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Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Anderssen Variation

36K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026

No move sequence recorded for this opening

White expected score · All ratings · All speeds

51.1%

45%55%
Floor50.7%

the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 51.5%.

Measured over 36K games at this level and clock.

Playablewins about as often as it loses at this level

Roughly even — the middlegame decides more than this opening choice does.

Outcomes for White

Draw 5.0 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 36K games

Rank among the families White can choose here
not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
Games in this context
36K
Best context
53.0% at 2000-2199 Blitz
Worst context
49.1% at 1400-1599 Rapid
Average game length
35 moves
Games that end decisively
95.0%
Draws
5.0%

Best and worst are the strongest and weakest squares with at least 500 games behind them. The table further down shows every square, including thinner ones.

Where it holds · White score by rating × clock

Green is clearly ahead for White, grey is around even, red is behind. Tap a cell to measure there, and again to clear. It holds about the same all the way up, near 54.5%.

RatingUBBulleBlitzRapidClass
0-999
1000-1199
1200-1399—
1400-1599
1600-1799—
1800-1999
2000-2199—
2200-2499—
2500+———

Expected score matrix by rating bracket and time control

  • 0-999 rating, UltraBullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Bullet: 51.5% expected score (548 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Blitz: 49.7% expected score (1,079 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Rapid: 51.4% expected score (411 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 83.4% expected score (3 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 49.6% expected score (1,135 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 50.8% expected score (3,232 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 50.7% expected score (1,236 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 43.4% expected score (21 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 51.5% expected score (1,304 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 51.9% expected score (4,761 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 52.4% expected score (2,174 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 47.0% expected score (64 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 78.6% expected score (2 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 50.3% expected score (1,247 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 51.1% expected score (4,766 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 49.1% expected score (2,734 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 46.8% expected score (124 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 49.8% expected score (855 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 51.4% expected score (3,243 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 52.0% expected score (2,178 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 60.6% expected score (174 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 48.0% expected score (465 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 51.5% expected score (1,521 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 51.3% expected score (1,004 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 43.7% expected score (46 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 49.5% expected score (219 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 53.0% expected score (539 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 58.7% expected score (190 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 57.7% expected score (5 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 47.9% expected score (167 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 54.5% expected score (222 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 58.7% expected score (50 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 78.6% expected score (2 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Bullet: 50.6% expected score (86 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Blitz: 59.7% expected score (14 games)

Related Openings

Parent
Ruy Lopez
51.9%
Variations (5)
Ruy Lopez: Steinitz Defense
51.2%
Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense
49.9%
Ruy Lopez: Classical Variation
48.7%
Ruy Lopez: Bird Variation
49.9%
Ruy Lopez: Cozio Defense
49.9%

Methodology

Across every rating and clock, the Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Anderssen Variation scores 51.1% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 50.7% and 51.5% — from 36K Lichess games. Win rate, draw rate and loss rate come from games played December 2023 to November 2025.

How the figures are made
Whose games these are
36K+ rated games played on Lichess (2023-12 to 2025-11). The games are Lichess’s and free for anyone to use. What is ours is the reading of them. Last rebuilt January 2026.
Which games we count
  • Rated games only — nothing casual.
  • Both players within 200 rating points of each other. A mismatch tells you about the gap, not about the opening.
  • At least 2 moves played.
  • A game is filed under White’s rating.
Why every number comes with a range
A number off a few hundred games is a guess. The same number off millions is a fact. The range is what tells them apart, and it is what the lists rank on — so an opening cannot reach the top on a lucky run of forty games. The more games behind a figure, the narrower its range.
How much we need before we say anything
An opening page needs 100 games. A gambit needs 50 games at a rating before we will say whether it pays there. The chaos and trap lists need 500 games overall and 250 games at one rating or clock.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Anderssen Variation win rate?

Playing the Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Anderssen Variation, White wins 48.6%, draws 5.0% and loses 46.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.1%. It rests on 36K rated games from Lichess.

At what rating does the Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Anderssen Variation perform best?

The Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Anderssen Variation performs best for White at 1200-1399, with an Expected Score of 52.0% (8.3K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.

Is the Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Anderssen Variation better in blitz or rapid?

For White, the Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Anderssen Variation scores about the same in both: an Expected Score of 51.3% in Blitz (19K games) against 51.2% in Rapid (10.0K games).

How sharp is the Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Anderssen Variation?

The Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Anderssen Variation has a sharpness score of 95.0 (very decisive), meaning 95.0% of games end decisively. Average game length is 35 moves.

What is the Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Anderssen Variation win rate at 0-999?

At 0-999, White wins 48.1%, draws 4.8% and loses 47.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.5%. It rests on 2.0K Lichess games, which average 30 moves.

What is the Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Anderssen Variation win rate at 1000-1199?

At 1000-1199, White wins 48.0%, draws 4.9% and loses 47.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.5%. It rests on 5.6K Lichess games, which average 32 moves.

What is the Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Anderssen Variation win rate at 1200-1399?

At 1200-1399, White wins 49.6%, draws 4.7% and loses 45.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.0%. It rests on 8.3K Lichess games, which average 34 moves.

What is the Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Anderssen Variation win rate at 1400-1599?

At 1400-1599, White wins 47.9%, draws 4.8% and loses 47.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.3%. It rests on 8.9K Lichess games, which average 36 moves.

What is the Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Anderssen Variation win rate at 1600-1799?

At 1600-1799, White wins 48.8%, draws 5.5% and loses 45.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.6%. It rests on 6.5K Lichess games, which average 38 moves.

What is the Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Anderssen Variation win rate at 1800-1999?

At 1800-1999, White wins 47.9%, draws 5.6% and loses 46.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.7%. It rests on 3.0K Lichess games, which average 38 moves.

What is the Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Anderssen Variation win rate at 2000-2199?

At 2000-2199, White wins 50.6%, draws 5.6% and loses 43.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.4%. It rests on 953 Lichess games, which average 40 moves.

What is the Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Anderssen Variation win rate at 2200-2499?

At 2200-2499, White wins 49.6%, draws 6.2% and loses 44.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.7%. It rests on 441 Lichess games, which average 41 moves.

What is the Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Anderssen Variation win rate at 2500+?

At 2500+, White wins 49.8%, draws 4.4% and loses 45.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.0%. It rests on 100 Lichess games, which average 42 moves.

What is the Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Anderssen Variation win rate in Bullet?

In Bullet, White wins 48.7%, draws 2.9% and loses 48.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.2%. It rests on 6.0K Lichess games.

What is the Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Anderssen Variation win rate in Blitz?

In Blitz, White wins 48.8%, draws 5.0% and loses 46.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.3%. It rests on 19K Lichess games.

What is the Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Anderssen Variation win rate in Rapid?

In Rapid, White wins 48.1%, draws 6.2% and loses 45.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.2%. It rests on 10.0K Lichess games.

What is the Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Anderssen Variation win rate in Classical?

In Classical, White wins 48.8%, draws 6.7% and loses 44.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.2%. It rests on 438 Lichess games.

Is the Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Anderssen Variation a good opening?

The Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Anderssen Variation is about level. Across all ratings, White wins 48.6% of its games and loses 46.4%. It performs best at 1200-1399. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.