Ruy Lopez: Exchange Variation, Alapin Gambit
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Statistics from Lichess
207,159 games: White 46.0% / Draw 6.0% / Black 48.0%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 156,513157K | ||
| 14,94315K | ||
| 11,80512K | ||
| 8,0258,025 | ||
| 7,1027,102 | ||
| 6,3216,321 | ||
| 924924 | ||
| 430430 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.03 The position is about equal
Best play: 7. d3 Qf6 8. Be3 Bxf3 9. Qxf3 Qxf3 10. gxf3 Bd6 11. Nd2 Ne7
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 Black: Black scores 74% under 1400, 44% at 2200 and up and 44% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 8,881 | |
| 1400–1799 | 48K | |
| 1800–2199 | 126K | |
| 2200 and up | 49K | |
| Masters, over the board | 1,313 |
Master games
- Leko, P. – Morozevich, A.
- Ivanchuk, V. – Aronian, L.
- Radjabov, T. – Mamedyarov, S.
- Anand, V. – Kasimdzhanov, R.
- Karjakin, S. – Shirov, A.
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: Exchange Variation, Alapin Gambit (ECO C69, Open Games) is a gambit in the Ruy Lopez: Exchange Variation, Normal Variation, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. O-O Bg4 6. h3 h5 (6 moves).
In 207,159 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 46.0%, Black 48.0% and 6.0% were drawn. White's most played move here is 7. d3, in 76% of those games.
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: Exchange Variation, Alapin Gambit
The most played answer, 7. d3, also scores best for White: 52.9%, with White winning 49.7% and Black 43.9% of 157K games. Of the main answers, 7. hxg4 scores lowest: 12.6%. Stockfish's first choice is also 7. d3.
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: Exchange Variation, Alapin Gambit is played less than half as often as in 2016: 0.0062% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.013%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.013% | 4,675 |
| 2017 | 0.014% | 7,863 |
| 2018 | 0.013% | 10,474 |
| 2019 | 0.011% | 13,288 |
| 2020 | 0.0097% | 28,548 |
| 2021 | 0.0075% | 29,394 |
| 2022 | 0.0075% | 27,985 |
| 2023 | 0.0074% | 27,648 |
| 2024 | 0.0069% | 24,618 |
| 2025 | 0.0062% | 21,518 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.0066% | 7,201 |
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Ruy Lopez: Exchange Variation, Alapin Gambit (C69)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/ruy-lopez-exchange-variation-alapin-gambit