| Eco: | C65–C67 |
| Moves: | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 |
| Parentopening: | Ruy Lopez |
The Berlin Defence is a chess opening that begins with the moves:
1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 Nc6
3. Bb5 Nf6
The opening is a of the Ruy Lopez and is assigned codes C65–C67 in the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings.[1] The code C65 covers White moves other than 4.0-0, such as 4.d3 (4.Nc3 is considered a variation of the Four Knights Game). The code C66 covers the variation 4.0-0 d6, and the code C67 covers the variation 4.0-0 Nxe4 (usually regarded as the main line of the Berlin Defence).
The opening was first analysed in depth in the 19th century, and received its name from the Berliners that examined its variations.[2] Due to the defensive and drawish nature of the opening, it is sometimes referred to as the Berlin Wall.[3] The opening was rarely used in high-level games[4] and received little attention until the Classical World Chess Championship 2000, in which challenger Vladimir Kramnik used it as a drawing weapon against champion Garry Kasparov. Kramnik used the Berlin in games 1, 3, 9 and 13 in the match (each time as Black), all four of which were drawn.[5] After losing the match, Kasparov cited Kramnik's superior opening preparation as a reason for his loss.[6] In an interview with John Henderson, Kramnik described his use of the Berlin:
The Berlin Defence suited my strategy for the match. I had a defensive strategy – Actually, I had in my pocket some other sharper stuff to fall back on – but first I wanted to try the defensive strategy with Black and it worked so well. This was all new to Kasparov – he probably expected me to fight for equality with Black.The 2000 match caused a resurgence of interest in the Berlin Defence at all levels of the game,[7] such as its use by Magnus Carlsen and Viswanathan Anand in games 4, 6, 7 and 8 of the World Chess Championship 2013. It is now regarded as a opening for Black to use in order to achieve an endgame.
Black's third move attacks the e4-pawn. However, it is not an actual threat, since if Black captures on e4 then White can win back the e5-pawn.[8] Usually in the Berlin Defence, the players exchange queens early, causing the game to quickly enter an endgame. The resulting endgames are generally viewed as equal or very slightly favourable for White.[9] Black has the disadvantage of doubled pawns and a king stuck in the centre, but has compensation in the form of the bishop pair. Strategically, the Berlin Defence is normally used as a drawing weapon by players who want to obtain a draw as Black, and by players who prefer to play defensively and reach endgames.
The chess database chessgames.com[10] contains 9,264 games in which the Berlin Defence was played, making it the second-most popular variation of the Ruy Lopez and constituting about 17% of all Ruy Lopez games. Of the games in which it was played, 33.1% were wins for White, 22.4% wins for Black, and 44.5% drawn. The relatively high drawing rate of the opening compared to other lines has contributed to its reputation as a drawing weapon. For comparison, the overall rates for the Ruy Lopez are 36.7% wins for White, 24.7% wins for Black, and 38.6% drawn.
The most common fourth move for White, which leads into the main lines of the Berlin, is 4. 0-0. The typical continuation is ...Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 (sometimes called the l'Hermet variation), which was played in all four Berlin games of the Classical World Chess Championship 2000. Similarly to the Semi-Tarrasch Defense, the queens are exchanged off the board early, leading to a position that is difficult for White to win. Vladimir Kramnik assesses the endgame as better for White, but believes that this advantage is usually insufficient to win and that Black should be able to draw. Black's alternatives are generally regarded as inferior, such as 4...d6 which is considered too passive, and 4...Bc5 which allows White to play 5.Nxe5 (preparing to respond to 5...Nxe5 with 6.d4) or 5.c3.
An increasingly popular option for players who wish to avoid this line is 4.d3, known as the Anti-Berlin.[11] This line avoids exchanging off the queens early in the game and so sidesteps the traditional Berlin endgame. Black typically responds 4...Bc5 or less commonly 4...d6. 4...Ne7 is the Mortimer Trap, which wins a piece if White plays 5.Nxe5,[12] but is regarded as an inferior move because it loses time by moving the same piece twice.
White can also play 4.Nc3, which transposes to the Four Knights Game.
Other than 4.0-0, 4.d3 and 4.Nc3, other fourth moves for White are rarely seen.
A line colloquially known as the Berlin draw is often utilized by top-level players to agree to an early draw: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.d4 Nd6 6.dxe5 Nxb5 7.a4 Nbd4 8.Nxd4 Nxd4 9.Qxd4 d5 10.exd6 e.p. Qxd6 11.Qe4+ Qe6 12.Qd4 Qd6 13.Qe4+ Qe6 14.Qd4 Qd6, with the game ending in a threefold repetition draw claim on move 14, or on move 18 via the automatic draw for fivefold repetition. Among top-rated players on Chess.com (rated 2700 or higher) from 2020, there were 87 games that used the line to come to an early draw.[13]
The line is not a forcing draw if White does not play en passant, although White has little to no advantage and it is generally considered that there are better ways to play for advantage in the Berlin. This line was featured in the game Erigaisi–Gukesh, Wijk aan Zee, 2023, seen here. After en passant, both sides do have nothing better to do than repeat and draw.
In the classical portion of the grand finals of the FIDE Grand Prix 2022, Hikaru Nakamura and Wesley So used the line to agree to a draw;[14] the game ended in less than 20 minutes, with some bystanders speculating that Nakamura chose to play the quick draw to better prepare for the ongoing Chess.com Rapid Chess Championship.
Ian Nepomniachtchi utilized this line against Nakamura in Round 12 of the Candidates Tournament 2022, forcing a quick draw by repetition. With two rounds remaining in the tournament, the draw extended Nepomniachtchi's lead in the tournament while Nakamura found the result acceptable to keep his second place position. Thus, both players benefited from the draw in light of the incumbent World Champion Magnus Carlsen's suggestion that he would not play another World Championship match, leaving the match to the first and second place finishers of the Candidates. By the end of the game, Nakamura had taken less than a minute off his clock to make his moves while Nepomniachtchi had used seven minutes.
During the World Blitz Chess Championship 2022, a match between Richárd Rapport with white, and Nakamura with black, ended in a Berlin Draw that took just 36 seconds from first move to the threefold repetition. It would have taken just 20 seconds if not for Rapport thinking for 16 seconds to decide to enter the drawing line before castling on move 4.
In the World Rapid Chess Championship 2023, a game between Savitha Shri B with white and Tan Zhongyi with black ended in a Berlin Draw, with the game taking around 3 minutes to complete.
Alireza Firouzja with white played the Berlin Draw against Vidit Gujrathi as black in the final round of the Candidates Tournament 2024, since both had no chance of winning the tournament. The game lasted 3 minutes.