Ruy Lopez: Classical Variation
The Classical Variation of the Ruy Lopez (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Bc5), also called the Cordel Defence, develops Black's king's bishop to c5 at once. Read the guide
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Statistics from Lichess
7,597,825 games: White 50.3% / Draw 4.3% / Black 45.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 3,343,5243.3M | ||
| Central Variation | 1,980,3472M | |
| 1,303,0631.3M | ||
| 383,504384K | ||
| 327,630328K | ||
| 145,178145K | ||
| 24,04024K | ||
| Spanish Wing Gambit | 20,68621K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 27, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.37 White is slightly better
Best play: 4. c3 Nf6 5. d4 exd4 6. e5 Nd5 7. cxd4 Bb4+ 8. Nbd2 a6
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 49% under 1400, 48% at 2200 and up and 42% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 3.8M | |
| 1400–1799 | 6.5M | |
| 1800–2199 | 4M | |
| 2200 and up | 306K | |
| Masters, over the board | 1,972 |
Master games
- Anand, V. – Carlsen, M.
- Duda, J. – Giri, A.
- Dominguez Perez, L. – Aronian, L.
- Anand, V. – Vallejo Pons, F.
- Grischuk, A. – Svidler, P.
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 26, 2026
Description
The Classical Variation of the Ruy Lopez (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Bc5), also called the Cordel Defence, develops Black's king's bishop to c5 at once. It is possibly the oldest defence to the Ruy Lopez.
Origins
Former world champion Boris Spassky and Boris Gulko have played it occasionally, but it is uncommon today and was never particularly common, because White can gain time against the bishop with c3 and d4.
The idea
Black develops actively and keeps the option of ...Nf6 or ...Nge7. White's most common reply, 4.c3, prepares d4 with tempo on the bishop; 4.O-O is a close second, and 4.Nxe5 and 4.d3 are also seen.
Main lines
- 4.c3, the Central Variation:
- 4...f5, the Cordel Gambit, leading to sharp play; 5.d4 is considered the strongest reply;
- 4...Nf6, more solid; 5.O-O transposes to the Beverwijk Variation of the Berlin Defence;
- 4...Bb6 (Charousek Variation), 4...Nge7 and 4...Qf6 are also played, while 4...d6 is weak to 5.d4.
- 4.O-O, White's main alternative. 4...Nf6 again transposes to the Beverwijk, but the most common reply is 4...Nd4, a more positional line, for example 5.Nxd4 Bxd4 6.c3 Bb6 7.d4 c6.
- 4.Nxe5, the fork trick: if Black takes with 4...Nxe5, White regains the piece with 5.d4. There is no clear refutation, though 4...Qe7 and 4...Qg5 are strong alternatives to 4...Nxe5.
- With 3...a6 4.Ba4 Bc5 Black plays the Cordel Defence Deferred.
Strengths and weaknesses
Strengths
- Active development of the bishop on move three.
- Flexible, with transpositions such as the Beverwijk Variation of the Berlin.
Weaknesses
- White can gain time against the bishop with c3 and d4.
- Some natural moves are weak, for example 4.c3 d6 5.d4.
Who should play it
The Classical Variation suits Black players who like active piece play and want an uncommon alternative to the main lines of the Ruy Lopez.
The numbers
On Lichess White wins about 50% at every level: 49.5% against 46.7% under 1400, 49.8% against 46.3% at 1400–1799, 50.5% against 45.0% at 1800–2199 and 49.0% against 44.6% from 2200 up. There are only about 2,000 master games, too few to draw firm conclusions.
Suggest an improvement or report a mistake
How to play against the Ruy Lopez: Classical Variation
4. c3 (Central Variation) scores best for White: 54.8%, with White winning 52.8% and Black 43.2% of 2M games. The most played, 4. O-O, scores 53.5% in 3.3M games, and 4. Bxc6 scores lowest: 48.3%. Stockfish's first choice is also 4. c3.
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: Classical Variation has stayed between 0.27% and 0.31% of Lichess games a year since 2016 (0.27% in 2025).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.28% | 100,933 |
| 2017 | 0.29% | 157,426 |
| 2018 | 0.29% | 226,254 |
| 2019 | 0.3% | 371,866 |
| 2020 | 0.3% | 879,890 |
| 2021 | 0.31% | 1,201,989 |
| 2022 | 0.3% | 1,137,788 |
| 2023 | 0.3% | 1,121,765 |
| 2024 | 0.29% | 1,039,896 |
| 2025 | 0.27% | 947,654 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.27% | 293,783 |
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 7 named lines that continue from here
- C64 Ruy Lopez: Classical Defense, Zaitsev Variation 5 moves
- C64 Central Variation 4 moves
- C64 Spanish Wing Gambit 4 moves
- C64 Ruy Lopez: Classical Defense, Boden Variation 4 moves
- C64 Ruy Lopez: Classical Variation, Charousek Variation 4 moves
- C64 Ruy Lopez: Classical Variation, Cordel Gambit 4 moves
- C64 Ruy Lopez: Classical Variation, Konikowski Gambit 4 moves
Sources
- History and theory: adapted from the Wikipedia article Ruy Lopez, version of 26 October 2026, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Results: Lichess opening explorer, figures collected from September to November 2026.
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Ruy Lopez: Classical Variation (C64)”. Lichess data as of 27 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/ruy-lopez-classical-variation