Ruy Lopez: Fianchetto Defense
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Statistics from Lichess
263,934 games: White 46.3% / Draw 5.8% / Black 47.9%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 116,350116K | ||
| 43,03643K | ||
| 40,74241K | ||
| 30,43430K | ||
| 15,08415K | ||
| 13,32313K | ||
| 1,7741,774 | ||
| 789789 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.52 White is slightly better
Best play: 4. c3 a6 5. Ba4 d6 6. d4 Bd7 7. O-O Bg7 8. h3 Nf6
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 45% under 1400, 51% at 2200 and up and 45% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 103K | |
| 1400–1799 | 108K | |
| 1800–2199 | 146K | |
| 2200 and up | 64K | |
| Masters, over the board | 2,884 |
Master games
- Anand, V. – Carlsen, M.
- Nakamura, H. – Carlsen, M.
- Giri, A. – Carlsen, M.
- Caruana, F. – Mamedyarov, S.
- Karjakin, S. – Carlsen, M.
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: Fianchetto Defense (ECO C60, Open Games) is a variation of the Ruy Lopez, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 g6 (3 moves).
In 263,934 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 46.3%, Black 47.9% and 5.8% were drawn. White's most played move here is 4. O-O, in 44% of those games.
It branches into 3 named variations; the most played are Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Modern Steinitz Defense, Fianchetto Variation and Ruy Lopez: Cozio Defense, Tartakower Gambit.
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: Fianchetto Defense
4. d4 scores best for White: 53.2%, with White winning 49.8% and Black 43.4% of 30K games. The most played, 4. O-O, scores 48.8% in 116K games, and 4. d3 scores lowest: 47.6%. Stockfish's first choice is 4. c3.
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: Fianchetto Defense has lost ground since 2016: 0.0081% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.013% (its peak: 0.016% in 2018).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.013% | 4,651 |
| 2017 | 0.014% | 7,602 |
| 2018 | 0.016% | 12,488 |
| 2019 | 0.014% | 17,013 |
| 2020 | 0.013% | 39,139 |
| 2021 | 0.01% | 39,680 |
| 2022 | 0.0097% | 36,397 |
| 2023 | 0.0097% | 36,342 |
| 2024 | 0.0083% | 29,830 |
| 2025 | 0.0081% | 28,240 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.0077% | 8,402 |
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 (3)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Ruy Lopez: Fianchetto Defense (C60)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/ruy-lopez-fianchetto-defense