Chessy
The Ruy Lopez: Nürnberg Variation with 4.d4 – Playing as Black
The Ruy Lopez is one of the oldest and most respected openings in chess, but not every line is a masterpiece for White. The Nürnberg Variation (3...f6) is a scrappy attempt to disrupt normal Lopez play, and after 4.d4 a6 you've reached a real crossroads. The engine gives this position +1.29, a clear edge for White — so you are genuinely worse here. But the statistics tell a more interesting story: across over 67,000 games, Black still scores a respectable 38.1% win rate. Why? Because White frequently blunders. The interactive drill below lets you practice punishing White's most common mistakes in this exact position.
Play the Ruy Lopez: Nürnberg Variation: d4 against the engine
Free, no signup — you play black, the engine adapts to your level.
Ready to practice? The interactive board below lets you play this position as Black against random White moves, training you to punish Bxc6, d5, and dxe5 while.
Create a free account →What White Wants — And Where They Stumble
After 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 f6 4.d4 a6, the obvious question is where to put the bishop. Stockfish strongly prefers Bc4 (continuing Bc4 exd4 Nxd4 Nxd4), keeping the bishop on an active diagonal while developing with tempo. But the database shows that White's most-played reply is actually Bxc6, appearing in 43,505 games — that's nearly two-thirds of all games from here! Bxc6 is classified as an inaccuracy that loses about 0.6 pawns of advantage. White trades a good bishop for a knight, opening the b-file for your rook and freeing your pieces. Even worse for White are d5 (a blunder losing ~3.7 pawns) and dxe5 (a blunder losing ~4.6 pawns). Both appear far less often, but when they do, Black has excellent winning chances.
Facing the Critical Line: Bc4
When White finds the best move Bc4, the game typically continues with ...exd4 Nxd4 Nxd4. White recaptures with the queen or bishop, and you reach a middlegame where your ...f6 pawn has both strengths and weaknesses. The good news is that White only plays Bc4 in 4,597 database games — far fewer than the inaccurate Bxc6. And while White scores a hefty 68.2% from this line, your job is to stay solid. Your ...a6 move has already provoked White into committing the bishop, and your central pawn structure remains intact. The key: don't panic. If White fails to find Bc4 — which happens in the vast majority of games — you leap right back into the fight.
White's Most Common Bishops: Bxc6 vs Ba4
The two most popular White moves are both suboptimal. Bxc6 appears in 43,505 games with White scoring only 54.6% — dramatically below the expected +1.29 evaluation. You recapture with ...dxc6 or ...bxc6, gaining the bishop pair and rapid development. Your queen can come to ...e7 or ...d6, and the b-file offers counterplay. Ba4 (17,706 games) is more dangerous with White scoring 61.5% — but it's still not the engine's top choice. After Ba4, Black can consider ...exd4, ...b5, or ...f5 to open lines. The bottom line is that Bc4 is the only move a perfect player would play, and humans rarely find it over the board.
How to Practice This Position
The interactive drill on this page places you in the exact position after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 f6 4.d4 a6 with White to move. You're playing Black, so your task is to respond correctly to whatever White throws at you. If White plays Bxc6, prepare to recapture with the d-pawn (activating your queen) or b-pawn (opening lines). If White plays d5, take the pawn — that blunder hands you a nearly winning position. The hardest challenge is when White plays Bc4, the engine's best: here you simply ...exd4 and after Nxd4, you trade knights with ...Nxd4. Stay calm, develop quickly, and treat your ...f6 pawn as a useful defender of e5 rather than a weakness.
Results across 67,195 Lichess games
| Most-played continuation | Games | White wins |
|---|---|---|
| Bxc6 | 43,505 | 54.6% |
| Ba4 | 17,706 | 61.5% |
| Bc4 | 4,597 | 68.2% |
| d5 | 682 | 45.3% |
| Be2 | 305 | 65.9% |
| dxe5 | 169 | 43.2% |
Frequently asked questions
Is the Nürnberg Variation a good opening for Black?
Objectively no — the engine evaluates the position at +1.29 in White's favour, meaning Black is clearly worse with correct play. However, in practical play White often inaccurates (especially with Bxc6, the most common move), giving Black real winning chances and a 38.1% win rate across over 67,000 games.
What is White's best move after 4.d4 a6?
The engine's top choice is Bc4, which preserves the bishop and plans to meet ...exd4 with Nxd4. However, this is only the third most-played move in practice, seen in 4,597 out of 67,195 games. Most humans play Bxc6 or Ba4 instead.
Is d5 or dxe5 any good for White?
No. d5 loses about 3.7 pawns and dxe5 loses about 4.6 pawns — both are classified as blunders. They appear rarely (682 and 169 games respectively) and give Black excellent winning chances. d5 is the only common move where White actually scores below 50%.
How many games feature the Ruy Lopez: Nürnberg Variation: d4?
Over 67K Lichess games have reached the Ruy Lopez: Nürnberg Variation: d4 position. White wins 57.2%, Black wins 38.1%, with 4.6% draws — based on real rated games.