Chess opening · ECO C65
Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense
3...Nf6 answers 3.Bb5 in the Berlin Defense, ignoring the pressure on c6 and attacking the e4 pawn instead. White usually castles and lets Black take it, knowing the pawn comes back. In the main line the queens leave the board by move eight, and the game turns into a long technical fight where the black king recaptures on d8 and gives up castling.
- Rank by weighted share
- #89 of 159
Key moves
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6
- 3... Nf6The knight develops and hits e4, which no white piece defends yet. White must protect the pawn, counter the attack, or let it go and win it back later.
Why 4.O-O can let e4 go
After 4.O-O Nxe4 5.d4, White opens the center while Black's king is still on e8. Black's knight retreats to d6, hitting the b5 bishop, and after 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.dxe5 Nf5 the queens come off with 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8. Material is level again.
A quieter path is 4.d3, which keeps the queens on and simply protects the pawn. The game then resembles a slow Italian with the bishop on b5.
The structure after the queen trade
Black has the two bishops and no castling, with the king on d8 doing the defending. The c-pawns are doubled, so Black's queenside majority cannot easily make a passed pawn.
White has a four-against-three majority on the kingside, led by the e5 pawn, and tries to advance it. Black tries to blockade those pawns and wait for the bishop pair to matter.
Into the Berlin endgame
4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8
The black knight returns from e4 via d6 to f5, and the queens are traded on d8. White's e5 pawn cramps the f6 and d6 squares, while Black's bishops wait for open lines.
Top replies by rating
Bxc6 leads in the three bands under 1600, though O-O closes in at 1400 to 1599. From 1600 up, O-O takes over, and Qe2 enters the top three at 2000 and up.
| Rating | Top | Second | Third |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 1200 | Bxc6 43% | d3 25% | Nc3 17% |
| 1200–1399 | Bxc6 41% | d3 21% | Nc3 19% |
| 1400–1599 | Bxc6 33% | O-O 29% | d3 20% |
| 1600–1799 | O-O 48% | Bxc6 20% | d3 19% |
| 1800–1999 | O-O 60% | d3 20% | Bxc6 8% |
| 2000 and up | O-O 53% | d3 28% | Qe2 7% |
Related openings
Try it on the board. The first coached game and three analyses are free.