Ruy Lopez: Marshall Attack, Steiner Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
46,751 games: White 31.1% / Draw 3.7% / Black 65.2%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 36,93637K | ||
| 6,3506,350 | ||
| 1,5741,574 | ||
| 1,1721,172 | ||
| 457457 | ||
| 8787 | ||
| 5353 | ||
| 4747 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+1.95 White is clearly better
Even so, Black scores 67.1% here in practice: wins plus half the draws in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500.
Best play: 10. dxc6 exf3 11. g3 Bg4 12. d4 Re8 13. Bf4 Nd5 14. Re4 Nf6
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Ruy Lopez: Marshall Attack, Steiner Variation (ECO C89, Open Games) is a variation of the Ruy Lopez: Marshall Attack, 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 e4 (9 moves).
In 46,751 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 31.1%, Black 65.2% and 3.7% were drawn. White's most played move here is 10. dxc6, in 79% of those games.
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How to play against the Ruy Lopez: Marshall Attack, Steiner Variation
10. Ng5 scores best for White: 48.2%, with White winning 45.9% and Black 49.4% of 6,350 games. The most played answer, 10. dxc6, scores lowest: 30.6% in 37K games. Stockfish's first choice is 10. dxc6.
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: Marshall Attack, Steiner Variation (C89)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/ruy-lopez-marshall-attack-steiner-variation