- ECO code
- C80
- Moves
- 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Nxe4
- Family
- Ruy Lopez
- To move
- White
- Master games
- 809
- Average game length
- 44 moves
- Years covered
- 1870–2026
Ruy Lopez: Open is the opening filed under ECO code C80, reached after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Nxe4. It belongs to the Ruy Lopez family and is known as the Open; in the resulting position it is White to move.
Katuranga's collection of 138,070 master games contains 809 games on this line — the 134th most played opening in the collection. The oldest game on this line is from 1870 and the most recent from 2026. The busiest decade in this collection is the 2020s, with 231 games. An average game here lasts 44 moves.
White wins 34% of those games, 48% end in a draw, and Black wins 18%. Compared with the collection average (White 37%, draws 35%, Black 28%), Black scores worse here by 10 percentage points. Draws are more common here than usual, by 13 points.
From this position the most popular move is 6.d4, played in 793 games, followed by 6.Re1 (13) and 6.Qe2 (2). 6.d4 leads into Ruy Lopez: Open (C80). After 6.d4 White scores 34% and Black 18%.
The name that appears most often on the White side of this line is Shirov,A (45 games); on the Black side, Mamedyarov,S (88).
4 named variations branch off this position and have their own page here, among them Ruy Lopez: Open (C80); Ruy Lopez: Open (C80); Ruy Lopez: Open (C80).
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 34% (275)
- Draws 48% (389)
- Black 18% (145)
Most played continuations
| Move | Games | White / draws / Black | Leads into |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.d4 | 793 | 34/48/18 | Ruy Lopez: Open (C80) |
| 6.Re1 | 13 | 38/31/31 | — |
| 6.Qe2 | 2 | 0/100/0 | — |
| 6.c4 | 1 | 0/100/0 | — |
Variations from this position
- Open (C80) · 6.d4 · 793 games
- Open (C80) · 6.d4 b5 7.Bb3 · 752 games
- Open (C80) · 6.d4 b5 7.Bb3 d5 8.dxe5 · 703 games
- Main Line · 6.d4 b5 7.Bb3 d5 8.dxe5 Be6 · 701 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
- Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense · 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 · 8,064 games
- Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense · 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O · 5,861 games
Played most often by
As White
- Shirov,A 45
- Vachier Lagrave,M 37
- Caruana,F 28
As Black
- Mamedyarov,S 88
- Kortschnoj, Viktor 69
- Euwe, Max 40
Games per decade
- 1870s 4
- 1880s 4
- 1890s 14
- 1900s 13
- 1910s 29
- 1920s 20
- 1930s 13
- 1940s 32
- 1950s 25
- 1960s 34
- 1970s 33
- 1980s 63
- 1990s 57
- 2000s 107
- 2010s 130
- 2020s 231
Master games on this line
| White | Black | Result | Year | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dominguez Perez,L | Wei Yi | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | FIDE World Rapid Team |
| Nepomniachtchi,I | Eljanov,P | 1-0 | 2026 | Chess.com Open PlayIn1 |
| Vachier Lagrave,M | Sevian,Samuel | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | FIDE World Bl Team 5-8th |
| Grischuk,A | Lysyj,I | 1-0 | 2026 | Titled Tue 3rd Feb 2026 |
| Shirov,A | Zhong,Kangmin | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | V Menorca Open A 2026 |
| Vidit,S | Anand,V | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | Tata Steel India Rapid |
Frequently asked questions
What is the Ruy Lopez: Open?
It is the opening with ECO code C80, reached after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Nxe4. It belongs to the Ruy Lopez family.
Is the Ruy Lopez: Open good for White or for Black?
In 809 master games on this line White wins 34%, 48% are drawn and Black wins 18%. 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: Open?
6.d4 — played in 793 of the master games on this line, which leads into Ruy Lopez: Open (C80).
Which grandmasters play the Ruy Lopez: Open?
On the White side Shirov,A (45), Vachier Lagrave,M (37), Caruana,F (28); on the Black side Mamedyarov,S (88), Kortschnoj, Viktor (69), Euwe, Max (40).
Every number on this page is computed from Katuranga's master game collection; names and ECO codes follow the lichess opening book (CC0).
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