Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Duras Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
6,585 games: White 47.2% / Draw 7.2% / Black 45.5%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 2,2382,238 | ||
| 1,7851,785 | ||
| 1,4681,468 | ||
| 810810 | ||
| 147147 | ||
| 6262 | ||
| 3434 | ||
| 1919 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 27, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.13 The position is about equal
Best play: 6... g6 7. Nc3 Bg7 8. h3 O-O 9. O-O Rb8 10. Rb1 Be6 11. b4
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Duras Variation (ECO C77, Open Games) is a variation of the Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Anderssen Variation, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. d3 d6 6. c4 (6 moves).
In 6,585 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 47.2%, Black 45.5% and 7.2% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 6…Be7, in 34% 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, Duras Variation
6…g6 scores best for Black: 50.2%, with Black winning 45.9% and White 45.4% of 1,785 games. The most played, 6…Be7, scores 50.1% in 2,238 games, and 6…Bd7 scores lowest: 47.6%. Stockfish's first choice is also 6…g6.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: Black'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, Duras Variation (C77)”. Lichess data as of 27 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/ruy-lopez-morphy-defense-duras-variation