Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense

ECO C65-C67intermediate

The Berlin Defense, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6, became 'the Berlin Wall' when Kramnik used it to dethrone Kasparov in 2000: the main line 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.d4 Nd6 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.dxe5 Nf5 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8 reaches a queenless middlegame where Black's bishop pair and granite structure compensate the damaged pawns and lost castling rights. Most White players now avoid it with 4.d3 — itself a compliment to the defense's soundness.

Train as White Train as Black Explore all variations

Main line

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Diagram shows the position after 6 half-moves of the main line. On SpeakChess you can drill this line move by move — the trainer plays the other side and corrects you instantly, then spaced repetition schedules each variation so you review it right before you would forget it.

Move by move

The first 12 moves of the main line, explained one at a time. Every move of every variation is annotated like this inside the trainer — this page shows the opening moves so you can judge the explanations before signing up.

What a great way to begin! The pawn marches up to e4, a light square right in the middle of the board. Grabbing the center early like this gives your other pieces lots of room to come out and play.
Black answers boldly, pushing the pawn to e5, a dark square in the heart of the board. Now both sides have planted a flag in the center, and the game is off to a fair and exciting start.
White moves their knight from g1 to f3. This is a good developing move that helps get your pieces into the game!
Black moves their knight from b8 to c6. This is a good developing move, bringing a piece into the game.
White moves their bishop out from the starting spot and into play. This is called development, and it's a strong way to get your army ready for the game!
Black moves their knight from g8 to f6. This is a good developing move, bringing a piece into the game and closer to the middle.
White castles kingside, moving the king to g1. This developing move places the king in safety and connects the rooks.
Black moves their knight from f6 to e4. It takes a white pawn and now stands on a strong square in the middle of the board!
Here comes the pawn to d4, landing on a dark square in the middle. With the knight already out on f3 and the bishop active on b5, White is fighting hard for the center and opening lines for the pieces to join in.
Black moves their knight from the e4 square to d6. That's a good knight hop! Knights move in an L-shape, so this is a normal move for that piece.
White moves their bishop from b5 to c6. It takes the black knight there! This is a good trade.
Black moves a pawn from d7 to c6. It takes a bishop that was on c6. That's a good trade!

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Win rates by rating

Results from real online games, measured after the line shown in each row. Most opening sites show one aggregate number — how an opening scores depends heavily on who is playing it.

Rating	Games	White wins	Draws	Black wins	Position after
400-600	96	40.6%	6.3%	53.1%	1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.O-O
600-800	237	58.6%	0.8%	40.5%	1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.O-O Nxe4 5.d4
800-1000	35	60%	0%	40%	1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.O-O Nxe4 5.d4 Nd6 6.Bxc6 dxc6
1000-1200	27	44.4%	0%	55.6%	1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.O-O Nxe4 5.d4 Nd6
1200-1400	564	44%	4.3%	51.8%	1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.O-O Nxe4 5.d4 Nd6 6.Bxc6 dxc6
1400-1600	1,423	41.3%	6.2%	52.5%	1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.O-O Nxe4 5.d4 Nd6 6.Bxc6 dxc6
1600-1800	364	43.1%	6%	50.8%	1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.O-O Nxe4 5.d4 Nd6 6.Bxc6 dxc6
1800-2000	785	46.1%	8.3%	45.6%	1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.O-O Nxe4 5.d4 Nd6 6.Bxc6 dxc6
2000-2200	1,171	44.5%	9.5%	46%	1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.O-O Nxe4 5.d4 Nd6 6.Bxc6 dxc6
2200-2400	764	49.5%	10.1%	40.4%	1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.O-O Nxe4 5.d4 Nd6 6.Bxc6 dxc6

Most played continuations (1400-1600 rating)

After 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.O-O Nxe4 5.d4 Nd6 6.Bxc6 dxc6:

dxe5 — played 76.8% of the time (White wins 41.2%, draws 7.2%, Black wins 51.6%)
Nxe5 — played 18.1% of the time (White wins 41.1%, draws 3.1%, Black wins 55.8%)
Re1 — played 4.8% of the time (White wins 44.9%, draws 1.4%, Black wins 53.6%)

Related openings

Frequently asked questions

Why is the Berlin endgame considered so hard for White to crack?

Black's position has no targets: the doubled c-pawns control key squares, the bishop pair grows with every exchange, and the king — already centralized — is an endgame asset. White's kingside majority is real but converting it requires precision over dozens of moves against zero counterplay risk for Black.

Do I have to play the endgame to use the Berlin?

No — most club games see the anti-Berlin 4.d3, when Black develops harmoniously with ...Bc5 or ...d6 setups into a normal Spanish middlegame, a tempo-gaining version of lines Black would happily play anyway. The endgame knowledge is the bonus, not the entry fee.