Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Modern Steinitz Defense 6. d4 Nge7
Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.
Statistics from Lichess
10,930 games: White 48.9% / Draw 5.7% / Black 45.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 5,3405,340 | ||
| 2,1572,157 | ||
| 706706 | ||
| 643643 | ||
| 536536 | ||
| 393393 | ||
| 305305 | ||
| 247247 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 13, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.86 White is better
Best play: 7. Be3 Ng6 8. d5 Nb8 9. Bc2 Nf4 10. O-O Ng6 11. c4 Be7
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Modern Steinitz Defense (ECO C75, Open Games) is a variation of the Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Modern Steinitz Defense, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. c3 Bd7 6. d4 Nge7 (6 moves).
In 10,930 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.9%, Black 45.4% and 5.7% were drawn. White's most played move here is 7. O-O, in 49% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
Write a description or report a mistake
How to answer 6…Nge7
7. d5 scores best for White: 52.1%, with White winning 49.6% and Black 45.3% of 2,157 games. The most played, 7. O-O, scores 50.7% in 5,340 games, and 7. Bg5 scores lowest: 49.5%. Stockfish's first choice is 7. Be3.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: White'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, Modern Steinitz Defense (C75)”. Lichess data as of 13 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/ruy-lopez-morphy-defense-modern-steinitz-defense-9