Ruy Lopez: Exchange Variation, King's Bishop Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
761,672 games: White 54.7% / Draw 5.4% / Black 39.9%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 439,601440K | ||
| 81,09181K | ||
| 72,31772K | ||
| 65,95466K | ||
| 46,04846K | ||
| 39,39439K | ||
| 8,3698,369 | ||
| 4,9284,928 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.11 The position is about equal
Best play: 6. d4 exd4 7. Qxd4 f6 8. Nbd2 Be6 9. Re1 Ne7 10. Qc3 O-O
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 46% under 1400, 44% at 2200 and up and 51% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 198K | |
| 1400–1799 | 602K | |
| 1800–2199 | 391K | |
| 2200 and up | 41K | |
| Masters, over the board | 678 |
Master games
- Nisipeanu, L. – Carlsen, M.
- Ivanchuk, V. – Carlsen, M.
- Radjabov, T. – Aronian, L.
- Petrosian, T. – Carlsen, M.
- McShane, L. – Mamedyarov, S.
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, King's Bishop Variation (ECO C69, Open Games) is a variation of the Ruy Lopez: Exchange Variation, Normal Variation, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. O-O Bd6 (5 moves).
In 761,672 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 54.7%, Black 39.9% and 5.4% were drawn. White's most played move here is 6. d4, in 58% 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, King's Bishop Variation
The most played answer, 6. d4, also scores best for White: 60.9%, with White winning 58.2% and Black 36.3% of 440K games. Of the main answers, 6. Nc3 scores lowest: 48.0%. Stockfish's first choice is also 6. d4.
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, King's Bishop Variation is played less than half as often as in 2016: 0.022% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.046%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.046% | 16,270 |
| 2017 | 0.046% | 25,569 |
| 2018 | 0.041% | 32,078 |
| 2019 | 0.038% | 47,107 |
| 2020 | 0.036% | 105,799 |
| 2021 | 0.031% | 120,585 |
| 2022 | 0.029% | 109,935 |
| 2023 | 0.028% | 103,792 |
| 2024 | 0.025% | 89,770 |
| 2025 | 0.022% | 75,268 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.021% | 23,575 |
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, King's Bishop Variation (C69)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/ruy-lopez-exchange-variation-kings-bishop-variation