Ruy Lopez: Schliemann Defense
Also known as Jaenisch Gambit
The Schliemann Defense, also called the Jaenisch Gambit or Jaenisch–Schliemann Gambit, is 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 f5: against the Ruy Lopez Black hits back at once with the f-pawn. Read the guide
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Statistics from Lichess
1,728,173 games: White 44.5% / Draw 5.0% / Black 50.5%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 582,634583K | ||
| Exchange Variation | 378,322378K | |
| Jaenisch Gambit Accepted | 337,905338K | |
| Dyckhoff Variation | 235,986236K | |
| Schönemann Attack | 114,522115K | |
| 55,30155K | ||
| 16,04616K | ||
| 3,6403,640 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 8, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.59 White is slightly better
Best play: 4. d3 fxe4 5. dxe4 Nf6 6. O-O Bc5 7. Bxc6 bxc6 8. Nxe5 O-O
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 49% under 1400, 52% at 2200 and up and 41% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 306K | |
| 1400–1799 | 706K | |
| 1800–2199 | 1M | |
| 2200 and up | 286K | |
| Masters, over the board | 4,363 |
Master games
- Caruana, F. – Carlsen, M.
- Caruana, F. – Aronian, L.
- Anand, V. – Ivanchuk, V.
- Anand, V. – Carlsen, M.
- Caruana, F. – Radjabov, T.
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
Description
The Schliemann Defense, also called the Jaenisch Gambit or Jaenisch–Schliemann Gambit, is 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 f5: against the Ruy Lopez Black hits back at once with the f-pawn. It is a sharp line in which Black plays for a kingside attack, often sacrificing one or two pawns. Its ECO code is C63.
Origins
The variation was originated by Carl Jaenisch, who analysed it in the December 1847 issue of Le Palamède. The Handbuch des Schachspiels later named it after the German lawyer Adolph Schliemann (1817–1872), but the line Schliemann actually advocated in the 1860s was a gambit in the Cordel Defense, 3...Bc5 4.c3 f5.
Main lines
White's most common answers are 4.d3 and 4.Nc3.
- 4.Nc3 fxe4 5.Nxe4. Now 5...d5 leads to the most heavily analysed variations of the gambit, with great complications, while 5...Nf6 generally leads to quieter play.
- 4.d3 is the other main reply.
- 4.exf5 is inferior: after 4...e4 5.Qe2 Qe7 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.Nd4 Nh6 Black has the better of it.
The deferred version, 3...a6 4.Ba4 f5, is rarely seen and considered worse for Black, because White answers 5.d4 with an advantage. Viktor Korchnoi still used it to draw against Anatoly Karpov in the 1974 Candidates Final, and Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa beat Vidit Gujrathi with it in the 2024 Candidates Tournament.
Who plays it
The Schliemann is considered a good practical weapon but positionally risky, especially against a strong, well-prepared opponent. Teimour Radjabov is currently the only top player who uses it regularly, with mixed results.
The numbers
On Lichess Black wins 50.5% of the 1.7 million games and White 44.5%. Only under 1400 is White ahead, 49.3% against 47.5%. Between 1800 and 2199 Black wins 50.9% against 44.2%, and from 2200 up 48.2% against 44.7%. Master games over the board look different: in 4,363 games White won 38.9%, Black 20.1%, and 41.0% were drawn.
Suggest an improvement or report a mistake
How to play against the Ruy Lopez: Schliemann Defense
4. Nc3 (Dyckhoff Variation) scores best for White: 50.7%, with White winning 47.9% and Black 46.5% of 236K games. The most played, 4. d3, scores 48.9% in 583K games, and 4. Bxc6 scores lowest: 43.4%. Stockfish's first choice is 4. d3.
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: Schliemann Defense dipped to 0.052% of Lichess games in 2021 and has recovered since: 0.074% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.067% | 23,834 |
| 2017 | 0.078% | 42,702 |
| 2018 | 0.079% | 62,195 |
| 2019 | 0.072% | 89,365 |
| 2020 | 0.061% | 178,253 |
| 2021 | 0.052% | 202,443 |
| 2022 | 0.061% | 228,306 |
| 2023 | 0.071% | 267,770 |
| 2024 | 0.073% | 261,838 |
| 2025 | 0.074% | 258,031 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.075% | 82,470 |
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 (4)
All 8 named lines that continue from here
- C63 Dyckhoff Variation 4 moves
- C63 Exchange Variation 4 moves
- C63 Jaenisch Gambit Accepted 4 moves
- C63 Schönemann Attack 4 moves
- C63 Ruy Lopez: Schliemann Defense, Classical Variation 7 moves
- C63 Ruy Lopez: Schliemann Defense, Kostić Defense 5 moves
- C63 Ruy Lopez: Schliemann Defense, Möhring Variation 7 moves
- C63 Ruy Lopez: Schliemann Defense, Tartakower Variation 5 moves
Sources
- History and theory: adapted from the Wikipedia article Ruy Lopez, version of 26 October 2026, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Results: Lichess opening explorer, figures collected from September to November 2026.
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Ruy Lopez: Schliemann Defense (C63)”. Lichess data as of 8 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/ruy-lopez-schliemann-defense