Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Graz Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
571,877 games: White 52.3% / Draw 4.3% / Black 43.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 243,979244K | ||
| 235,114235K | ||
| 37,60338K | ||
| 16,06116K | ||
| 10,45410K | ||
| 8,1498,149 | ||
| 5,6985,698 | ||
| 5,6645,664 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Sep 26, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.71 White is better
Best play: 6. c3 Bb6 7. d4 Bb7 8. dxe5 Nge7 9. h4 Ng6 10. Bg5 f6
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: Black scores 45% under 1400, 47% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 221K | |
| 1400–1799 | 444K | |
| 1800–2199 | 306K | |
| 2200 and up | 24K | |
| Masters, over the board | 61 |
Master games
- Vovk, A. – Mons, L.
- Tseshkovsky, V. – Wittmann, W.
- Kveinys, A. – Mahdi, K.
- Wahls, M. – Mahdi, K.
- Dvoirys, S. I. – Wittmann, W.
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: Morphy Defense, Graz Variation (ECO C70, Open Games) is a variation of the Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Caro Variation, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 b5 5. Bb3 Bc5 (5 moves).
In 571,877 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 52.3%, Black 43.4% and 4.3% were drawn. White's most played move here is 6. O-O, in 43% 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, Graz Variation
6. c3 scores best for White: 55.2%, with White winning 53.2% and Black 42.7% of 235K games. The most played, 6. O-O, scores 54.3% in 244K games, and 6. d3 scores lowest: 52.5%. Stockfish's first choice is also 6. 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
Popularity by year
The Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Graz Variation peaked in 2017 at 0.025% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.019% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.021% | 7,503 |
| 2017 | 0.025% | 14,002 |
| 2018 | 0.024% | 19,057 |
| 2019 | 0.023% | 28,862 |
| 2020 | 0.024% | 71,653 |
| 2021 | 0.023% | 90,260 |
| 2022 | 0.023% | 85,412 |
| 2023 | 0.022% | 84,025 |
| 2024 | 0.021% | 74,629 |
| 2025 | 0.019% | 67,513 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.019% | 20,917 |
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Graz Variation (C70)”. Lichess data as of 26 Sep 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/ruy-lopez-morphy-defense-graz-variation