Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Cozio Defense
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Statistics from Lichess
88,583 games: White 47.1% / Draw 5.9% / Black 47.0%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 49,98950K | ||
| 21,61822K | ||
| 5,1125,112 | ||
| 5,0545,054 | ||
| 4,3234,323 | ||
| 847847 | ||
| 418418 | ||
| 349349 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.47 White is slightly better
Best play: 5. c3 Ng6 6. d4 exd4 7. cxd4 d5 8. exd5 Qxd5 9. Nc3 Qh5
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Cozio Defense (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 Nge7 (4 moves).
In 88,583 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 47.1%, Black 47.0% and 5.9% were drawn. White's most played move here is 5. O-O, in 56% 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: Morphy Defense, Cozio Defense
5. Nc3 scores best for White: 52.0%, with White winning 48.7% and Black 44.7% of 5,054 games. The most played answer, 5. O-O, scores lowest: 49.9% in 50K games. Stockfish's first choice is 5. c3.
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: Morphy Defense, Cozio Defense (C70)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/ruy-lopez-morphy-defense-cozio-defense