- ECO code
- C24
- Moves
- 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6
- Family
- Bishop's Opening
- To move
- White
- Master games
- 561
- Average game length
- 45 moves
- Years covered
- 1844–2026
Bishop's Opening: Berlin Defense is the opening filed under ECO code C24, reached after 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6. It belongs to the Bishop's Opening family and is known as the Berlin Defense; in the resulting position it is White to move.
Katuranga's collection of 138,070 master games contains 561 games on this line — the 193rd most played opening in the collection. The oldest game on this line is from 1844 and the most recent from 2026. The busiest decade in this collection is the 2020s, with 266 games. An average game here lasts 45 moves.
White wins 45% of those games, 30% end in a draw, and Black wins 25%. Compared with the collection average (White 37%, draws 35%, Black 28%), Black scores worse here by 3 percentage points. Draws are less common here than usual, by 5 points.
From this position the most popular move is 3.d3, played in 478 games, followed by 3.Nc3 (49) and 3.d4 (12). After 3.d3 White scores 46% and Black 23%.
The name that appears most often on the White side of this line is Nakamura,Hi (77 games); on the Black side, So,W (22).
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Results in master games
- White 45% (252)
- Draws 30% (171)
- Black 25% (138)
Most played continuations
| Move | Games | White / draws / Black | Leads into |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.d3 | 478 | 46/31/23 | — |
| 3.Nc3 | 49 | 40/27/33 | — |
| 3.d4 | 12 | 17/50/33 | — |
| 3.Qf3 | 11 | 73/18/9 | — |
| 3.Nf3 | 7 | 42/29/29 | — |
| 3.Qe2 | 3 | 0/0/100 | — |
| 3.f4 | 1 | 0/0/100 | — |
How the position is reached
- King's Pawn Game · 1.e4 · 62,859 games
- King's Pawn Game · 1.e4 e5 · 24,632 games
- Bishop's Opening · 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 · 652 games
Played most often by
As White
- Nakamura,Hi 77
- Aronian,L 61
- Hou Yifan 30
As Black
- So,W 22
- Mamedyarov,S 14
- Nakamura,Hi 14
Games per decade
- 1840s 1
- 1850s 5
- 1860s 1
- 1880s 1
- 1890s 6
- 1900s 16
- 1910s 11
- 1920s 11
- 1930s 1
- 1940s 3
- 1950s 3
- 1960s 6
- 1970s 13
- 1980s 22
- 1990s 23
- 2000s 76
- 2010s 96
- 2020s 266
Master games on this line
| White | Black | Result | Year | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carlsen,M | Sanal,V | 1-0 | 2026 | 2nd 3-0 Thu 15th Jan 2026 |
| Aronian,L | Nakamura,Hi | 1-0 | 2026 | Titled Tue 6th Jan 2026 |
| Vlassov,N | Caruana,F | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | 2nd 3-0 Thu 15th Jan 2026 |
| Wei Yi | Le,Quang Liem | 1-0 | 2026 | FIDE World Bl Team Final |
| Nakamura,Hi | Aradhya,Garg | 1-0 | 2026 | Titled Tue 6th Jan 2026 |
| Vachier Lagrave,M | Solodovnichenko,Y | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | TCh-FRA Top 16 GpB 2026 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the Bishop's Opening: Berlin Defense?
It is the opening with ECO code C24, reached after 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6. It belongs to the Bishop's Opening family.
Is the Bishop's Opening: Berlin Defense good for White or for Black?
In 561 master games on this line White wins 45%, 30% are drawn and Black wins 25%. The collection average is White 37%, draws 35%, Black 28% — so this line is no worse than usual for White than the field as a whole.
What is the main continuation of the Bishop's Opening: Berlin Defense?
3.d3 — played in 478 of the master games on this line.
Which grandmasters play the Bishop's Opening: Berlin Defense?
On the White side Nakamura,Hi (77), Aronian,L (61), Hou Yifan (30); on the Black side So,W (22), Mamedyarov,S (14), Nakamura,Hi (14).
Every number on this page is computed from Katuranga's master game collection; names and ECO codes follow the lichess opening book (CC0).
Try this line on the board
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