Ruy Lopez: Marshall Attack, Main Line
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Statistics from Lichess
230,096 games: White 39.2% / Draw 5.5% / Black 55.3%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 228,947229K | ||
| 643643 | ||
| 218218 | ||
| 7878 | ||
| 3131 | ||
| 2929 | ||
| 2525 | ||
| 2222 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 27, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.04 The position is about equal
Best play: 12... Bd6 13. Re1 Qh4 14. g3 Qh3 15. Re4 g5 16. Qf1 Qxf1+ 17. Kxf1
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 1,275 | |
| 1400–1799 | 40K | |
| 1800–2199 | 162K | |
| 2200 and up | 35K | |
| Masters, over the board | 2,619 |
Master games
- Anand, V. – Aronian, L.
- Karjakin, S. – Aronian, L.
- Anand, V. – Ivanchuk, V.
- Ivanchuk, V. – Carlsen, M.
- Anand, V. – Aronian, L.
Rated blitz, rapid and classical Lichess games by rating band, and over-the-board games of players rated 2200+ from the Lichess masters database, updated Sep 27, 2026
Overview
Ruy Lopez: Marshall Attack, Main Line (ECO C89, Open Games) is a variation of the Ruy Lopez: Marshall Attack, Modern Variation, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. c3 d5 9. exd5 Nxd5 10. Nxe5 Nxe5 11. Rxe5 c6 12. d4 (12 moves).
In 230,096 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 39.2%, Black 55.3% and 5.5% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 12…Bd6, in 100% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Ruy Lopez: Marshall Attack, Modern Main Line. In all, 2 named lines continue from it.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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Popularity by year
The Ruy Lopez: Marshall Attack, Main Line has lost ground since 2016: 0.0071% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.012% (its peak: 0.015% in 2018).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.012% | 4,246 |
| 2017 | 0.015% | 8,012 |
| 2018 | 0.015% | 11,470 |
| 2019 | 0.012% | 14,473 |
| 2020 | 0.01% | 29,779 |
| 2021 | 0.0084% | 32,764 |
| 2022 | 0.0089% | 33,493 |
| 2023 | 0.0086% | 32,340 |
| 2024 | 0.0074% | 26,516 |
| 2025 | 0.0071% | 24,509 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.0075% | 8,241 |
Share of rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500 (blitz, rapid and classical) that reach this position, by year; 2026: January to April. Which openings are rising and falling
Variations (1)
All 2 named lines that continue from here
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Ruy Lopez: Marshall Attack, Main Line (C89)”. Lichess data as of 27 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/ruy-lopez-marshall-attack-main-line