Tree path 7 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
- Chess 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 C73 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 C73.
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 11 plies — specifically the moves 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. Bxc6+ bxc6 6. d4.
In the opening tree, this line branches off from Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Modern Steinitz Defense, part of the broader King's Pawn Game system.
It continues primarily into one named line, Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Modern Steinitz Defense.
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
- C73
- Group
- Open Games (C)
- Plies
- 11
- Direct variations
- 1
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
22,050 games · White 51.9% / Draw 6.5% / Black 41.6%
| Moves | Games | W / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| exd4 | 12,471 | |
| f6 | 4,668 | |
| Bg4 | 3,532 | |
| Nf6 | 545 | |
| Qe7 | 187 | |
| Qf6 | 163 | |
| Bb7 | 138 | |
| f5 | 97 |
Source: Lichess Opening Explorer · cached 2026-09-26 02:31:01
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