Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Mortimer Trap
11K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · All ratings · All speeds
36.4%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 37.2%.
Measured over 11K games at this level and clock.
White comes out behind here — there are better weapons in the list.
Outcomes for White
Draw 2.9 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 11K games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 11K
- Best context
- 41.1% at 1400-1599 Blitz
- Worst context
- 29.6% at 2000-2199 Rapid
- Average game length
- 30 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 97.1%
- Draws
- 2.9%
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 falls away as the rating rises: 55.3% at 0-999, 42.0% at 2500+.
| Rating | UB | Bulle | Blitz | Rapid | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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, Bullet: 56.5% expected score (37 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 48.4% expected score (59 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 60.9% expected score (26 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 39.6% expected score (61 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 45.4% expected score (237 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 45.3% expected score (72 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 78.6% expected score (2 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 43.3% expected score (162 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 40.3% expected score (576 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 43.0% expected score (277 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 22.0% expected score (11 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 37.2% expected score (189 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 41.1% expected score (856 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 41.1% expected score (487 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 48.8% expected score (40 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 29.7% expected score (198 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 36.2% expected score (1,150 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 36.3% expected score (869 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 33.0% expected score (81 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 38.8% expected score (365 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 35.2% expected score (1,553 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 34.2% expected score (746 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 33.5% expected score (59 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 39.3% expected score (240 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 31.9% expected score (1,398 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 29.6% expected score (511 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 38.9% expected score (3 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 37.4% expected score (248 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 33.7% expected score (559 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 30.7% expected score (138 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 61.2% expected score (3 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 26.7% expected score (50 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 29.2% expected score (32 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Mortimer Trap scores 36.4% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 35.7% and 37.2% — from 11K 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
- 11K+ 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, Mortimer Trap win rate?
Playing the Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Mortimer Trap, White wins 34.9%, draws 2.9% and loses 62.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 36.4%. It rests on 11K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Mortimer Trap perform best?
The Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Mortimer Trap performs best for White at 0-999, with an Expected Score of 53.7% (122 games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Mortimer Trap better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Mortimer Trap scores about the same in both: an Expected Score of 36.2% in Blitz (6.4K games) against 36.2% in Rapid (3.1K games).
How sharp is the Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Mortimer Trap?
The Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Mortimer Trap has a sharpness score of 97.1 (very decisive), meaning 97.1% of games end decisively. Average game length is 30 moves.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Mortimer Trap win rate at 0-999?
At 0-999, White wins 53.0%, draws 1.2% and loses 45.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.7%. It rests on 122 Lichess games, which average 25 moves.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Mortimer Trap win rate at 1000-1199?
At 1000-1199, White wins 43.8%, draws 1.7% and loses 54.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 44.7%. It rests on 372 Lichess games, which average 27 moves.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Mortimer Trap win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, White wins 39.9%, draws 2.7% and loses 57.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 41.2%. It rests on 1.0K Lichess games, which average 28 moves.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Mortimer Trap win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, White wins 39.4%, draws 2.7% and loses 57.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 40.8%. It rests on 1.6K Lichess games, which average 28 moves.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Mortimer Trap win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, White wins 34.1%, draws 2.8% and loses 63.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 35.5%. It rests on 2.3K Lichess games, which average 30 moves.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Mortimer Trap win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, White wins 33.7%, draws 3.3% and loses 63.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 35.4%. It rests on 2.7K Lichess games, which average 30 moves.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Mortimer Trap win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, White wins 30.8%, draws 2.6% and loses 66.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 32.1%. It rests on 2.2K Lichess games, which average 31 moves.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Mortimer Trap win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, White wins 31.9%, draws 4.8% and loses 63.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 34.3%. It rests on 948 Lichess games, which average 32 moves.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Mortimer Trap win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, White wins 36.6%, draws 2.2% and loses 61.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 37.7%. It rests on 1.6K Lichess games.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Mortimer Trap win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, White wins 34.8%, draws 2.7% and loses 62.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 36.2%. It rests on 6.4K Lichess games.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Mortimer Trap win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, White wins 34.3%, draws 3.7% and loses 62.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 36.2%. It rests on 3.1K Lichess games.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Mortimer Trap win rate in Classical?
In Classical, White wins 34.7%, draws 3.7% and loses 61.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 36.6%. It rests on 199 Lichess games.
Is the Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Mortimer Trap a good opening?
The Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Mortimer Trap is hard work for White — it favours Black. Across all ratings, White wins 34.9% of its games and loses 62.1%. It performs best at 0-999. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.