Ruy Lopez: Open, Classical Defense
Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.
Statistics from Lichess
22,545 games: White 48.9% / Draw 8.6% / Black 42.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 14,64415K | ||
| 2,0052,005 | ||
| Ruy Lopez: Open, Classical Defense, Main Line | 1,7151,715 | |
| 1,0941,094 | ||
| 825825 | ||
| 795795 | ||
| 511511 | ||
| 500500 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.25 The position is about equal
Best play: 10. Nbd2 Nc5 11. Bc2 d4 12. Nb3 d3 13. Bb1 Nxb3 14. axb3 Bf5
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Ruy Lopez: Open, Classical Defense (ECO C83, Open Games) is a variation of the Ruy Lopez: Open, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 8. dxe5 Be6 9. c3 Be7 (9 moves).
In 22,545 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.9%, Black 42.4% and 8.6% were drawn. White's most played move here is 10. Nbd2, in 65% of those games.
It branches into 3 named variations; the most played are Ruy Lopez: Open, Malkin Variation and Ruy Lopez: Open, Breslau Variation.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
Write a description or report a mistake
How to play against the Ruy Lopez: Open, Classical Defense
10. Re1 (Ruy Lopez: Open, Classical Defense, Main Line) scores best for White: 54.4%, with White winning 50.4% and Black 41.6% of 1,715 games. The most played answer, 10. Nbd2, scores lowest: 52.8% in 15K games. Stockfish's first choice is 10. Nbd2.
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 (3)
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Ruy Lopez: Open, Classical Defense (C83)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/ruy-lopez-open-classical-defense