Method for operating a reciprocating-piston internal combustion engine having internal exhaust gas energy recuperation, wherein in a cylinder a power chamber is delimited by a piston, which is reciprocally movable in an axial direction of the cylinder, and by a front wall provided with at least one intake valve and at least one exhaust valve, in which power chamber a cylinder head recuperator is reciprocally movable in the axial direction of the cylinder and covers only a portion of the cross-section of-the-power chamber that is not covered by the intake valve, the method comprising the following steps: - flowing-in of fresh charge by moving the piston from its top dead center to its bottom dead center with the intake valve open and the exhaust valve closed, wherein the cylinder head recuperator is located in a top dead center (TDCR) during the intake, so that fresh charge flows into the power chamber by passing around the cylinder head recuperator, - compressing of the intaken charge by moving the piston from the BDC to the TDC with the intake valve closed and the exhaust valve closed, wherein the cylinder head recuperator is moved during the compression from its TDCR into a bottom dead center (BDCR) with a stroke between the TDCR and the BDCR that is smaller than the stroke of the piston between the TDC and BDC, and is moved back into its TDCR at the end of the compression, - combusting of the compressed fresh charge with the intake valve closed and the exhaust valve closed and with movement of the piston from the TDC to the BDC, wherein the cylinder head recuperator remains in the TDCR, and - exhausting of the combusted charge with the exhaust valve open and the intake valve closed by movement of the piston from the BDC to the TDC, wherein the cylinder head recuperator is moved from its TDCR with the opening exhaust valve and, when closing the exhaust valve at the end of the exhausting, is moved back into the TDCR with the closing exhaust valve. - flowing-in of fresh charge by moving the piston from its top dead center to its bottom dead center with the intake valve open and the exhaust valve closed, wherein the cylinder head recuperator is located in a top dead center (TDCR) during the intake, so that fresh charge flows into the power chamber by passing around the cylinder head recuperator, - compressing of the intaken charge by moving the piston from the BDC to the TDC with the intake valve closed and the exhaust valve closed, wherein the cylinder head recuperator is moved during the compression from its TDCR into a bottom dead center (BDCR) with a stroke between the TDCR and the BDCR that is smaller than the stroke of the piston between the TDC and BDC, and is moved back into its TDCR at the end of the compression, - combusting of the compressed fresh charge with the intake valve closed and the exhaust valve closed and with movement of the piston from the TDC to the BDC, wherein the cylinder head recuperator remains in the TDCR, and - exhausting of the combusted charge with the exhaust valve open and the intake valve closed by movement of the piston from the BDC to the TDC, wherein the cylinder head recuperator is moved from its TDCR with the opening exhaust valve and, when closing the exhaust valve at the end of the exhausting, is moved back into the TDCR with the closing exhaust valve.