Ruy Lopez: Marshall Attack, Modern Main Line
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Statistics from Lichess
191,573 games: White 40.1% / Draw 5.8% / Black 54.1%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 61,88062K | ||
| 47,30047K | ||
| 31,73032K | ||
| 24,24624K | ||
| 13,08013K | ||
| 6,8006,800 | ||
| 4,7594,759 | ||
| 898898 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 25, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.07 The position is about equal
Best play: 15. Re4 g5 16. Qf1 Qxf1+ 17. Kxf1 Bf5 18. Nd2 a5 19. a4 b4
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 | 708 | |
| 1400–1799 | 29K | |
| 1800–2199 | 136K | |
| 2200 and up | 31K | |
| Masters, over the board | 2,729 |
Master games
- Anand, V. – Aronian, L.
- Karjakin, S. – Aronian, L.
- Anand, V. – Ivanchuk, V.
- Ivanchuk, V. – Carlsen, M.
- So, W. – 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, Modern Main Line (ECO C89, Open Games) is a variation of the Ruy Lopez: Marshall Attack, Main Line, 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 Bd6 13. Re1 Qh4 14. g3 Qh3 (14 moves).
In 191,573 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 40.1%, Black 54.1% and 5.8% were drawn. White's most played move here is 15. Qf3, in 32% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Ruy Lopez: Marshall Attack, Main Line, Spassky Variation.
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: Marshall Attack, Modern Main Line
15. Re4 scores best for White: 53.9%, with White winning 51.4% and Black 43.6% of 32K games. The most played answer, 15. Qf3, scores lowest: 32.7% in 62K games. Stockfish's first choice is also 15. Re4.
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
Popularity by year
The Ruy Lopez: Marshall Attack, Modern Main Line has lost ground since 2016: 0.0059% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.0094% (its peak: 0.012% in 2018).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.0094% | 3,363 |
| 2017 | 0.012% | 6,602 |
| 2018 | 0.012% | 9,492 |
| 2019 | 0.0096% | 11,941 |
| 2020 | 0.0084% | 24,678 |
| 2021 | 0.0069% | 27,150 |
| 2022 | 0.0074% | 27,933 |
| 2023 | 0.0072% | 27,071 |
| 2024 | 0.0062% | 22,218 |
| 2025 | 0.0059% | 20,604 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.0063% | 6,953 |
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)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Ruy Lopez: Marshall Attack, Modern Main Line (C89)”. Lichess data as of 25 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/ruy-lopez-marshall-attack-modern-main-line