Tree path 9 levels King's Pawn Game › King's Knight Opening › Normal Variation › Ruy Lopez › Morphy Defense › Modern Steinitz Defense › Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Modern Steinitz Defense › Siesta Variation › Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Modern Steinitz Defense
- Caissa Codex
- King's Pawn Game C20
- King's Knight Opening C40
- Normal Variation C44
- Ruy Lopez C60
- Morphy Defense C70
- Modern Steinitz Defense C71
- Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Modern Steinitz Defense C74
- Siesta Variation C74
- Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Modern Steinitz Defense C74 you are here
Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Modern Steinitz Defense
Overview
Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Modern Steinitz Defense is a named branch in the Open Games group of chess theory, classified under ECO C74.
The Open Games group covers open games — classical 1.e4 e5 openings where both sides contest the centre directly with pawns.
It is reached after 13 plies of play, with the move sequence 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. c3 f5 6. exf5 Bxf5 7. O-O.
In the opening tree, this line branches off from Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Modern Steinitz Defense, Siesta Variation, 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
- C74
- Group
- Open Games (C)
- Plies
- 13
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
8,364 games · White 48.7% / Draw 5.9% / Black 45.4%
| Moves | Games | W / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Bd3 | 4,588 | |
| Nf6 | 2,434 | |
| Be7 | 547 | |
| b5 | 288 | |
| Bg4 | 209 | |
| Qf6 | 55 | |
| e4 | 49 | |
| Ne7 | 46 |
Source: Lichess Opening Explorer · cached 2026-09-26 02:50:49
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