Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, l'Hermet Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
388,076 games: White 45.5% / Draw 9.7% / Black 44.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 308,781309K | ||
| Ruy Lopez: Open Berlin Defense, l'Hermet Variation | 52,96153K | |
| Ruy Lopez: Open Berlin Defense, Showalter Variation | 17,19917K | |
| 2,1562,156 | ||
| 1,8921,892 | ||
| 1,6011,601 | ||
| 1,3591,359 | ||
| 1,0691,069 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 1, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.22 The position is about equal
Best play: 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. Nc3 Ke8 10. h3 h6
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: Black scores 48% under 1400, 49% at 2200 and up and 48% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 8,467 | |
| 1400–1799 | 62K | |
| 1800–2199 | 227K | |
| 2200 and up | 116K | |
| Masters, over the board | 10K |
Master games
- Caruana, F. – Carlsen, M.
- Caruana, F. – Carlsen, M.
- Anand, V. – Carlsen, M.
- Caruana, F. – Carlsen, M.
- Carlsen, M. – Aronian, L.
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, l'Hermet Variation (ECO C67, Open Games) is a variation of the Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Rio Gambit Accepted, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 (5 moves).
In 388,076 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 45.5%, Black 44.8% and 9.7% were drawn. White's most played move here is 6. Bxc6, in 80% of those games.
It branches into 4 named variations; the most played are Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, l'Hermet Variation, Berlin Wall Defense and Ruy Lopez: Open Berlin Defense, l'Hermet 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, l'Hermet Variation
6. dxe5 (Ruy Lopez: Open Berlin Defense, l'Hermet Variation) scores best for White: 51.1%, with White winning 44.4% and Black 42.1% of 53K games. The most played answer, 6. Bxc6, scores lowest: 50.5% in 309K games. Stockfish's first choice is 6. Bxc6.
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, l'Hermet Variation has lost ground since 2016: 0.012% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.018% (its peak: 0.023% in 2018).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.018% | 6,276 |
| 2017 | 0.02% | 10,805 |
| 2018 | 0.023% | 18,413 |
| 2019 | 0.02% | 24,996 |
| 2020 | 0.017% | 50,565 |
| 2021 | 0.015% | 58,922 |
| 2022 | 0.015% | 56,195 |
| 2023 | 0.014% | 52,538 |
| 2024 | 0.013% | 47,874 |
| 2025 | 0.012% | 41,682 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.012% | 13,144 |
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 (4)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, l'Hermet Variation (C67)”. Lichess data as of 1 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/ruy-lopez-berlin-defense-lhermet-variation