Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Jaffe Gambit
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Statistics from Lichess
115,358 games: White 49.0% / Draw 4.4% / Black 46.6%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 48,82649K | ||
| 20,32520K | ||
| 19,86620K | ||
| 12,48812K | ||
| 10,86811K | ||
| 1,5601,560 | ||
| 524524 | ||
| 407407 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 1, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.36 Black is slightly better
Best play: 5... Nxe4 6. Qe2 Nc5 7. Bxc6 dxc6 8. d4 Ne6 9. Nxe5 Bd6 10. O-O
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Jaffe Gambit (ECO C77, Open Games) is a gambit in the Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. c3 (5 moves).
In 115,358 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.0%, Black 46.6% and 4.4% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 5…b5, in 42% 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, Jaffe Gambit
5…Nxe4 scores best for Black: 52.5%, with Black winning 50.1% and White 45.1% of 20K games. The most played, 5…b5, scores 48.1% in 49K games, and 5…Bc5 scores lowest: 45.7%. Stockfish's first choice is also 5…Nxe4.
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, Jaffe Gambit (C77)”. Lichess data as of 1 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/ruy-lopez-morphy-defense-jaffe-gambit