C78 · Open · a plan for White

Ruy Lopez: Central Countergambit

10/10
1.e4e52.Nf3Nc63.Bb5a64.Ba4Nf65.O-Od5
Live databaseLichess 1600–2000 · blitz + rapid
Ruy Lopez: Central Countergambit8.2k games · White to move
MoveWhite / draw / BlackPlayedGamesScore
61%5.0k69%
28%2.3k75%
5.7%46564%
2.3%18956%
1.4%11753%
0.9%7663%
0.2%1346%
0.2%1362%
0.1%850%
0.1%779%
Famous games in this line1 master games
Prigodin, Ruslan (2244)Boreika, Vytautas (2273)20201–0
Family
Ruy Lopez
Category
Open
First move
1.e4
ECO
C78
Line
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O d5
GambitClassical
Read the guide: Ruy Lopez (Spanish Opening)Explore all 234 Ruy Lopez lines
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From the archives

Ruy López de Segura was a 16th-century Spanish priest whose 1561 book systematized 3.Bb5 — alongside advice like seating your opponent facing the sun. The 'Spanish torture' has been a world-championship battleground from Steinitz to Carlsen: slow pressure, forever.

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