Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Wormald Attack
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Statistics from Lichess
210,775 games: White 53.3% / Draw 5.1% / Black 41.6%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 140,094140K | ||
| 25,19525K | ||
| 21,18921K | ||
| 20,66721K | ||
| 1,3071,307 | ||
| 868868 | ||
| 391391 | ||
| 299299 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 28, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.04 The position is about equal
Best play: 5... b5 6. Bb3 Bc5 7. a4 Rb8 8. axb5 axb5 9. d3 d6 10. h3
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 53% both under 1400 and at 2200 and up, and 54% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 14K | |
| 1400–1799 | 36K | |
| 1800–2199 | 124K | |
| 2200 and up | 63K | |
| Masters, over the board | 2,276 |
Master games
- Anand, V. – Carlsen, M.
- Svidler, P. – Anand, V.
- Tiviakov, S. – Carlsen, M.
- Adams, M. – Kamsky, G.
- Adams, M. – Shirov, A.
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, Wormald Attack (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. Qe2 (5 moves).
In 210,775 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 53.3%, Black 41.6% and 5.1% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 5…b5, in 66% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations; the most played are Ruy Lopez: Closed, Worrall Attack, Castling Line and Ruy Lopez: Wormald Attack, Grünfeld Variation.
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, Wormald Attack
The most played answer, 5…b5, also scores best for Black: 44.7%, with Black winning 42.0% and White 52.7% of 140K games. Of the main answers, 5…Be7 scores lowest: 42.9%. Stockfish's first choice is also 5…b5.
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, Wormald Attack has lost ground since 2016: 0.0068% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.011% (its peak: 0.013% in 2017).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.011% | 3,915 |
| 2017 | 0.013% | 7,376 |
| 2018 | 0.013% | 9,861 |
| 2019 | 0.01% | 12,445 |
| 2020 | 0.011% | 32,482 |
| 2021 | 0.0079% | 30,739 |
| 2022 | 0.0074% | 27,660 |
| 2023 | 0.0072% | 26,969 |
| 2024 | 0.0067% | 23,935 |
| 2025 | 0.0068% | 23,519 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.0075% | 8,228 |
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
Variations (2)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Wormald Attack (C77)”. Lichess data as of 28 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/ruy-lopez-morphy-defense-wormald-attack