | ||
| 445,883446K | ||
| 213,537214K | ||
| 180,798181K | ||
| 148,904149K | ||
| 110,324110K | ||
| 37,11737K | ||
| 8,5078,507 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.57 White is slightly better
Best play: 5. d4 Bd7 6. d5 Ne7 7. Bxd7+ Qxd7 8. Re1 Ng6 9. a4 a5
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
The stronger the players, the worse this line does for Black: Black scores 47% under 1400, 42% at 2200 and up and 40% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 530K | |
| 1400–1799 | 1.5M | |
| 1800–2199 | 1M | |
| 2200 and up | 57K | |
| Masters, over the board | 427 |
Master games
- Van Foreest, J. – Radjabov, T.
- Anand, V. – Vescovi, G. P.
- Dubov, D. – Artemiev, V.
- Anand, V. – Milos, G.
- Caruana, F. – Huebner, R.
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
Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Improved Steinitz Defense (ECO C66, Open Games) is a variation of the Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O d6 (4 moves).
In 1,933,610 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 53.6%, Black 41.3% and 5.1% were drawn. White's most played move here is 5. Re1, in 41% of those games.
It branches into 3 named variations; the most played are Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Closed Wolf Variation and Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Hedgehog Variation. In all, 5 named lines continue from it.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Improved Steinitz Defense
5. d4 scores best for White: 57.5%, with White winning 54.7% and Black 39.7% of 446K games. The most played, 5. Re1, scores 56.6% in 784K games, and 5. Nc3 scores lowest: 51.8%. Stockfish's first choice is also 5. 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
Popularity by year
The Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Improved Steinitz Defense has lost ground since 2016: 0.062% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.086%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.086% | 30,899 |
| 2017 | 0.091% | 50,229 |
| 2018 | 0.095% | 74,411 |
| 2019 | 0.089% | 111,578 |
| 2020 | 0.085% | 249,497 |
| 2021 | 0.077% | 303,108 |
| 2022 | 0.074% | 279,146 |
| 2023 | 0.074% | 277,009 |
| 2024 | 0.068% | 245,266 |
| 2025 | 0.062% | 216,468 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.061% | 66,670 |
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 (3)
All 5 named lines that continue from here
- C66 Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Closed Wolf Variation 6 moves
- C66 Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Hedgehog Variation 6 moves
- C66 Ruy Lopez: Closed Berlin Defense, Chigorin Variation 5 moves
- C66 Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Closed Bernstein Variation 7 moves
- C66 Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Closed Showalter Variation 7 moves
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Improved Steinitz Defense (C66)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/ruy-lopez-berlin-defense-improved-steinitz-defense