Ruy Lopez: Open, Malkin Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
876 games: White 46.9% / Draw 8.9% / Black 44.2%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 645645 | ||
| 131131 | ||
| 5757 | ||
| 1515 | ||
| 1010 | ||
| 77 | ||
| 55 | ||
| 44 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
0.00 The position is about equal
Best play: 11... Nc5 12. Nd4 Qd7 13. Nxc6 Qxc6 14. Bc2 f6 15. Re1 fxe5 16. Qxe5
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Ruy Lopez: Open, Malkin Variation (ECO C83, Open Games) is a variation of the Ruy Lopez: Open, Classical Defense, 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. c3 Be7 10. Nbd2 O-O 11. Qe2 (11 moves).
In 876 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 46.9%, Black 44.2% and 8.9% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 11…Nc5, in 74% of those games.
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How to play against the Ruy Lopez: Open, Malkin Variation
The most played answer, 11…Nc5, also scores best for Black: 51.4%, with Black winning 46.8% and White 44.0% of 645 games. Of the main answers, 11…Nxd2 scores lowest: 48.9%. Stockfish's first choice is also 11…Nc5.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: Black's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Ruy Lopez: Open, Malkin Variation (C83)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/ruy-lopez-open-malkin-variation