Ruy Lopez win rate

White scored 53.1% (margin 0.5 points) in 33,335 rated games of the Ruy Lopez, ECO C62, played between players within 100 rating points on 1 September 2026. It ranked number 13 of 117 openings by popularity and made up 2.1% of all games.

50.8%

44.6%

White wins 50.8%
Draws 4.6%
Black wins 44.6%

33,335 games

How often does White win in the Ruy Lopez?

White won 50.8% of the 33,335 games, 4.6% were drawn and Black won 44.6%. White's score of 53.1% is higher than White's score across all openings (51.9%) by 1.2 points, more than the margin of 0.5 points.

Results of 33,335 Ruy Lopez games, 1 September 2026.
Result	Games	Share
White wins	16,940	50.8%
Draws	1,524	4.6%
Black wins	14,871	44.6%

Does the Ruy Lopez score differently at different ratings?

White's score is highest at under 1200 (53.4%) and lowest at 1200 to 1599 (52.7%). That spread of 0.7 points is inside the two margins added together, so the data show no clear difference between the bands.

Players rated 1200 to 1599 choose the Ruy Lopez most often relative to their other openings, in 2.3 percent of their games.

White's score in the Ruy Lopez by the lower rating of the two players, 1 September 2026.
Rating band	Games	Share of the band	White score	Margin (points)
under 1200	5,474	2.0%	53.4%	1.3
1200 to 1599	13,430	2.3%	52.7%	0.8
1600 to 1999	11,357	1.9%	53.4%	0.9
2000 and above	3,074	2.0%	53.1%	1.7

How does the Ruy Lopez do in blitz, rapid and classical?

The time control changes who tends to win, because the clock matters more in faster games. Rows with fewer than 1,500 games are left out.

White's score in the Ruy Lopez by time control, 1 September 2026.
Time control	Games	White score	Margin (points)
Blitz	22,666	53.1%	0.6
Rapid	10,317	53.1%	0.9

What are the most played lines of the Ruy Lopez?

The most played named line is the Steinitz Defense, with 7,275 games and a White score of 53.8%. The table lists the ten most played lines that reached 300 games; a line below that is counted in the last row.

Named lines of the Ruy Lopez, most played first, 1 September 2026.
Line	Games	White score	Margin (points)
Steinitz Defense	7,275	53.8%	1.1
Classical Variation	2,897	50.3%	1.8
Berlin Defense	2,192	52.0%	2.0
Cozio Defense	1,998	52.9%	2.1
Bird Variation	1,805	51.6%	2.2
Exchange Variation	1,444	50.6%	2.5
Berlin Defense, Anti-Berlin Variation	1,181	51.6%	2.8
Classical Variation, Central Variation	901	59.3%	3.2
Morphy Defense, Caro Variation	811	56.8%	3.4
Berlin Defense, Improved Steinitz Defense	786	52.1%	3.4
Main line and less played lines	7,233	52.5%	1.1

How were these opening statistics measured?

Rated Blitz, Rapid and Classical games on 1 September 2026 between players within 100 rating points, banded by the lower rating. A score is wins plus half the draws, with a 95 percent margin. The hub page explains the method in full.

Frequently asked questions

What is the win rate of the Ruy Lopez?

White won 50.8%, drew 4.6% and lost 44.6% of 33,335 games, a White score of 53.1% with a margin of 0.5 points. These are games on Lichess on 1 September 2026.

Is the Ruy Lopez good for White?

At these ratings White's score was higher than White's score across all openings (51.9%) by 1.2 points, more than the margin of 0.5 points. A difference of a point or two is small, and the side that picks an opening also picks which games reach it, so the number describes what happened at these ratings and is not a ruling on the opening.

What is the most popular line of the Ruy Lopez?

The Steinitz Defense was the most played named line, with 7,275 games, which is 21.8% of the Ruy Lopez games.

Sources

Lichess open database, standard rated games (CC0), file for September 2026, read 2026-10-22

Related guides and tools

Last updated 2026-10-22.

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