Ruy Lopez: Bird's Defense Deferred
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Statistics from Lichess
22,790 games: White 54.4% / Draw 3.6% / Black 42.0%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 11,16211K | ||
| 4,5174,517 | ||
| 4,0354,035 | ||
| 2,1172,117 | ||
| 535535 | ||
| 307307 | ||
| 6060 | ||
| 2020 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+1.00 White is better
Best play: 5. Nxd4 exd4 6. O-O Bc5 7. d3 c6 8. Nd2 Ne7 9. f4 O-O
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Ruy Lopez: Bird's Defense Deferred (ECO C70, Open Games) is a variation of the Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nd4 (4 moves).
In 22,790 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 54.4%, Black 42.0% and 3.6% were drawn. White's most played move here is 5. Nxd4, in 49% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Ruy Lopez: Bird's Defense Deferred
The most played answer, 5. Nxd4, also scores best for White: 61.5%, with White winning 59.6% and Black 36.6% of 11K games. Of the main answers, 5. Nxe5 scores lowest: 34.7%. Stockfish's first choice is also 5. Nxd4.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: White's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Ruy Lopez: Bird's Defense Deferred (C70)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/ruy-lopez-birds-defense-deferred