Ruy Lopez: Open, Classical Defense, Main Line
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Statistics from Lichess
4,526 games: White 48.7% / Draw 7.9% / Black 43.3%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 3,6013,601 | ||
| 504504 | ||
| 178178 | ||
| 130130 | ||
| 4848 | ||
| 4040 | ||
| 1212 | ||
| 33 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 28, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.12 The position is about equal
Best play: 10... O-O 11. h3 Qd7 12. Nbd2 Nc5 13. Bc2 d4 14. cxd4 Nxd4 15. Nxd4
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Ruy Lopez: Open, Classical Defense, Main Line (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 Be7 7. Re1 b5 8. Bb3 d5 9. dxe5 Be6 10. c3 (10 moves).
In 4,526 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.7%, Black 43.3% and 7.9% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 10…O-O, in 80% 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: Open, Classical Defense, Main Line
The most played answer, 10…O-O, also scores best for Black: 48.1%, with Black winning 44.0% and White 47.7% of 3,601 games. Of the main answers, 10…Nc5 scores lowest: 43.7%. Stockfish's first choice is also 10…O-O.
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
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Ruy Lopez: Open, Classical Defense, Main Line (C83)”. Lichess data as of 28 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/ruy-lopez-open-classical-defense-main-line