Ruy Lopez: Open, Knorre Variation
252 games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · All ratings · All speeds
48.4%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 53.6%.
Measured over 252 games at this level and clock.
Roughly even — the middlegame decides more than this opening choice does.
Outcomes for White
Draw 3.4 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 252 games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 252
- Best context
- not measured yet
- Average game length
- 30 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 96.6%
- Draws
- 3.4%
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 gets better as the rating rises: 55.9% at 0-999, 72.3% 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: 73.6% expected score (7 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 48.6% expected score (35 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 51.6% expected score (30 games)
- 0-999 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 21.5% expected score (2 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 44.6% expected score (17 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 47.2% expected score (34 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 78.6% expected score (2 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 50.0% expected score (16 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 30.7% expected score (27 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 13.7% expected score (4 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 57.5% expected score (12 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 38.9% expected score (12 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 30.0% expected score (6 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 78.6% expected score (2 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 50.0% expected score (8 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 57.5% expected score (12 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 78.6% expected score (2 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 60.6% expected score (8 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 78.6% expected score (2 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 72.3% expected score (3 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Ruy Lopez: Open, Knorre Variation scores 48.4% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 43.3% and 53.6% — from 252 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
- 252+ 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: Open, Knorre Variation win rate?
Playing the Ruy Lopez: Open, Knorre Variation, White wins 46.7%, draws 3.4% and loses 49.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.4%. It rests on 252 rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Ruy Lopez: Open, Knorre Variation perform best?
The Ruy Lopez: Open, Knorre Variation performs best for White at 0-999, with an Expected Score of 52.7% (74 games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Ruy Lopez: Open, Knorre Variation better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the Ruy Lopez: Open, Knorre Variation scores higher in Blitz: an Expected Score of 50.0% in Blitz (114 games) against 44.2% in Rapid (109 games).
How sharp is the Ruy Lopez: Open, Knorre Variation?
The Ruy Lopez: Open, Knorre Variation has a sharpness score of 96.6 (very decisive), meaning 96.6% of games end decisively. Average game length is 30 moves.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Open, Knorre Variation win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, White wins 48.9%, draws 2.2% and loses 48.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.0%. It rests on 114 Lichess games.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Open, Knorre Variation win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, White wins 42.1%, draws 4.1% and loses 53.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 44.2%. It rests on 109 Lichess games.
Is the Ruy Lopez: Open, Knorre Variation a good opening?
The Ruy Lopez: Open, Knorre Variation is hard work for White — it favours Black. Across all ratings, White wins 46.7% of its games and loses 49.9%. It performs best at 0-999. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.