- ECO code
- C65
- Moves
- 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.O-O
- Family
- Ruy Lopez
- To move
- Black
- Master games
- 1,850
- Average game length
- 44 moves
- Years covered
- 1857–2026
Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense is the opening filed under ECO code C65, reached after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.O-O. It belongs to the Ruy Lopez family and is known as the Berlin Defense; in the resulting position it is Black to move.
Katuranga's collection of 138,070 master games contains 1,850 games on this line — the 64th most played opening in the collection. The oldest game on this line is from 1857 and the most recent from 2026. The busiest decade in this collection is the 2020s, with 684 games. An average game here lasts 44 moves.
White wins 25% of those games, 60% end in a draw, and Black wins 15%. Compared with the collection average (White 37%, draws 35%, Black 28%), Black scores worse here by 13 percentage points. Draws are more common here than usual, by 25 points.
From this position the most popular move is 4...Nxe4, played in 1,680 games, followed by 4...d6 (65) and 4...Bc5 (64). 4...Nxe4 leads into Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Rio Gambit Accepted. After 4...Nxe4 White scores 24% and Black 14%.
The name that appears most often on the White side of this line is Vachier Lagrave,M (214 games); on the Black side, Nakamura,Hi (177).
3 named variations branch off this position and have their own page here, among them Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Rio Gambit Accepted; Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, l'Hermet Variation; Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, l'Hermet Variation, Berlin Wall Defense.
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Results in master games
- White 25% (471)
- Draws 60% (1,096)
- Black 15% (283)
Most played continuations
| Move | Games | White / draws / Black | Leads into |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4...Nxe4 | 1,680 | 24/62/14 | Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Rio Gambit Accepted |
| 4...d6 | 65 | 43/28/29 | — |
| 4...Bc5 | 64 | 33/47/20 | — |
| 4...Be7 | 39 | 44/28/28 | — |
| 4...a6 | 1 | 100/0/0 | — |
| 4...d5 | 1 | 100/0/0 | — |
Variations from this position
- Rio Gambit Accepted · 4...Nxe4 · 1,680 games
- l'Hermet Variation · 4...Nxe4 5.d4 Nd6 · 880 games
- l'Hermet Variation, Berlin Wall Defense · 4...Nxe4 5.d4 Nd6 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.dxe5 Nf5 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8 · 740 games
How the position is reached
- King's Pawn Game · 1.e4 · 62,859 games
- King's Pawn Game · 1.e4 e5 · 24,632 games
- King's Knight Opening · 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 · 21,895 games
- King's Knight Opening: Normal Variation · 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 · 19,295 games
- Ruy Lopez · 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 · 12,516 games
- Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense · 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 · 3,599 games
Played most often by
As White
- Vachier Lagrave,M 214
- Shirov,A 94
- Anand,V 73
As Black
- Nakamura,Hi 177
- So,W 152
- Aronian,L 130
Games per decade
- 1850s 2
- 1860s 24
- 1870s 1
- 1880s 10
- 1890s 45
- 1900s 48
- 1910s 21
- 1920s 16
- 1930s 5
- 1940s 4
- 1950s 14
- 1960s 22
- 1970s 14
- 1980s 31
- 1990s 51
- 2000s 249
- 2010s 609
- 2020s 684
Master games on this line
| White | Black | Result | Year | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nepomniachtchi,I | Niemann,Hans Moke | 1-0 | 2026 | Niemann-Nepomniachtchi m |
| Abdusattorov,Nodirbek | Firouzja,Alireza | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | GCT Super CRO Arm TB |
| Topalov,V | Erdogmus,Yagiz Kaan | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | Clash of Generations III |
| Sheehan,Ethan | So,W | 0-1 | 2026 | Naroditsky Mem Blitz RR |
| Movahed,Sina | So,W | 1-0 | 2026 | Titled Tue 7th Apr 2026 |
| Ivanchuk,V | Sanal,V | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | Reykjavik Open 2026 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense?
It is the opening with ECO code C65, reached after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.O-O. It belongs to the Ruy Lopez family.
Is the Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense good for White or for Black?
In 1,850 master games on this line White wins 25%, 60% are drawn and Black wins 15%. 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 Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense?
4...Nxe4 — played in 1,680 of the master games on this line, which leads into Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Rio Gambit Accepted.
Which grandmasters play the Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense?
On the White side Vachier Lagrave,M (214), Shirov,A (94), Anand,V (73); on the Black side Nakamura,Hi (177), So,W (152), Aronian,L (130).
Every number on this page is computed from Katuranga's master game collection; names and ECO codes follow the lichess opening book (CC0).
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