Ruy Lopez: Schliemann Defense, Dyckhoff Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
303,473 games: White 48.1% / Draw 5.3% / Black 46.6%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 168,559169K | ||
| 83,56984K | ||
| 30,09830K | ||
| 5,5845,584 | ||
| 5,4195,419 | ||
| 3,1673,167 | ||
| 2,5202,520 | ||
| 1,9391,939 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.55 White is slightly better
Best play: 4... fxe4 5. Nxe4 Nf6 6. Qe2 d5 7. Nxf6+ gxf6 8. O-O Qe7 9. d4
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 worse this line does for White: White scores 53% under 1400, 50% at 2200 and up and 62% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 59K | |
| 1400–1799 | 112K | |
| 1800–2199 | 176K | |
| 2200 and up | 66K | |
| Masters, over the board | 2,210 |
Master games
- Anand, V. – Caruana, F.
- Karjakin, S. – Radjabov, T.
- Movsesian, S. – Aronian, L.
- Karjakin, S. – Radjabov, T.
- Leko, P. – Aronian, L.
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: Schliemann Defense, Dyckhoff Variation (ECO C63, Open Games) is a variation of the Ruy Lopez: Schliemann Defense, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 f5 4. Nc3 (4 moves).
In 303,473 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.1%, Black 46.6% and 5.3% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 4…fxe4, in 56% of those games.
It branches into 4 named variations; the most played are Ruy Lopez: Schliemann Defense, Tartakower Variation and Ruy Lopez: Schliemann Defense, Classical Variation.
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: Schliemann Defense, Dyckhoff Variation
The most played answer, 4…fxe4, also scores best for Black: 50.8%, with Black winning 47.9% and White 46.3% of 169K games. Of the main answers, 4…d6 scores lowest: 45.9%. Stockfish's first choice is also 4…fxe4.
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
Popularity by year
The Ruy Lopez: Schliemann Defense, Dyckhoff Variation dipped to 0.0096% of Lichess games in 2021 and has recovered since: 0.013% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.012% | 4,222 |
| 2017 | 0.014% | 7,674 |
| 2018 | 0.014% | 11,288 |
| 2019 | 0.013% | 16,041 |
| 2020 | 0.012% | 34,352 |
| 2021 | 0.0096% | 37,432 |
| 2022 | 0.011% | 40,604 |
| 2023 | 0.012% | 45,587 |
| 2024 | 0.012% | 43,038 |
| 2025 | 0.013% | 43,395 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.013% | 14,384 |
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)
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Ruy Lopez: Schliemann Defense, Dyckhoff Variation (C63)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/ruy-lopez-schliemann-defense-dyckhoff-variation