Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6
Morphy Defense
1.2.3.
What Is The Morphy Defense?
3...a6 puts the question to the bishop, and White must commit. It does not win the e5 pawn: 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.Nxe5 Qd4 regains it immediately, so White gets structure, not material. The lasting value of a6 is the b7-b5 resource, which lets Black chase the bishop with tempo and, after ...c5 and ...c4, even trap it in the Noah's Ark pattern.
4.Bxc6 dxc6 hands Black the bishop pair and gives White a healthy four against three kingside majority, so White plays for the endgame and Black plays for open lines and the e5 point. 4.Ba4 keeps the bishop and the tension, and games turn on whether White's build up with c3 and d4 arrives before Black frees himself with ...b5, ...Na5 or ...d5.
What Do Players Choose At The Decision Point?
| Move | Share | Games | |
|---|---|---|---|
| a6 | 23% | 3,260 | |
| Nf6 | 22% | 3,028 | |
| d6 | 22% | 3,002 | |
| Bc5 | 13% | 1,854 |
The Named Lines Of The Morphy Defense
| Line | Moves |
|---|---|
| Caro Variation | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 b5 |
| Fianchetto Defense Deferred | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 g6 |
| Schliemann Defense Deferred | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 f5 |
| Modern Steinitz Defense | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 d6 5.c3 f5 6.exf5 Bxf5 7.O-O |
| Alapin's Defense Deferred | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Bb4 |
| Classical Defense Deferred | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Bc5 |
| Cozio Defense | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nge7 |
| Anderssen Variation | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.d3 |
| Jaffe Gambit | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.c3 |
| Mackenzie Variation | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.d4 |
| Schliemann Defense Deferred, Jaenisch Gambit Deferred | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 f5 5.exf5 |
| Tarrasch Variation | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.Nc3 |
| Wormald Attack | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.Qe2 |
| Modern Steinitz Defense, Siesta Variation | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 d6 5.c3 f5 |
| Bayreuth Variation | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.Bxc6 |
| Graz Variation | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 b5 5.Bb3 Bc5 |
| Norwegian Variation | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 b5 5.Bb3 Na5 |
| Steinitz Deferred | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O d6 6.Bxc6+ bxc6 7.d4 Nxe4 |
| Møller Variation | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Bc5 |
| Duras Variation | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.d3 d6 6.c4 |
| Modern Steinitz Defense, Fianchetto Variation | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 g6 4.c3 a6 5.Ba4 d6 6.d4 Bd7 |
| Norwegian Variation, Nightingale Gambit | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 b5 5.Bb3 Na5 6.Bxf7+ |
| Tartakower Variation | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Nxe4 6.Qe2 |
| Arkhangelsk Variation | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O b5 6.Bb3 Bb7 |
| Neo-Arkhangelsk Variation | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O b5 6.Bb3 Bc5 |
| Wing Attack | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O b5 6.Bb3 Be7 7.a4 |