Ruy Lopez: Noah's Ark Trap
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Statistics from Lichess
51,927 games: White 23.1% / Draw 5.2% / Black 71.7%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 44,13444K | ||
| 5,6885,688 | ||
| 655655 | ||
| 653653 | ||
| 485485 | ||
| 164164 | ||
| 5454 | ||
| 3131 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
−4.53 Black is clearly better
Best play: 9. Qc3 c4 10. a4 cxb3 11. axb5 Nf6 12. O-O Be7 13. bxa6 O-O
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Ruy Lopez: Noah's Ark Trap (ECO C71, Open Games) is a variation of the Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Caro Variation, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 b5 5. Bb3 d6 6. d4 Nxd4 7. Nxd4 exd4 8. Qxd4 c5 (8 moves).
In 51,927 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 23.1%, Black 71.7% and 5.2% were drawn. White's most played move here is 9. Qd5, in 85% 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: Noah's Ark Trap
The most played answer, 9. Qd5, also scores best for White: 25.8%, with White winning 23.0% and Black 71.4% of 44K games. Of the main answers, 9. Bxf7+ scores lowest: 23.9%. Stockfish's first choice is 9. Qc3.
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Ruy Lopez: Noah's Ark Trap (C71)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/ruy-lopez-noahs-ark-trap