Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Schliemann Defense Deferred
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Statistics from Lichess
93,226 games: White 46.1% / Draw 5.0% / Black 48.9%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 36,28936K | ||
| Jaenisch Gambit Deferred | 19,77420K | |
| 11,83312K | ||
| 10,26610K | ||
| 9,9669,966 | ||
| 3,7343,734 | ||
| 1,0401,040 | ||
| 104104 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.84 White is better
Best play: 5. d4 exd4 6. e5 b5 7. Bb3 Na5 8. Qxd4 Ne7 9. Bd2 Nec6
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Schliemann Defense Deferred (ECO C70, Open Games) is a variation of the Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 f5 (4 moves).
In 93,226 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 46.1%, Black 48.9% and 5.0% were drawn. White's most played move here is 5. d3, in 39% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Schliemann Defense Deferred, Jaenisch Gambit Deferred.
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How to play against the Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Schliemann Defense Deferred
5. d4 scores best for White: 55.5%, with White winning 52.8% and Black 41.8% of 12K games. The most played, 5. d3, scores 48.4% in 36K games, and 5. Bxc6 scores lowest: 45.0%. Stockfish's first choice is also 5. d4.
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
Variations (1)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Schliemann Defense Deferred (C70)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/ruy-lopez-morphy-defense-schliemann-defense-deferred