Chess opening · ECO C70

Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense

The Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense starts 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6. It ranks #57 of the 174 openings on this site by how often rated players on Lichess reach it.

The position after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6. White to move.

Move by move

  1. 1. e4White pushes the e-pawn two squares to e4, staking a claim in the center.
  2. 1... e5Black pushes the e-pawn two squares to e5, staking a claim in the center.
  3. 2. Nf3White develops the kingside knight to f3.
  4. 2... Nc6Black develops the queenside knight to c6.
  5. 3. Bb5White develops the light-squared bishop to b5. It now attacks the knight on c6.
  6. 3... a6Black advances the a-pawn to a6. It now attacks the bishop on b5.

What players choose next, by rating

The three most common White moves from this position in rated Lichess games, grouped by the rating of the player making the move. Among players rated under 1200, the most popular next move is Bxc6; among players rated 2000 and up, it is Ba4.

RatingMost commonSecondThird
Under 1200Bxc6 64%Ba4 33%Bc4 3%
1200–1399Bxc6 67%Ba4 32%Bc4 1%
1400–1599Bxc6 55%Ba4 43%Bc4 2%
1600–1799Ba4 62%Bxc6 37%Bc4 1%
1800–1999Ba4 74%Bxc6 25%Bc4 1%
2000 and upBa4 79%Bxc6 17%Bc4 4%

Related openings

Ruy LopezThe line this one grows fromRuy Lopez: Exchange VariationA variation of this lineRuy Lopez: ClosedA variation of this line

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