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Ruy Lopez · As White · updated October 2026

Play the Ruy Lopez like Hans Niemann

A Ruy Lopez repertoire built from 35 of Hans Niemann's public Chess.com blitz games. At every position you play the move Hans Niemann chose most often. Where Hans Niemann has fewer than 3 games, the course takes the other top-50 players' most played move, then Stockfish's. Learn a line on the board, then each position comes back in a short daily review until it sticks.

Not affiliated with or endorsed by Hans Niemann or Chess.com.

  • Hans Niemann was #18 in Chess.com blitz in October 2026 (3,260) and scored 67% against opponents averaging 3,059 in these games.
  • You play Hans Niemann's own move in 12 of 40 positions.
  • The whole course is free, and it is updated monthly.

Free · first 5 lines need no account

Blitz rank

#18

Chess.com

Rating

3,260

Games

35

in this opening

Score

67%

in these games

Opponents

3,059

average rating

More about Hans Niemann

Use arrow keys to navigate the board. Press Enter to select a piece, then use arrow keys and Enter to move. Press Escape to cancel a move.
Line 1 after 12 moves

Lines to learn

  1. Line 1 · 9% at top level

    3…a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Bc5 6.c3 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.d4 Bb6 9.a4

  2. Line 2 · 9% at top level

    3…a6 4.Ba4 Nge7 5.Nc3

  3. Line 3 · 8% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.O-O Nxe4 5.d4 Nd6 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.dxe5 Nf5 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8 9.h3 Ke8 10.Nc3 h5 11.Ne4 Be7 12.Bg5

  4. Line 4 · 8% at top level

    3…f5 4.d3 fxe4 5.dxe4 Nf6 6.O-O

  5. Line 5 · 8% at top level

    3…a6 4.Ba4 d6 5.O-O Bd7 6.c3

  6. Line 6 · 7% at top level

    3…a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 O-O 8.a4

  7. Line 7 · 6% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.O-O Nxe4 5.d4 Nd6 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.dxe5 Nf5 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8 9.h3 Be7 10.Nc3 Nh4 11.Nxh4 Bxh4 12.Re1 h5 13.Ne2

  8. Line 8 · 6% at top level

    3…a6 4.Ba4 Bc5 5.c3 Nge7 6.d4 exd4 7.cxd4 Bb4+ 8.Bd2 Bxd2+ 9.Qxd2 d5 10.exd5 Qxd5 11.O-O O-O 12.Nc3

  9. Line 9 · 5% at top level

    3…a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Nxe4 6.d4

  10. Line 10 · 5% at top level

    3…a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O b5 6.Bb3

  11. Line 11 · 4% at top level

    3…a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O d6 6.Re1 Bd7 7.c3

Ordered by how often they come up in top-level games. Learned lines join your daily review.

Hans Niemann's main line in the Ruy Lopez, move by move

The most common line at top level: 3…a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Bc5 6.c3 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.d4 Bb6 9.a4.

  1. 3…a6 Reply · Hans Niemann's games A common reply here is 3…a6. At top level, this comes up about 69% of the time.
  2. 4.Ba4 Your move · Hans Niemann's games Hans Niemann played 4.Ba4 in 24 games, scoring 75%.
  3. 4…Nf6 Reply · Hans Niemann's games A common reply here is 4…Nf6. At top level, this comes up about 37% of the time.
  4. 5.O-O Your move · Hans Niemann's games Hans Niemann played 5.O-O in 7 games, scoring 93%.
  5. 5…Bc5 Reply · Hans Niemann's games A common reply here is 5…Bc5. At top level, this comes up about 11% of the time.
  6. 6.c3 Your move · Top-50 players Hans Niemann has too few games here, so this is the other top players' most played move.
  7. 6…b5 Reply · Top-50 players In the other top players' games, a common reply here is 6…b5. At top level, this comes up about 9% of the time.
  8. 7.Bb3 Your move · Top-50 players Hans Niemann has too few games here, so this is the other top players' most played move.
  9. 7…d6 Reply · Top-50 players In the other top players' games, a common reply here is 7…d6.
  10. 8.d4 Your move · Top-50 players Hans Niemann has too few games here, so this is the other top players' most played move.
  11. 8…Bb6 Reply · Top-50 players In the other top players' games, a common reply here is 8…Bb6.
  12. 9.a4 Your move · Top-50 players Hans Niemann has too few games here, so this is the other top players' most played move.

Questions about this course

How does Hans Niemann play the Ruy Lopez?
After 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5, Hans Niemann's most common line is 3…a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Bc5 6.c3 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.d4 Bb6 9.a4. At top level it comes up about 9% of the time.
Is this Hans Niemann's course?
No. ChessDrills builds it automatically from Hans Niemann's public Chess.com blitz games.
What is this Ruy Lopez course based on?
35 of Hans Niemann's Chess.com blitz games in the Ruy Lopez as White, against opponents with an average rating of 3,059. Hans Niemann scored 67% in them.
How many lines does the course have?
11 lines covering 40 positions, ordered by how often they come up in top-level games. The first 5 lines need no account; saving your progress with an email unlocks the rest, free.
Who is Hans Niemann?
GM Hans Niemann was ranked number 18 on the Chess.com blitz leaderboard with a rating of 3,260 when this course was built.