Tree path 8 levels King's Pawn Game › King's Knight Opening › Normal Variation › Ruy Lopez › Morphy Defense › Caro Variation › Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Norwegian Variation › Nightingale Gambit
Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Norwegian Variation, Nightingale Gambit
Overview
Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Norwegian Variation, Nightingale Gambit is a sacrificial opening line filed under ECO C70 in the Open Games group. The defining idea is the early concession of material to seize the initiative and unbalance the position.
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 11 plies of play, with the move sequence 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 b5 5. Bb3 Na5 6. Bxf7+.
In the opening tree, this line branches off from Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Norwegian 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
- C70
- Group
- Open Games (C)
- Plies
- 11
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
19,695 games · White 55.5% / Draw 2.9% / Black 41.5%
| Moves | Games | W / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Kxf7 | 19,580 | |
| Ke7 | 115 |
Source: Lichess Opening Explorer · cached 2026-09-26 02:30:57
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