Open games & French

Ruy Lopez

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5

The Ruy Lopez starts with 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 and is catalogued under ECO C60, in the open games & french half of the book. The catalog indexes 234 lines inside it, grouped into 200 named variations, and the position after those moves has 2 playable continuations to walk from here.

Opening repertoire map

Root edges show how often each move is played around your Elo. Use the arrow on a position to reveal the next replies.

Current position
Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Rio de Janeiro Variation
11 plies
Berlin Defense, Minckwitz Variation
Popularity by Elo
Share of Lichess blitz, rapid, and classical games that continued with each move.
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Current setup

Move ideas

  1. 1.e4

    Claims the center with a pawn and opens lines for the queen and king’s bishop.

    Idea: Build quick development and make early castling possible.

  2. 1…e5

    Meets White’s center directly and opens lines for Black’s queen and bishop.

    Idea: Fight for equal central space in a balanced, open position.

  3. 2.Nf3

    Develops the king’s knight and attacks Black’s e5-pawn.

    Idea: Increase central pressure while getting ready to castle.

  4. 2…Nc6

    Defends e5 while developing the queen’s knight toward the center.

    Idea: Hold the central pawn and keep several classical setups available.

  5. 3.Bb5

    Develops the bishop and pressures the knight that helps defend e5.

    Idea: Create long-term pressure on Black’s center before deciding whether to exchange.

  6. 3…Nf6

    Develops the knight to f6, bringing it into the game.

    Idea: Improve piece coordination and clear the back rank for castling and the rooks.

  7. 4.O-O

    Tucks the king away and activates the rook in a single move.

    Idea: Finish kingside development so the central pieces can coordinate safely.

  8. 4…Nxe4

    Captures the pawn on e4 and changes the local pawn or piece balance.

    Idea: Remove an active defender and improve the moving piece’s influence.

  9. 5.d4

    Advances to d4 to claim central space and control nearby key squares.

    Idea: Give the pieces room to develop behind a durable central foothold.

  10. 5…Be7

    Develops the bishop to e7, bringing it into the game.

    Idea: Improve piece coordination and clear the back rank for castling and the rooks.

Book continuations

Waiting for Lichess game popularity.

2 moves
Qe2Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Rio de Janeiro Variation6 named lines · Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Winawer Attack · Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Cordel VariationRepositions the queen to e2, where it influences a new part of the board.Idea: Coordinate threats carefully while avoiding unnecessary tempi against the queen.dxe5Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Minckwitz Variation1 named lineCaptures the pawn on e5 and changes the local pawn or piece balance.Idea: Open lines in the center and reshape the center for the next phase.

Named variations

Each line below is an indexed entry under Ruy Lopez. Open one to load it on the board and keep exploring from that position.

176 more named lines sit inside this family — the tree above walks all of them.

Openings from the same volume

ECO groups openings by the structures they lead to, so these families tend to share plans with the Ruy Lopez.