Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Tarrasch Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
542,123 games: White 48.3% / Draw 5.2% / Black 46.6%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 285,284285K | ||
| 92,57993K | ||
| 66,46666K | ||
| 54,20354K | ||
| 30,39830K | ||
| 3,6343,634 | ||
| 3,4403,440 | ||
| 1,7851,785 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.04 The position is about equal
Best play: 5... Be7 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. h3 Bd6 8. d4 Bb4 9. O-O O-O 10. Nxe5
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: White scores 54% under 1400, 53% at 2200 and up and 60% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 595K | |
| 1400–1799 | 648K | |
| 1800–2199 | 234K | |
| 2200 and up | 28K | |
| Masters, over the board | 997 |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – Caruana, F.
- Carlsen, M. – Anand, V.
- Carlsen, M. – Keymer, V.
- Dominguez Perez, L. – Aronian, L.
- Abdusattorov, N. – Carlsen, M.
Rated blitz, rapid and classical Lichess games by rating band, and over-the-board games of players rated 2200+ from the Lichess masters database, updated Sep 27, 2026
Overview
Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Tarrasch Variation (ECO C77, Open Games) is a variation of the Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. Nc3 (5 moves).
In 542,123 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.3%, Black 46.6% and 5.2% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 5…b5, in 53% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Tarrasch Variation
5…Be7 scores best for Black: 50.3%, with Black winning 47.6% and White 47.1% of 54K games. The most played, 5…b5, scores 49.2% in 285K games, and 5…Bb4 scores lowest: 47.0%. Stockfish's first choice is also 5…Be7.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: Black's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings
Popularity by year
The Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Tarrasch Variation has lost ground since 2016: 0.017% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.03%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.03% | 10,636 |
| 2017 | 0.028% | 15,429 |
| 2018 | 0.025% | 19,366 |
| 2019 | 0.024% | 29,551 |
| 2020 | 0.024% | 70,803 |
| 2021 | 0.024% | 93,128 |
| 2022 | 0.021% | 79,677 |
| 2023 | 0.02% | 73,695 |
| 2024 | 0.018% | 64,561 |
| 2025 | 0.017% | 58,635 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.017% | 18,367 |
Share of rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500 (blitz, rapid and classical) that reach this position, by year; 2026: January to April. Which openings are rising and falling
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Tarrasch Variation (C77)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/ruy-lopez-morphy-defense-tarrasch-variation