Ruy Lopez: Steinitz Defense Deferred, Lipnitsky Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
2,848 games: White 63.3% / Draw 6.7% / Black 30.1%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 2,5482,548 | ||
| 8686 | ||
| 5353 | ||
| 5050 | ||
| 4040 | ||
| 2929 | ||
| 2121 | ||
| 99 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 25, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.46 White is slightly better
Best play: 8. dxe5 Nxe4 9. exd6 Bxd6 10. Qe2 f5 11. h3 Bh5 12. Qc4 Qf6
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Ruy Lopez: Steinitz Defense Deferred, Lipnitsky Variation (ECO C79, Open Games) is a variation of the Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Steinitz Deferred, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O d6 6. Bxc6+ bxc6 7. d4 Bg4 (7 moves).
In 2,848 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 63.3%, Black 30.1% and 6.7% were drawn. White's most played move here is 8. dxe5, in 89% of those games.
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Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Ruy Lopez: Steinitz Defense Deferred, Lipnitsky Variation (C79)”. Lichess data as of 25 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/ruy-lopez-steinitz-defense-deferred-lipnitsky-variation