Ruy Lopez: Classical Variation, Central Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
2,137,375 games: White 52.6% / Draw 4.1% / Black 43.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 583,420583K | ||
| 565,759566K | ||
| 409,103409K | ||
| 327,072327K | ||
| 97,91598K | ||
| Ruy Lopez: Classical Variation, Charousek Variation | 40,15740K | |
| Ruy Lopez: Classical Defense, Boden Variation | 33,65434K | |
| Ruy Lopez: Classical Variation, Cordel Gambit | 32,12232K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 26, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.42 White is slightly better
Best play: 4... Nf6 5. d4 exd4 6. e5 Nd5 7. cxd4 Bb4+ 8. Nbd2 a6 9. Bc4
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 worse this line does for White: White scores 56% under 1400, 53% at 2200 and up and 63% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 556K | |
| 1400–1799 | 1.5M | |
| 1800–2199 | 1.2M | |
| 2200 and up | 106K | |
| Masters, over the board | 898 |
Master games
- Anand, V. – Carlsen, M.
- Duda, J. – Giri, A.
- Anand, V. – Vallejo Pons, F.
- Grischuk, A. – Svidler, P.
- Shirov, A. – Leko, 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
Overview
Ruy Lopez: Classical Variation, Central Variation (ECO C64, Open Games) is a variation of the Ruy Lopez: Classical Variation, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Bc5 4. c3 (4 moves).
In 2,137,375 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 52.6%, Black 43.4% and 4.1% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 4…d6, in 27% of those games.
It branches into 4 named variations; the most played are Ruy Lopez: Classical Variation, Charousek Variation and Ruy Lopez: Classical Defense, Boden Variation.
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: Classical Variation, Central Variation
4…Nge7 scores best for Black: 49.6%, with Black winning 47.6% and White 48.5% of 327K games. The most played answer, 4…d6, scores lowest: 42.2% in 583K games. Stockfish's first choice is 4…Nf6.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: Black'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, Central Variation has gained ground since 2016: 0.082% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.067%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.067% | 23,982 |
| 2017 | 0.073% | 40,405 |
| 2018 | 0.076% | 59,398 |
| 2019 | 0.079% | 98,949 |
| 2020 | 0.078% | 228,083 |
| 2021 | 0.083% | 323,609 |
| 2022 | 0.086% | 321,475 |
| 2023 | 0.087% | 326,864 |
| 2024 | 0.086% | 307,004 |
| 2025 | 0.082% | 284,171 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.081% | 88,652 |
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: Classical Variation, Central Variation (C64)”. Lichess data as of 26 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/ruy-lopez-classical-variation-central-variation