Tree path 7 levels King's Pawn Game › King's Knight Opening › Normal Variation › Ruy Lopez › Morphy Defense › Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense › Neo-Arkhangelsk Variation
- Chess Codex
- King's Pawn Game C20
- King's Knight Opening C40
- Normal Variation C44
- Ruy Lopez C60
- Morphy Defense C70
- Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense C78
- Neo-Arkhangelsk Variation C78 you are here
Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Neo-Arkhangelsk Variation
Overview
Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Neo-Arkhangelsk Variation is a named branch in the Open Games group of chess theory, classified under ECO C78.
The Open Games group covers open games — classical 1.e4 e5 openings where both sides contest the centre directly with pawns.
Play reaches this position via 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Bc5, after 10 plies of opening development.
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
- C78
- Group
- Open Games (C)
- Plies
- 10
- 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
590,947 games · White 55.4% / Draw 4.3% / Black 40.3%
| Moves | Games | W / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| c3 | 263,078 | |
| Re1 | 113,977 | |
| d3 | 97,294 | |
| Nxe5 | 41,033 | |
| Bxc6 | 31,660 | |
| h3 | 18,141 | |
| Nc3 | 15,001 | |
| Qe2 | 3,790 |
Source: Lichess Opening Explorer · cached 2026-09-26 02:19:28
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Submissions are reviewed before publishing.