Tree path 7 levels King's Pawn Game › King's Knight Opening › Normal Variation › Ruy Lopez › Steinitz Defense › Ruy Lopez: Steinitz Defense › Center Gambit
- Chess Codex
- King's Pawn Game C20
- King's Knight Opening C40
- Normal Variation C44
- Ruy Lopez C60
- Steinitz Defense C62
- Ruy Lopez: Steinitz Defense C62
- Center Gambit C62 you are here
Ruy Lopez: Steinitz Defense, Center Gambit
Overview
Ruy Lopez: Steinitz Defense, Center Gambit is a sacrificial opening line filed under ECO C62 in the Open Games group. The defining idea is the early concession of material to seize the initiative and unbalance the position.
The Open Games group covers open games — classical 1.e4 e5 openings where both sides contest the centre directly with pawns.
Play reaches this position via 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 d6 4. d4 exd4 5. O-O, after 9 plies of opening development.
In the opening tree, this line branches off from Ruy Lopez: Steinitz Defense, part of the broader King's Pawn Game system.
Use the board to walk through every move, check how the position has scored on Lichess, or take it head-to-head against Stockfish.
- ECO code
- C62
- Group
- Open Games (C)
- Plies
- 9
- Parent
- Ruy Lopez: Steinitz Defense
This overview is generated automatically from the opening's metadata. Know this line well? Write a description — submissions are reviewed before publishing.
Statistics from Lichess
24,937 games · White 57.6% / Draw 4.5% / Black 37.9%
| Moves | Games | W / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Bd7 | 15,752 | |
| Nf6 | 3,258 | |
| Bg4 | 2,757 | |
| a6 | 1,259 | |
| Be7 | 1,113 | |
| Ne7 | 312 | |
| g6 | 158 | |
| h6 | 141 |
Source: Lichess Opening Explorer · cached 2026-09-26 02:06:37
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Submissions are reviewed before publishing.