Tree path 13 levels King's Pawn Game › King's Knight Opening › Normal Variation › Ruy Lopez › Morphy Defense › Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense › Ruy Lopez: Open › Ruy Lopez: Open › Ruy Lopez: Open › Ruy Lopez: Open › Main Line › Ruy Lopez: Open, Howell Attack › Ekstrom Variation
- Chess Codex
- King's Pawn Game C20
- King's Knight Opening C40
- Normal Variation C44
- Ruy Lopez C60
- Morphy Defense C70
- Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense C78
- Ruy Lopez: Open C80
- Ruy Lopez: Open C80
- Ruy Lopez: Open C80
- Ruy Lopez: Open C80
- Main Line C80
- Ruy Lopez: Open, Howell Attack C81
- Ekstrom Variation C81 you are here
Ruy Lopez: Open, Howell Attack, Ekstrom Variation
Overview
Ruy Lopez: Open, Howell Attack, Ekstrom Variation is a named branch in the Open Games group of chess theory, classified under ECO C81.
The Open Games group covers open games — classical 1.e4 e5 openings where both sides contest the centre directly with pawns.
The line arises from 24 plies — specifically the moves 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. Qe2 Be7 10. Rd1 O-O 11. c4 bxc4 12. Bxc4 Qd7.
In the opening tree, this line branches off from Ruy Lopez: Open, Howell Attack, part of the broader King's Pawn Game system.
Use the board to walk through every move, check how the position has scored on Lichess, or take it head-to-head against Stockfish.
- ECO code
- C81
- Group
- Open Games (C)
- Plies
- 24
This overview is generated automatically from the opening's metadata. Know this line well? Write a description — submissions are reviewed before publishing.
Statistics from Lichess
430 games · White 40.7% / Draw 9.1% / Black 50.2%
| Moves | Games | W / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Nc3 | 214 | |
| Bxa6 | 79 | |
| Be3 | 37 | |
| Bb3 | 28 | |
| Bxd5 | 19 | |
| Bd3 | 16 | |
| Bf4 | 14 | |
| Nbd2 | 10 |
Source: Lichess Opening Explorer · cached 2026-09-26 03:30:35
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