Ruy Lopez: Open, Schlechter Defense
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Statistics from Lichess
83 games: White 45.8% / Draw 7.2% / Black 47.0%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 7777 | ||
| 55 | ||
| 11 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.13 The position is about equal
Best play: 9. Nxd4 exd4 10. axb5 Bc5 11. c3 Ra7 12. Qh5 O-O 13. Qxd5 Bb7
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Ruy Lopez: Open, Schlechter Defense (ECO C80, Open Games) is a variation of the Ruy Lopez: Open, 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. a4 Nxd4 (8 moves).
In 83 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 45.8%, Black 47.0% and 7.2% were drawn. White's most played move here is 9. Nxd4, in 93% of those games. That is too few games for the percentages to mean much.
It continues into one named variation, Ruy Lopez: Open, Berger Variation.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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Variations (1)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Ruy Lopez: Open, Schlechter Defense (C80)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/ruy-lopez-open-schlechter-defense