- ECO code
- C70
- Moves
- 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6
- Family
- Ruy Lopez
- To move
- White
- Master games
- 8,064
- Average game length
- 45 moves
- Years covered
- 1858–2026
Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense is the opening filed under ECO code C70, reached after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6. It belongs to the Ruy Lopez family and is known as the Morphy Defense; in the resulting position it is White to move.
Katuranga's collection of 138,070 master games contains 8,064 games on this line — the 16th most played opening in the collection. The oldest game on this line is from 1858 and the most recent from 2026. The busiest decade in this collection is the 2020s, with 2,443 games. An average game here lasts 45 moves.
White wins 35% of those games, 42% end in a draw, and Black wins 23%. Compared with the collection average (White 37%, draws 35%, Black 28%), Black scores worse here by 5 percentage points. Draws are more common here than usual, by 7 points.
From this position the most popular move is 4.Ba4, played in 7,681 games, followed by 4.Bxc6 (382) and 4.Bc4 (1). After 4.Ba4 White scores 35% and Black 23%.
The name that appears most often on the White side of this line is Vachier Lagrave,M (398 games); on the Black side, Mamedyarov,S (280).
23 named variations branch off this position and have their own page here, among them Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense (C78); Ruy Lopez: Closed; Ruy Lopez: Closed.
Reading about an opening is not the same as knowing it. Play this line against the Katuranga bot, then let the engine mark your brilliant moves, mistakes and blunders in Analysis — the fastest way to find out which of these moves you actually understand.
Results in master games
- White 35% (2,828)
- Draws 42% (3,403)
- Black 23% (1,833)
Most played continuations
| Move | Games | White / draws / Black | Leads into |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.Ba4 | 7,681 | 35/42/23 | — |
| 4.Bxc6 | 382 | 27/48/25 | Ruy Lopez: Exchange Variation |
| 4.Bc4 | 1 | 0/0/100 | — |
Variations from this position
- Morphy Defense (C78) · 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O · 5,861 games
- Ruy Lopez: Closed · 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 · 3,942 games
- Ruy Lopez: Closed · 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 · 2,916 games
- Ruy Lopez: Closed · 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 O-O · 1,424 games
- Ruy Lopez: Closed · 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 O-O · 1,368 games
- Ruy Lopez: Closed · 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 O-O 9.h3 · 1,234 games
- Ruy Lopez: Open · 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Nxe4 · 809 games
- Ruy Lopez: Open · 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Nxe4 6.d4 · 793 games
- Ruy Lopez: Open · 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Nxe4 6.d4 b5 7.Bb3 · 752 games
- Ruy Lopez: Open · 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Nxe4 6.d4 b5 7.Bb3 d5 8.dxe5 · 703 games
- Ruy Lopez: Open, Main Line · 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Nxe4 6.d4 b5 7.Bb3 d5 8.dxe5 Be6 · 701 games
- Ruy Lopez: Closed, Martinez Variation · 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.d3 · 608 games
- Modern Steinitz Defense · 4.Ba4 d6 · 552 games
- Anderssen Variation · 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.d3 · 535 games
- Neo-Arkhangelsk Variation · 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O b5 6.Bb3 Bc5 · 475 games
- Ruy Lopez: Closed, Chigorin Defense · 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 O-O 9.h3 Na5 · 389 games
- Ruy Lopez: Closed, Chigorin Defense · 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 O-O 9.h3 Na5 10.Bc2 · 389 games
- Ruy Lopez: Closed, Chigorin Defense · 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 O-O 9.h3 Na5 10.Bc2 c5 · 382 games
- Ruy Lopez: Exchange Variation · 4.Bxc6 · 382 games
- Ruy Lopez: Closed, Anti-Marshall · 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 O-O 8.a4 · 364 games
- Ruy Lopez: Closed, Breyer Defense · 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 O-O 9.h3 Nb8 · 344 games
- Ruy Lopez: Closed, Breyer · 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 O-O 9.h3 Nb8 10.d4 · 321 games
- Ruy Lopez: Closed, Breyer Defense, Zaitsev Hybrid · 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 O-O 9.h3 Nb8 10.d4 Nbd7 · 319 games
How the position is reached
- King's Pawn Game · 1.e4 · 62,859 games
- King's Pawn Game · 1.e4 e5 · 24,632 games
- King's Knight Opening · 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 · 21,895 games
- King's Knight Opening: Normal Variation · 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 · 19,295 games
- Ruy Lopez · 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 · 12,516 games
Played most often by
As White
- Vachier Lagrave,M 398
- Shirov,A 327
- Grischuk,A 256
As Black
- Mamedyarov,S 280
- Aronian,L 278
- Shirov,A 260
Games per decade
- 1850s 8
- 1860s 15
- 1870s 22
- 1880s 20
- 1890s 68
- 1900s 131
- 1910s 117
- 1920s 176
- 1930s 137
- 1940s 194
- 1950s 326
- 1960s 443
- 1970s 307
- 1980s 325
- 1990s 536
- 2000s 1,259
- 2010s 1,537
- 2020s 2,443
Master games on this line
| White | Black | Result | Year | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rapport,R | Ding Liren | 1-0 | 2026 | FIDE World Rapid Team |
| So,W | Gukesh,D | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | 14th Norway Chess 2026 |
| Dominguez Perez,L | Wei Yi | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | FIDE World Rapid Team |
| Anand,V | Petrov,N | 1-0 | 2026 | FIDE World Rapid Team |
| Nakamura,Hi | Kollars,Dmitrij | 1-0 | 2026 | 1st 3-0 Thu 8th Jan 2026 |
| Nepomniachtchi,I | Sindarov,Javokhir | 0-1 | 2026 | Titled Tue 10th Feb 2026 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense?
It is the opening with ECO code C70, reached after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6. It belongs to the Ruy Lopez family.
Is the Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense good for White or for Black?
In 8,064 master games on this line White wins 35%, 42% are drawn and Black wins 23%. The collection average is White 37%, draws 35%, Black 28% — so this line is no worse than usual for White than the field as a whole.
What is the main continuation of the Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense?
4.Ba4 — played in 7,681 of the master games on this line.
Which grandmasters play the Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense?
On the White side Vachier Lagrave,M (398), Shirov,A (327), Grischuk,A (256); on the Black side Mamedyarov,S (280), Aronian,L (278), Shirov,A (260).
Every number on this page is computed from Katuranga's master game collection; names and ECO codes follow the lichess opening book (CC0).
Try this line on the board
Play this opening against the Katuranga bot, then review the game — the engine marks every brilliant move, mistake and blunder.