Ruy Lopez: Steinitz Defense 3…d6 4. d4
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Statistics from Lichess
4,049,087 games: White 55.3% / Draw 5.4% / Black 39.3%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 2,151,3412.2M | ||
| 1,158,2551.2M | ||
| 429,259429K | ||
| 207,313207K | ||
| 27,55728K | ||
| 25,59926K | ||
| 14,16214K | ||
| 7,8487,848 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 8, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.60 White is slightly better
Best play: 4... exd4 5. Nxd4 Bd7 6. Nc3 Nf6 7. O-O Be7 8. Nxc6 Bxc6 9. Bxc6+
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 White: White scores 56% under 1400, 60% at 2200 and up and 60% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 1.5M | |
| 1400–1799 | 3.8M | |
| 1800–2199 | 1.9M | |
| 2200 and up | 79K | |
| Masters, over the board | 554 |
Master games
- Leko, P. – Aronian, L.
- Bologan, V. – Ivanchuk, V.
- Ivanchuk, V. – Ehlvest, J.
- Adams, M. – Ehlvest, J.
- Navara, D. – Andriasian, Z.
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 26, 2026
Overview
Ruy Lopez: Steinitz Defense (ECO C62, Open Games) is a variation of the Ruy Lopez: Steinitz Defense, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 d6 4. d4 (4 moves).
In 4,049,087 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 55.3%, Black 39.3% and 5.4% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 4…exd4, in 53% of those games.
It branches into 4 named variations; the most played are Ruy Lopez: Steinitz Defense, Nimzowitsch Attack and Ruy Lopez: Steinitz Defense, Center Gambit.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to answer 4. d4
The most played answer, 4…exd4, also scores best for Black: 43.4%, with Black winning 40.6% and White 53.7% of 2.2M games. Of the main answers, 4…a6 scores lowest: 36.9%. Stockfish's first choice is also 4…exd4.
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
This line has lost ground since 2016: 0.14% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.23%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.23% | 80,549 |
| 2017 | 0.21% | 116,760 |
| 2018 | 0.19% | 148,878 |
| 2019 | 0.18% | 221,410 |
| 2020 | 0.16% | 479,533 |
| 2021 | 0.16% | 624,367 |
| 2022 | 0.15% | 579,279 |
| 2023 | 0.15% | 564,538 |
| 2024 | 0.15% | 521,592 |
| 2025 | 0.14% | 487,230 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.14% | 154,176 |
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)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Ruy Lopez: Steinitz Defense (C62)”. Lichess data as of 8 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/ruy-lopez-steinitz-defense-2