- ECO code
- C60
- Moves
- 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5
- Family
- Ruy Lopez
- To move
- Black
- Master games
- 12,516
- Average game length
- 45 moves
- Years covered
- 1851–2026
Ruy Lopez is the opening filed under ECO code C60, reached after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5. It belongs to the Ruy Lopez family; in the resulting position it is Black to move.
Katuranga's collection of 138,070 master games contains 12,516 games on this line — the 11th most played opening in the collection. The oldest game on this line is from 1851 and the most recent from 2026. The busiest decade in this collection is the 2020s, with 4,246 games. An average game here lasts 45 moves.
White wins 34% of those games, 43% 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 8 points.
From this position the most popular move is 3...a6, played in 8,064 games, followed by 3...Nf6 (3,599) and 3...f5 (218). 3...a6 leads into Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense. After 3...a6 White scores 35% and Black 23%.
The name that appears most often on the White side of this line is Vachier Lagrave,M (701 games); on the Black side, Aronian,L (533).
24 named variations branch off this position and have their own page here, among them Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense; Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense; Ruy Lopez: Closed.
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Results in master games
- White 34% (4,228)
- Draws 43% (5,453)
- Black 23% (2,835)
Most played continuations
| Move | Games | White / draws / Black | Leads into |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3...a6 | 8,064 | 35/42/23 | Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense |
| 3...Nf6 | 3,599 | 30/50/20 | Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense |
| 3...f5 | 218 | 34/33/33 | — |
| 3...g6 | 192 | 33/30/37 | — |
| 3...Nge7 | 124 | 42/29/29 | — |
| 3...Bc5 | 118 | 43/32/25 | — |
| 3...d6 | 101 | 52/20/28 | — |
| 3...Nd4 | 69 | 42/36/22 | — |
Variations from this position
- Morphy Defense · 3...a6 · 8,064 games
- Morphy Defense · 3...a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O · 5,861 games
- Closed · 3...a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 · 3,942 games
- Berlin Defense · 3...Nf6 · 3,599 games
- Closed · 3...a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 · 2,916 games
- Berlin Defense · 3...Nf6 4.O-O · 1,850 games
- Berlin Defense, Rio Gambit Accepted · 3...Nf6 4.O-O Nxe4 · 1,680 games
- Berlin Defense, Anti-Berlin Variation · 3...Nf6 4.d3 · 1,575 games
- Closed · 3...a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 O-O · 1,424 games
- Closed · 3...a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 O-O · 1,368 games
- Closed · 3...a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 O-O 9.h3 · 1,234 games
- Berlin Defense, l'Hermet Variation · 3...Nf6 4.O-O Nxe4 5.d4 Nd6 · 880 games
- Open · 3...a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Nxe4 · 809 games
- Open · 3...a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Nxe4 6.d4 · 793 games
- Open · 3...a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Nxe4 6.d4 b5 7.Bb3 · 752 games
- Berlin Defense, l'Hermet Variation, Berlin Wall Defense · 3...Nf6 4.O-O Nxe4 5.d4 Nd6 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.dxe5 Nf5 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8 · 740 games
- Open · 3...a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Nxe4 6.d4 b5 7.Bb3 d5 8.dxe5 · 703 games
- Open, Main Line · 3...a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Nxe4 6.d4 b5 7.Bb3 d5 8.dxe5 Be6 · 701 games
- Closed, Martinez Variation · 3...a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.d3 · 608 games
- Morphy Defense, Modern Steinitz Defense · 3...a6 4.Ba4 d6 · 552 games
- Morphy Defense, Anderssen Variation · 3...a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.d3 · 535 games
- Morphy Defense, Neo-Arkhangelsk Variation · 3...a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O b5 6.Bb3 Bc5 · 475 games
- Closed, Chigorin Defense · 3...a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 O-O 9.h3 Na5 · 389 games
- Closed, Chigorin Defense · 3...a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 O-O 9.h3 Na5 10.Bc2 · 389 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
Played most often by
As White
- Vachier Lagrave,M 701
- Shirov,A 489
- Caruana,F 460
As Black
- Aronian,L 533
- Nakamura,Hi 455
- Carlsen,M 370
Games per decade
- 1850s 34
- 1860s 78
- 1870s 39
- 1880s 48
- 1890s 207
- 1900s 260
- 1910s 160
- 1920s 221
- 1930s 156
- 1940s 213
- 1950s 361
- 1960s 492
- 1970s 360
- 1980s 407
- 1990s 653
- 2000s 1,689
- 2010s 2,892
- 2020s 4,246
Master games on this line
| White | Black | Result | Year | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rapport,R | Ding Liren | 1-0 | 2026 | FIDE World Rapid Team |
| Matyakubov,Miraziz | Erigaisi,Arjun | 1-0 | 2026 | Titled Tue 6th Jan 2026 |
| So,W | Gukesh,D | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | 14th Norway Chess 2026 |
| Abdusattorov,Nodirbek | Keymer,Vincent | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | Titled Tue 10th Feb 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 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the Ruy Lopez?
It is the opening with ECO code C60, reached after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5. It belongs to the Ruy Lopez family.
Is the Ruy Lopez good for White or for Black?
In 12,516 master games on this line White wins 34%, 43% 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?
3...a6 — played in 8,064 of the master games on this line, which leads into Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense.
Which grandmasters play the Ruy Lopez?
On the White side Vachier Lagrave,M (701), Shirov,A (489), Caruana,F (460); on the Black side Aronian,L (533), Nakamura,Hi (455), Carlsen,M (370).
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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