Tree path 6 levels King's Pawn Game › King's Knight Opening › Normal Variation › Ruy Lopez › Morphy Defense › Mackenzie Variation
- Chess Codex
- King's Pawn Game C20
- King's Knight Opening C40
- Normal Variation C44
- Ruy Lopez C60
- Morphy Defense C70
- Mackenzie Variation C77 you are here
Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Mackenzie Variation
Overview
Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Mackenzie Variation is a named branch in the Open Games group of chess theory, classified under ECO C77.
The Open Games group covers open games — classical 1.e4 e5 openings where both sides contest the centre directly with pawns.
The line arises from 9 plies — specifically the moves 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. d4.
In the opening tree, this line branches off from Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, part of the broader King's Pawn Game system.
Use the board to walk through every move, check how the position has scored on Lichess, or take it head-to-head against Stockfish.
- ECO code
- C77
- Group
- Open Games (C)
- Plies
- 9
- Parent
- Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense
This overview is generated automatically from the opening's metadata. Know this line well? Write a description — submissions are reviewed before publishing.
Statistics from Lichess
191,674 games · White 56.5% / Draw 5.3% / Black 38.2%
| Moves | Games | W / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| exd4 | 104,609 | |
| b5 | 57,150 | |
| Nxe4 | 15,969 | |
| Nxd4 | 8,724 | |
| d6 | 2,857 | |
| Be7 | 1,201 | |
| Bd6 | 318 | |
| Bb4+ | 264 |
Source: Lichess Opening Explorer · cached 2026-09-26 02:07:32
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