Tree path 6 levels King's Pawn Game › King's Knight Opening › Normal Variation › Ruy Lopez › Morphy Defense › Classical Defense Deferred
- Chess Codex
- King's Pawn Game C20
- King's Knight Opening C40
- Normal Variation C44
- Ruy Lopez C60
- Morphy Defense C70
- Classical Defense Deferred C70 you are here
Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Classical Defense Deferred
Overview
Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Classical Defense Deferred is a specific line in the Open Games family (ECO C70), arising from a recognised theoretical position.
The Open Games group covers open games — classical 1.e4 e5 openings where both sides contest the centre directly with pawns.
It begins with 8 plies and takes 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Bc5 to reach the canonical position.
The line refines Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, which traces back to the root opening King's Pawn Game.
Explore the position on the interactive board, study its real-world results from Lichess, and challenge the engine when you are ready.
- ECO code
- C70
- Group
- Open Games (C)
- Plies
- 8
- Parent
- Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense
This overview is generated automatically from the opening's metadata. Know this line well? Write a description — submissions are reviewed before publishing.
Statistics from Lichess
723,253 games · White 51.7% / Draw 4.4% / Black 43.9%
| Moves | Games | W / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| O-O | 373,568 | |
| c3 | 256,059 | |
| d3 | 37,671 | |
| Nc3 | 20,498 | |
| Nxe5 | 15,411 | |
| Bxc6 | 6,821 | |
| Bb3 | 3,812 | |
| a3 | 2,069 |
Source: Lichess Opening Explorer · cached 2026-09-26 01:54:02
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Submissions are reviewed before publishing.