Tree path 7 levels King's Pawn Game › King's Knight Opening › Normal Variation › Ruy Lopez › Morphy Defense › Ruy Lopez: Exchange Variation › Keres Variation
- Caissa Codex
- King's Pawn Game C20
- King's Knight Opening C40
- Normal Variation C44
- Ruy Lopez C60
- Morphy Defense C70
- Ruy Lopez: Exchange Variation C68
- Keres Variation C68 you are here
Ruy Lopez: Exchange Variation, Keres Variation
Overview
Ruy Lopez: Exchange Variation, Keres Variation is a named branch in the Open Games group of chess theory, classified under ECO C68.
The Open Games group covers open games — classical 1.e4 e5 openings where both sides contest the centre directly with pawns.
Play reaches this position via 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. Nc3, after 9 plies of opening development.
In the opening tree, this line branches off from Ruy Lopez: Exchange Variation, part of the broader King's Pawn Game system.
It continues primarily into one named line, Ruy Lopez: Exchange Variation, Romanovsky Variation.
Use the board to walk through every move, check how the position has scored on Lichess, or take it head-to-head against Stockfish.
- ECO code
- C68
- Group
- Open Games (C)
- Plies
- 9
- Direct variations
- 1
This overview is generated automatically from the opening's metadata. Know this line well? Write a description — submissions are reviewed before publishing.
Statistics from Lichess
414,086 games · White 48.5% / Draw 6.3% / Black 45.2%
| Moves | Games | W / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Bd6 | 162,083 | |
| Bg4 | 95,500 | |
| f6 | 73,974 | |
| Nf6 | 31,383 | |
| Bc5 | 25,498 | |
| Qf6 | 6,970 | |
| Qd6 | 6,864 | |
| Bb4 | 6,241 |
Source: Lichess Opening Explorer · cached 2026-09-26 02:07:01
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Submissions are reviewed before publishing.