Ruy Lopez: Exchange Variation, Lutikov Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
401,861 games: White 56.5% / Draw 5.0% / Black 38.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 130,877131K | ||
| 128,875129K | ||
| 49,12649K | ||
| 37,77038K | ||
| 29,62330K | ||
| 14,92215K | ||
| 5,5465,546 | ||
| 1,8681,868 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.62 White is slightly better
Best play: 5. d4 exd4 6. Qxd4 Qf6 7. Qa4 Bc5 8. Nc3 Ne7 9. O-O h6
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 better this line does for Black: Black scores 40% under 1400, 44% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 1.6M | |
| 1400–1799 | 866K | |
| 1800–2199 | 117K | |
| 2200 and up | 6,365 | |
| Masters, over the board | 82 |
Master games
- Andersson, U. – Larsen, B.
- Luther, T. – Krasenkow, M.
- Solak, D. – Sanal, V.
- Magem Badals, J. – Sahl, B.
- Yandemirov, V. – Sitnikov, 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, Lutikov Variation (ECO C68, Open Games) is a variation of the Ruy Lopez: Exchange Variation, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Bxc6 bxc6 (4 moves).
In 401,861 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 56.5%, Black 38.4% and 5.0% were drawn. White's most played move here is 5. O-O, in 33% 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, Lutikov Variation
The most played answer, 5. O-O, also scores best for White: 62.3%, with White winning 59.8% and Black 35.2% of 131K games. Of the main answers, 5. d3 scores lowest: 55.4%. Stockfish's first choice is 5. 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, Lutikov Variation is played less than half as often as in 2016: 0.01% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.032%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.032% | 11,579 |
| 2017 | 0.024% | 13,106 |
| 2018 | 0.016% | 12,750 |
| 2019 | 0.016% | 20,393 |
| 2020 | 0.019% | 55,464 |
| 2021 | 0.02% | 78,436 |
| 2022 | 0.016% | 61,523 |
| 2023 | 0.014% | 54,457 |
| 2024 | 0.012% | 42,014 |
| 2025 | 0.01% | 35,835 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.0096% | 10,519 |
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, Lutikov Variation (C68)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/ruy-lopez-exchange-variation-lutikov-variation