Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Mackenzie Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
191,674 games: White 56.5% / Draw 5.3% / Black 38.2%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 104,609105K | ||
| 57,15057K | ||
| 15,96916K | ||
| 8,7248,724 | ||
| 2,8572,857 | ||
| 1,2011,201 | ||
| 318318 | ||
| 264264 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
0.00 The position is about equal
Best play: 5... exd4 6. O-O Be7 7. e5 Ne4 8. Nxd4 O-O 9. Nf5 d5 10. Nxe7+
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
The stronger the players, the better this line does for White: White scores 53% under 1400, 59% at 2200 and up and 50% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 26K | |
| 1400–1799 | 46K | |
| 1800–2199 | 106K | |
| 2200 and up | 59K | |
| Masters, over the board | 1,570 |
Master games
- Kramnik, V. – Adams, M.
- Gashimov, V. – Tkachiev, V.
- Jones, G. – Anton Guijarro, D.
- Durarbayli, V. – Dubov, D.
- Gashimov, V. – Harikrishna, P.
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, Mackenzie Variation (ECO C77, Open Games) is a variation of the Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. d4 (5 moves).
In 191,674 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 56.5%, Black 38.2% and 5.3% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 5…exd4, in 55% 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, Mackenzie Variation
The most played answer, 5…exd4, also scores best for Black: 43.3%, with Black winning 40.3% and White 53.8% of 105K games. Of the main answers, 5…b5 scores lowest: 36.8%. Stockfish's first choice is also 5…exd4.
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
Popularity by year
The Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Mackenzie Variation peaked in 2020 at 0.0094% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.007% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.0064% | 2,282 |
| 2017 | 0.0083% | 4,541 |
| 2018 | 0.0094% | 7,369 |
| 2019 | 0.0088% | 10,981 |
| 2020 | 0.0094% | 27,520 |
| 2021 | 0.0069% | 27,180 |
| 2022 | 0.0071% | 26,626 |
| 2023 | 0.0069% | 25,883 |
| 2024 | 0.0066% | 23,683 |
| 2025 | 0.007% | 24,250 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.0075% | 8,256 |
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, Mackenzie Variation (C77)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/ruy-lopez-morphy-defense-mackenzie-variation