Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, l'Hermet Variation, Berlin Wall Defense
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Statistics from Lichess
219,479 games: White 45.1% / Draw 10.5% / Black 44.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 89,14989K | ||
| 37,38737K | ||
| 30,82531K | ||
| 27,65728K | ||
| 10,48410K | ||
| 6,3346,334 | ||
| 6,2476,247 | ||
| 2,6192,619 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.22 The position is about equal
Best play: 9. Nc3 Be7 10. Rd1+ Ke8 11. g4 Nh4 12. Nxh4 Bxh4 13. f3 a5
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 1,969 | |
| 1400–1799 | 27K | |
| 1800–2199 | 128K | |
| 2200 and up | 70K | |
| Masters, over the board | 8,758 |
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, Berlin Wall Defense (ECO C67, Open Games) is a variation of the Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, l'Hermet Variation, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 (8 moves).
In 219,479 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 45.1%, Black 44.4% and 10.5% were drawn. White's most played move here is 9. Nc3, in 41% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Berlin Wall.
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How to play against the Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, l'Hermet Variation, Berlin Wall Defense
9. h3 scores best for White: 52.9%, with White winning 47.5% and Black 41.7% of 28K games. The most played, 9. Nc3, scores 51.1% in 89K games, and 9. Bg5+ scores lowest: 47.3%. Stockfish's first choice is 9. Nc3.
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, Berlin Wall Defense has lost ground since 2016: 0.0064% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.011% (its peak: 0.014% in 2018).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.011% | 4,008 |
| 2017 | 0.012% | 6,535 |
| 2018 | 0.014% | 11,276 |
| 2019 | 0.012% | 15,162 |
| 2020 | 0.01% | 29,935 |
| 2021 | 0.0086% | 33,684 |
| 2022 | 0.0082% | 30,927 |
| 2023 | 0.0076% | 28,477 |
| 2024 | 0.0073% | 26,045 |
| 2025 | 0.0064% | 22,329 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.0065% | 7,111 |
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 (1)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, l'Hermet Variation, Berlin Wall Defense (C67)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/ruy-lopez-berlin-defense-lhermet-variation-berlin-wall-defense