C70

Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense

Key moves: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5

The Ruy Lopez is one of the oldest and most classic chess openings. White develops the bishop to b5, putting indirect pressure on the e5 pawn through the knight on c6. It leads to rich strategic positions with deep plans for both sides.

History & Notable Players

Named after the 16th-century Spanish priest Ruy López de Segura. It has been a cornerstone of chess opening theory for over 500 years and remains one of the most popular openings at all levels.

Best Games

Gukesh,D vs Le,Quang Liem0-1
Saint Louis Blitz 2025 • 2025★ Notable
Praggnanandhaa,R vs Nakamura,Hi1/2-1/2
12th Norway Chess 2024 • 2024★ Notable
Carlsen,M vs Nakamura,Hi1/2-1/2
12th Norway Chess 2024 • 2024★ Notable
Nepomniachtchi,I vs Nakamura,Hi1/2-1/2
FIDE Candidates 2024 • 2024★ Notable
Nepomniachtchi,I vs Gukesh,D1/2-1/2
FIDE Candidates 2024 • 2024★ Notable
Vidit,S vs Praggnanandhaa,R0-1
FIDE Candidates 2024 • 2024★ Notable
Le, Quang Liem vs Nakamura,Hi1/2-1/2
Saint Louis Blitz 2021 • 2021★ Notable
Karjakin,Sergey vs Aronian,L1/2-1/2
20th Amber Rapid • 2011★ Notable
Karjakin,Sergey vs Ponomariov,R1-0
19th Amber Rapid • 2010★ Notable
Ivanchuk,V vs Ponomariov,R1/2-1/2
19th Amber Blindfold • 2010★ Notable
Dominguez Perez,L vs Ponomariov,R1/2-1/2
19th Amber Blindfold • 2010★ Notable
Anand, Viswanathan vs Timman, Jan H1-0
Linares • 1993★ Notable
Grischuk, Alexander vs Simons, Rudi1-0
Wch U10 • 1992★ Notable
Anand, Viswanathan vs Agdestein, Simen1-0
Wch U20 • 1987★ Notable
Abdusattorov,Nodirbek vs Erigaisi,Arjun0-1
World Blitz 2025 • 2025
Nepomniachtchi,I vs Praggnanandhaa,R1/2-1/2
World Rapid 2025 • 2025
Anand,V vs Nakamura,Hi1/2-1/2
TechM GCL 2025 • 2025
Leko,P vs Erigaisi,Arjun0-1
FIDE World Cup 2025 • 2025
Caruana,F vs Praggnanandhaa,R1-0
chess.com SpeedChess 2025 • 2025
Caruana,F vs Praggnanandhaa,R0-1
chess.com SpeedChess 2025 • 2025

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