- The moves1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6
- OpeningRuy Lopez
- Chosen byBlack
- ECOC65–C67
- Also calledthe Berlin Wall
The Berlin Defense comes after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6. Instead of questioning the bishop with 3…a6, Black attacks the pawn on e4 at once. After 4.O-O Nxe4 5.d4 Nd6 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.dxe5 Nf5 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8 the queens are gone by move eight, and Black's king can never castle. The position is known as the Berlin endgame or the Berlin Wall.
The defense was analyzed in depth in the 19th century and is named after the players in Berlin who examined it. Johannes Zukertort played it eight times against Wilhelm Steinitz in the first official world championship match in 1886, and Emanuel Lasker used it often. Then it gained a reputation for passivity, and for most of the 20th century it was rare at a high level.
Everything changed in the 2000 world championship match. Vladimir Kramnik chose the Berlin with Black against Garry Kasparov in games 1, 3, 9 and 13, and all four were drawn. Kasparov found no way through the wall, and Kramnik won the match. Since then the defense has been regarded as a solid way for Black to reach an equal endgame, and in the 2013 world championship match between Magnus Carlsen and Viswanathan Anand it came up in four games.
The main line, move by move
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. Nc3 Ke8
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The plans
White wants to
- Use the kingside pawn majority, four pawns against three: f4, g4 and in the end a passed pawn.
- Keep the pawn on e5, which takes the d6 and f6 squares from Black's pieces.
- Keep the game closed, so that Black's bishops don't get open lines.
Black wants to
- Bring the king to safety on e8, or after …Bd7 on c8.
- Let the bishop pair do the work and stop White's kingside pawns from advancing.
- Be patient. Black doesn't need to win, only to hold.
The pawn structure
White has four pawns against three on the kingside and can create a passed pawn there. Black has four against three on the queenside, but one of them is a doubled pawn on the c-file, so Black can't create a passed pawn there on its own.
That is White's plus. Black's plus is the bishop pair, and that there are no weak black pawns to attack. With the queens gone, the king is not in danger.
Important lines
5.Re1: the quiet road
With 5.Re1 White avoids the queen trade. After 5…Nd6 6.Nxe5 Be7 7.Bf1 the knights soon come off, and once the rook has gone back to e1, all of White's pieces are on the first rank and the pawns are symmetrical. The line has a reputation as nearly risk-free for White, but also as very drawish. It was already played in game 4 of the 1886 world championship match.
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. Re1 Nd6 6. Nxe5 Be7 7. Bf1 Nxe5 8. Rxe5 O-O 9. d4 Bf6 10. Re1 Re8
4.d3: the Anti-Berlin
Many players with White don't want to give Black the chance to trade queens. With 4.d3 White protects the pawn on e4 and keeps the game closed, at the price that d4 is no longer possible in one move. It is by far White's most common alternative to 4.O-O, and it has grown in popularity. Black usually answers 4…Bc5 or 4…d6.
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. O-O d6
The Berlin draw
There is also a road grandmasters sometimes take to agree a draw early. After 5.d4 Nd6 6.dxe5 Nxb5 7.a4 the pieces come off, and from 11.Qe4+ the queens shuffle back and forth until the same position has been on the board three times. Neither side has to go into it, but both can. Ian Nepomniachtchi did it against Hikaru Nakamura in the 2022 Candidates Tournament to keep his lead, and at the World Blitz Championship the same year such a draw between Richárd Rapport and Nakamura took 36 seconds.
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. dxe5 Nxb5 7. a4 Nbd4 8. Nxd4 Nxd4 9. Qxd4 d5 10. exd6 Qxd6 11. Qe4+ Qe6 12. Qd4 Qd6 13. Qe4+ Qe6 14. Qd4 Qd6
6. dxe5
White takes the pawn instead of trading on c6.
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How it goes in real games
How the games ended once they had reached the positions, in blitz, rapid and classical games. White wins, draws and Black wins, as a percentage of the games. A position counts however the game got there.
| Position | Level | Games | White wins | Draw | Black wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berlin Defense 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 | Club players | 9,672,559 | 52% | 5% | 43% |
| Strong players | 2,427,326 | 50% | 7% | 43% | |
| Berlin Defense, main line 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 | Club players | 219,479 | 45% | 10% | 44% |
| Strong players | 144,705 | 45% | 11% | 43% | |
| 5.Re1: the quiet road 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. Re1 Nd6 6. Nxe5 | Club players | 276,055 | 46% | 9% | 45% |
| Strong players | 164,166 | 46% | 11% | 43% | |
| 4.d3: the Anti-Berlin 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3 | Club players | 385,772 | 51% | 5% | 45% |
| Strong players | 146,852 | 49% | 6% | 45% |
The most common moves after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6
Share of the games in the position, for club players and strong players. A dash means the move isn't among the most common in that group.
| Move | Club players | Strong players |
|---|---|---|
| 4.O-O | 47% (4,559,190) | 54% (1,307,516) |
| 4.d3 | 24% (2,337,083) | 29% (709,076) |
| 4.Bxc6 | 14% (1,385,385) | 6% (151,319) |
| 4.Nc3 | 10% (986,393) | 5% (129,809) |
| 4.Qe2 | 1% (137,231) | 3% (68,512) |
| 4.d4 | 1% (136,270) | 2% (43,090) |
| 4.c3 | 1% (97,938) | – |
Source: games on Lichess, fetched November 6, 2026 and November 7, 2026. Club players means games where the players average 1600 or more, strong players games where they average 2000 or more. Positions that aren't in our numbers aren't shown.
Explore the position on the analysis board: the moves club players choose from here, how the games tend to end, and what Lavi thinks of each move.
A famous game
Kasparov chose the Berlin and lost to Judit Polgár for the first time, in a rapid game in 2002. Judit Polgár vs. Kasparov
The main line with all the comments as text
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 The Berlin Defense. Black attacks e4 instead of chasing the bishop. 4. O-O The most common move. White doesn't need to protect e4: if Black takes the pawn, White can win it back. 4… Nxe4 Black takes the pawn. This is called the Open Berlin. 5. d4 White opens the center against Black's king. The other big option is 5.Re1, see below. 5… Nd6 The knight retreats and attacks the bishop. After 5…exd4, 6.Re1 would pin the knight to the king. 6. Bxc6 White trades and removes the knight that protects e5. 6… dxc6 7. dxe5 White has won the pawn back, and the knight on d6 is attacked. 7… Nf5 8. Qxd8+ The queens come off. Black has to recapture with the king and can never castle. 8… Kxd8 The Berlin Wall. Black has doubled pawns and the king in the middle, White has a pawn majority on the kingside. But Black has the bishop pair and no real weaknesses. 9. Nc3 The most common move. White wants to push the kingside pawns, f4 and g4, and in the end get a passed pawn. 9… Ke8 The king goes back to e8. White is considered a touch better, but with accurate play Black holds the position.
Read more
Ruy Lopez
The bishop to b5 presses on e5 from a distance. The masters' favorite since the 1800s.
Marshall Attack
8…d5: a pawn for the attack, and one of the sharpest answers in the Ruy Lopez.
Every move on this page has been checked against the rules of chess.
Updated November 14, 2026
3… Nf6
The Berlin Defense. Black attacks e4 instead of chasing the bishop.