C67

Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Zukertort Variation

Chess diagram: Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Zukertort Variation after 9. c4

Type a move and press Enter: e4, Nf3, O-O, or from and to squares like g1f3 (e7e8q to promote). The board is also played with the mouse.

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Statistics from Lichess

70 games: White 58.6% / Draw 5.7% / Black 35.7%

The moves played next. Pick one to see it on the board.
Next moveGamesWhite / Draw / BlackW / D / B
5757
1010
22
11

Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 27, 2026

Engine evaluation

+0.20 The position is about equal

Best play: 9... O-O 10. Nc3 f6 11. Re1 fxe5 12. Qxe5 Bf6 13. Qh5 g6 14. Qh6

Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.

Overview

Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Zukertort Variation (ECO C67, Open Games) is a variation of the Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Rio de Janeiro Variation, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 Be7 6. Qe2 Nd6 7. Bxc6 bxc6 8. dxe5 Nb7 9. c4 (9 moves).

In 70 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 58.6%, Black 35.7% and 5.7% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 9…O-O, in 81% of those games. That is too few games for the percentages to mean much.

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Cite this page

Caissa Codex. “Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Zukertort Variation (C67)”. Lichess data as of 27 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/ruy-lopez-berlin-defense-zukertort-variation