Openings 1.e4 e5: open games
Ruy Lopez (Spanish Opening): Plans, Lines and Stats by Rating
3.Bb5 attacks the knight that defends e5. It does not win the pawn yet, so the pressure is slow and long-lasting. This is why the Ruy Lopez has been a top-level favorite for 150 years.
C60Ruy Lopez
Games from this position (1600–1999): 123k
- 1.
- 2.
- 3.
| Move | Played | Games | White · Draw · Black |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26% | 32k | ||
| 25% | 31k | ||
| 16% | 19k | ||
| 15% | 18k | ||
| 5% | 6,657 | ||
| 5% | 5,720 | ||
| 3% | 3,681 | ||
| 2% | 2,419 | ||
| 1% | 1,598 | ||
| 0.7% | 829 | ||
| 0.3% | 342 | ||
| 0.2% | 299 |
Plans for both sides
White
- Castle, play Re1 and c3, then d4. The bishop usually retreats Ba4–b3 and aims at f7.
- The pressure on e5 is indirect: Bxc6 followed by Nxe5 only works once e5 has lost a defender.
- In closed lines the knight goes Nbd2–f1–g3 and White attacks on the kingside.
Black
- 3...a6 asks the bishop to decide straight away; 3...Nf6 (the Berlin) hits e4.
- After ...b5 and ...Bb7 or ...d6, Black has a solid wall and queenside space.
- Do not rush ...d5 before your king is safe; e5 holds if you keep ...d6 and ...Nc6.
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Ruy Lopez at each rating
How often the position after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 comes up in rated Lichess games, how it scores and what players answer next.
| Rating | Games (Share of games) | White · Draw · Black | Top next move |
|---|---|---|---|
| <1200 | 60k2.0% | 3...Nf629% | |
| 1200–1599 | 142k2.4% | 3...d626% | |
| 1600–1999 | 123k1.9% | 3...d626% | |
| 2000+ | 47k2.3% | 3...a648% | |
| All | 372k2.1% | 3...a624% |
What usually comes next
The most played moves from here, all ratings together. Thicker line = played more often.
Main variations
The classical main line. Slow maneuvering with h3, d4 and Nbd2–f1–g3.
1,762 games from this position (all ratings, any move order). White won 50%, 10% were drawn, Black won 41%.
Show on the board: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 O-OThe old main line of the Closed Ruy: Black moves the knight to a5 to free the c-pawn and gain queenside space.
112 games from this position (all ratings, any move order). White won 47%, 10% were drawn, Black won 43%.
Show on the board: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 O-O 9.h3 Na5 10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Qc7Black gives a pawn for a fast kingside attack with ...Bd6, ...Qh4 and ...Bg4. Top players trust it so much that many White players avoid it.
838 games from this position (all ratings, any move order). White won 40%, 17% were drawn, Black won 43%.
Show on the board: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 O-O 8.c3 d5 9.exd5 Nxd5 10.Nxe5 Nxe5 11.Rxe5 c6White skips 8.c3 to stop ...d5 coming with a gambit, and uses the a-pawn to hit Black’s queenside. 8.h3 is the other way.
720 games from this position (all ratings, any move order). White won 51%, 12% were drawn, Black won 37%.
Show on the board: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 O-O 8.a4Black takes e4 and gets active pieces. White pushes e5 and aims for an endgame-like edge on the kingside.
861 games from this position (all ratings, any move order). White won 38%, 37% were drawn, Black won 25%.
Show on the board: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Nxe4 6.d4 b5 7.Bb3 d5 8.dxe5 Be6Black takes e4 and often reaches the famous queenless “Berlin endgame” after d4 and dxe5. The Berlin has its own guide.
9,382 games from this position (all ratings, any move order). White won 41%, 22% were drawn, Black won 37%.
Show on the board: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.O-O Nxe4White gives the bishop pair for a better pawn structure. Black gets two bishops and easy development.
27k games from this position (all ratings, any move order). White won 48%, 5% were drawn, Black won 47%.
Show on the board: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6White waits until Black has played ...Be7 and then trades. Now Nxe5 really threatens, because ...Qd4 no longer comes with a fork.
Too rare in our data for numbers.
Show on the board: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.d3Solid but passive: Black defends e5 directly and gives White a free hand in the center.
81k games from this position (all ratings, any move order). White won 52%, 5% were drawn, Black won 44%.
Show on the board: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 d6
Common traps
Exchange Variation: 5.Nxe5? Qd4
After 4.Bxc6 dxc6 the e5 pawn looks free, but 5.Nxe5? Qd4! attacks the knight and e4 at once, and Black wins the pawn back with a good game.
In our data, the last move of this line was played in 2,053 games.
Show on the board: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.Nxe5 Qd4 6.Nf3 Qxe4+Noah’s Ark trap
If White takes the pawn back with 8.Qxd4?, Black plays ...c5 and ...c4, and the bishop on b3 has no way out. To avoid it, prepare d4 with 5.c3 instead of playing 5.d4 at once.
Fewer than 6 games in our data reached the end of this line.
Show on the board: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 d6 5.d4 b5 6.Bb3 Nxd4 7.Nxd4 exd4 8.Qxd4 c5 9.Qd5 Be6 10.Qc6+ Bd7 11.Qd5 c4Advertisement
At club level
Below 1600 the Exchange Variation (4.Bxc6) is White’s most common choice, and many Black players panic about e5. You do not need to: after 4...dxc6 5.Nxe5? Qd4 wins the pawn back. For White, the closed main lines need a plan more than memory: c3, d4, Nbd2–f1–g3.
Practice it
The trainer answers with the replies people at your rating choose, in the same proportions, and brings back your mistakes on a schedule.
Related openings
- King’s Pawn Game: 1.e4 e5
1.e4 e5
- King’s Knight Opening: 2.Nf3
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3
- Italian Game
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4
- Bishop’s Opening
1.e4 e5 2.Bc4
- Philidor Defense
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6
- Scotch Game
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4