Caissa Codex
C80

Ruy Lopez: Open, Zukertort Variation

Chess diagram: Ruy Lopez: Open, Zukertort Variation after 8…Ne7

Type a move and press Enter: e4, Nf3, O-O, or from and to squares like g1f3 (e7e8q to promote). The board is also played with the mouse.

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Statistics from Lichess

144 games: White 49.3% / Draw 6.9% / Black 43.8%

The moves played next. Pick one to see it on the board.
Next moveGamesWhite / Draw / BlackW / D / B
3030
2828
2626
2424
1313
77
66
44

Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 1, 2026

Engine evaluation

+1.47 White is better

Best play: 9. a4 Be6 10. Nd4 Nc5 11. axb5 Nxb3 12. cxb3 axb5 13. Rxa8 Qxa8

Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.

Overview

Ruy Lopez: Open, Zukertort Variation (ECO C80, 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 Ne7 (8 moves).

In 144 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.3%, Black 43.8% and 6.9% were drawn. White's most played move here is 9. c3, in 21% of those games.

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Other lines from the same position

Instead of 8…Ne7, the position after Ruy Lopez: Open also goes on to:

Cite this page

Caissa Codex. “Ruy Lopez: Open, Zukertort Variation (C80)”. Lichess data as of 1 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/ruy-lopez-open-zukertort-variation

https://chesscodex.org/openings/ruy-lopez-open-zukertort-variation