In the Ruy Lopez Exchange Variation you play 4., giving up your bishop for the knight that guarded e5. Your opponent ends up with doubled c-pawns but keeps the bishop pair. Between 900 and 1700 you score 52.9% with it (N = 67,686 Lichess games, September 2026). If they recapture with , grabbing e5 straight away doesn't actually win a pawn.
Lichess games from September 2026 (30,577,162 rated 900 to 1700) and 31,791 over-the-board games rated 2300+ from the last 12 months. Data updated: October 14, 2026.
10 named lines in this family; 1 with their own page.
The opening's share in each Lichess rating band.
After 4., 75 in 100 opponents at your level recapture with and 25 with ; among strong players, comes in 98 games out of 100. Your fifth move is where things split. At your level, 38 in 100 players take the pawn at once with 5., and you score 47 in 100 with it. Strong players almost never do: they castle with 5. in 64 of every 100 games, and you score 54 in 100 after castling. The line fades as ratings climb, from nearly 3 in every 1000 games at 900 to 1100 to under 2 in 1000 at 1500 to 1700.
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 74.5% | 50.7% | 98.4% | 100.0% | |
| 25.3% | 58.9% | 1.5% | no data | |
| 0.1% | 86.4% | no data | no data | |
| 0.0% | 75.0% | no data | no data | |
| 0.0% | 75.0% | 0.1% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 38.3% | 46.9% | 0.7% | no data | |
| 22.7% | 54.2% | 63.5% | 100.0% | |
| 12.7% | 51.5% | 5.9% | no data | |
| 10.1% | 52.3% | 11.2% | no data | |
| 8.0% | 50.1% | 14.5% | no data | |
| 5.6% | 57.5% | 4.0% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 42.5% | 55.6% | 10.5% | no data | |
| 25.4% | 49.6% | 32.6% | 15.6% | |
| 14.6% | 56.6% | no data | no data | |
| 7.3% | 52.4% | 28.0% | 15.6% | |
| 4.0% | 59.2% | no data | no data | |
| 1.9% | 52.9% | 18.3% | 53.1% | |
| no data | no data | 6.1% | 15.6% | |
| no data | no data | 1.9% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 53.8% | 50.7% | 86.0% | 100.0% | |
| 26.2% | 51.0% | 12.1% | no data | |
| 5.9% | 40.4% | 0.7% | no data | |
| 4.9% | 44.4% | no data | no data | |
| 4.0% | 54.6% | no data | no data | |
| 3.8% | 44.8% | 1.2% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41.2% | 55.8% | 21.3% | no data | |
| 37.7% | 53.0% | 27.4% | no data | |
| 19.7% | 33.5% | 51.2% | 100.0% | |
| 1.4% | 75.0% | no data | no data |
Strong players go 5. 6. 7. 8.. The whole line revolves around your f3 knight. Once the trade removes the c6 knight, it's the piece hitting e5, so your opponent will try to pin it or trade it off. Your job is to hold it in place without wrecking the pawns in front of your king.
5. comes before taking on e5. With your king still on e1, 5. runs into : the d7 pawn no longer blocks the queen, which hits the knight and e4 at the same time, and wins the pawn back with check. Once you've castled, that check is gone and taking on e5 becomes a real threat. Your opponent has to deal with it. At your level they mostly play (42 in 100), guarding the pawn with the bishop. Strong players prefer (33 in 100). It leaves e5 alone but pins your knight to your queen: if the knight takes on e5, the bishop takes your queen.
6. puts the question to the bishop, and strong players choose it 86 times in 100. Their usual answer is , leaving the bishop on g4 in return for an open h-file. Take it with 7. and after the pawn hits your f3 knight while the h8 rook looks straight down the file to h1, right next to your king. No strong player accepts. At your level 51 in 100 do, and after you score only 34 in 100.
7. ignores the bishop, props up e4 with a pawn and opens the diagonal for your c1 bishop. adds a second attacker on f3 and guards e5 on the way. 8. brings a third defender to f3 alongside the queen and the g2 pawn, so if your opponent takes on f3, you recapture with the knight and your kingside pawns stay intact.
At your level the game usually leaves this line earlier. After 6., 41 in 100 opponents trade straight away with , and you score 56 in 100 from there.
| Move | Strong games | Chosen by |
|---|---|---|
| 3,658 | 98.4% | |
| 3,582 | 63.9% | |
| 2,275 | 32.4% | |
| 731 | 86.0% | |
| 628 | 51.6% | |
| 315 | 92.1% | |
| 286 | 87.1% | |
| 243 | 56.0% |
After , the d7 pawn no longer blocks the queen, so 5. walks into , hitting your knight and your e4 pawn together. After 6. 7. 8., material is level and your king can no longer castle. 38 in 100 play it; you score 47 in 100, against 54 with 5..
38 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.7 pawns of advantage. It scores 46.9%; scores 54.2%.
Blunder, and a trap. After 5. , 6. grabs another pawn but leaves e4 hanging. After 7. 8. the king picks off your knight, and after 9. you're a piece down for a pawn. 13 in 100 go for it here; you score 26 in 100, and 45 with 6..
13 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 5.7 pawns of advantage. It scores 25.5%; scores 44.7%.
After , 6. protects the e5 knight but e4 is still undefended. kicks your queen, and after 7. 8. your opponent is a pawn up with their queen hitting your h1 rook. 10 in 100 play it here; you score 35 in 100, against 45 with 6..
10 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 3.2 pawns of advantage. It scores 34.8%; scores 44.7%.
Blunder, though at your level it's seldom punished. After 5. , retreating with 6. keeps the extra pawn but lets something much better slip. opened the h5–e8 diagonal, and 6. gives check before your opponent has developed a single piece. 63 in 100 retreat; you score 62 in 100 that way, and 74 with the check.
63 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 4.8 pawns of advantage. It scores 61.6%; scores 74.2%.
Blunder, though at your level it's seldom punished. With the d7 pawn still blocks the queen, so 5. doesn't run into . If your opponent answers , don't back off with 6.: that pawn has cleared the h5–e8 diagonal, and 6. uses it. 58 in 100 retreat; you score 62 in 100, and 84 with the check.
58 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 5.4 pawns of advantage. It scores 62.1%; scores 84.3%.
After 5. , your c3 knight guards e4 and the e5 pawn is still loose, so this is the moment for 6.. 6. lets it pass, and pins your f3 knight to your queen: if it takes on e5, you lose the queen. 17 in 100 play it; you score 52 in 100, and 58 with 6..
17 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.7 pawns of advantage. It scores 51.9%; scores 58.0%.
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 24,226 | ||
| 10,699 | ||
| Not castled | 10,553 | |
| Not castled | 7,022 | |
| Not castled | Not castled | 5,914 |
| Not castled | 4,412 |
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 24 | ||
| Not castled | 7 | |
| 6 | ||
| 1 |
1. 2. 3. 4. · 16,793 amateur games
keeps the d7 pawn in front of the queen; you score 59 in 100 against it.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. · 5,392 amateur games · 2 over the board
5. covers e4 with the knight before you think about taking on e5.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. · 5,308 amateur games · 18 over the board
5. gets your king safe before taking on e5; 64 in 100 strong players choose it.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. · 4,967 amateur games · 3 over the board
guards e5 with the bishop; at your level it's the most common answer to castling.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. · C69
1,125 amateur games · White's score: 52.7%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. · C68
469 amateur games · White's score: 52.0%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. · C69
290 amateur games · White's score: 33.3%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. · C69
84 amateur games · White's score: 46.4%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. · C68
55 amateur games · White's score: 57.3%
Castle before you take on e5. After , 5. turns 5. into a genuine threat. If your opponent pins the knight with , play 6.; against , leave the bishop alone and continue with 7. and 8.. Taking it opens the h-file toward your king.
It scores slightly better for you the lower the rating: 55 in 100 between 900 and 1100, 51.5 between 1500 and 1700. Against you score 59 in 100. Against , the recapture 75 in 100 opponents choose, you score 51 in 100, so the plan with 5. matters.