Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Rio Gambit Accepted
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Statistics from Lichess
1,355,309 games: White 48.2% / Draw 7.6% / Black 44.2%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 735,585736K | ||
| 517,648518K | ||
| 65,55166K | ||
| 18,75519K | ||
| 6,4436,443 | ||
| 4,8604,860 | ||
| 4,0204,020 | ||
| 1,3441,344 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 8, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.22 The position is about equal
Best play: 5. d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. Nc3 h6
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 better this line does for Black: Black scores 39% 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 | 611K | |
| 1400–1799 | 655K | |
| 1800–2199 | 776K | |
| 2200 and up | 254K | |
| Masters, over the board | 17K |
Master games
- Caruana, F. – Carlsen, M.
- Caruana, F. – Carlsen, M.
- Anand, V. – Carlsen, M.
- Carlsen, M. – Kramnik, V.
- Caruana, F. – 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
Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Rio Gambit Accepted (ECO C67, Open Games) is a gambit in the Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 (4 moves).
In 1,355,309 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.2%, Black 44.2% and 7.6% were drawn. White's most played move here is 5. Re1, in 54% of those games.
It branches into 3 named variations; the most played are Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, l'Hermet Variation and Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Rio de Janeiro Variation. In all, 15 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, Rio Gambit Accepted
5. d4 scores best for White: 53.0%, with White winning 48.8% and Black 42.7% of 518K games. The most played answer, 5. Re1, scores lowest: 51.4% in 736K games. 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, Rio Gambit Accepted has lost ground since 2016: 0.045% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.06% (its peak: 0.071% in 2018).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.06% | 21,286 |
| 2017 | 0.063% | 34,444 |
| 2018 | 0.071% | 55,971 |
| 2019 | 0.063% | 78,790 |
| 2020 | 0.057% | 165,590 |
| 2021 | 0.052% | 205,069 |
| 2022 | 0.052% | 196,227 |
| 2023 | 0.052% | 194,245 |
| 2024 | 0.049% | 176,753 |
| 2025 | 0.045% | 154,411 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.046% | 49,989 |
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 15 named lines that continue from here
- C67 Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, l'Hermet Variation 5 moves
- C67 Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Rio de Janeiro Variation 5 moves
- C67 Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Rosenthal Variation 5 moves
- C67 Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Cordel Variation 8 moves
- C67 Berlin Wall Defense 8 moves
- C67 Westerinen Line 7 moves
- C67 Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Minckwitz Variation 6 moves
- C67 Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Pillsbury Variation 9 moves
- C67 Rio de Janeiro Variation 13 moves
- C67 Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Trifunovic Variation 6 moves
- C67 Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Winawer Attack 9 moves
- C67 Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Zukertort Variation 9 moves
- C67 Ruy Lopez: Open Berlin Defense, l'Hermet Variation 6 moves
- C67 Ruy Lopez: Open Berlin Defense, Showalter Variation 6 moves
- C67 Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Berlin Wall 9 moves
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Rio Gambit Accepted (C67)”. Lichess data as of 8 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/ruy-lopez-berlin-defense-rio-gambit-accepted