Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Wing Attack
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Statistics from Lichess
22,056 games: White 54.3% / Draw 5.1% / Black 40.6%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 8,8928,892 | ||
| 7,4427,442 | ||
| 3,6633,663 | ||
| 743743 | ||
| 657657 | ||
| 284284 | ||
| 232232 | ||
| 9999 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.22 The position is about equal
Best play: 7... Bb7 8. d3 O-O 9. Re1 d6 10. Bd2 Qd7 11. h3 Nd8 12. c4
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Wing Attack (ECO C78, 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. O-O b5 6. Bb3 Be7 7. a4 (7 moves).
In 22,056 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 54.3%, Black 40.6% and 5.1% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 7…Bb7, in 40% 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, Wing Attack
7…Rb8 scores best for Black: 46.7%, with Black winning 43.7% and White 50.3% of 3,663 games. The most played, 7…Bb7, scores 43.5% in 8,892 games, and 7…b4 scores lowest: 42.8%. Stockfish's first choice is 7…Bb7.
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Wing Attack (C78)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/ruy-lopez-morphy-defense-wing-attack