Ruy Lopez: Open, Howell Attack, Ekstrom Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
430 games: White 40.7% / Draw 9.1% / Black 50.2%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 214214 | ||
| 7979 | ||
| 3737 | ||
| 2828 | ||
| 1919 | ||
| 1616 | ||
| 1414 | ||
| 1010 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 27, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.46 White is slightly better
Best play: 13. Nc3 Nxc3 14. bxc3 f6 15. exf6 Bxf6 16. Ng5 Bxg5 17. Bxg5 h6
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Ruy Lopez: Open, Howell Attack, Ekstrom Variation (ECO C81, Open Games) is a variation of the Ruy Lopez: Open, Howell Attack, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 8. dxe5 Be6 9. Qe2 Be7 10. Rd1 O-O 11. c4 bxc4 12. Bxc4 Qd7 (12 moves).
In 430 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 40.7%, Black 50.2% and 9.1% were drawn. White's most played move here is 13. Nc3, in 50% of those games.
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Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Ruy Lopez: Open, Howell Attack, Ekstrom Variation (C81)”. Lichess data as of 27 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/ruy-lopez-open-howell-attack-ekstrom-variation