All Chess Positions Open the map

C60Opening

Ruy Lopez

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5

a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1

Black to move

Legal moves
30
Games in the next 4 moves
908,001
Different positions among them
305,279
Named lines from here
234

See it on the mapOn the opening map

Named after the Spanish priest Ruy López de Segura, who analysed it in his book of 1561. Also called the Spanish Game, it has been one of the main battlegrounds of top-level chess for more than 150 years.

It is reached after 5 moves: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5.

Black is to move and has 30 legal moves. Over the next four moves — two for each side — the game can branch into 908,001 different games. Those games reach 305,279 different positions: most positions can be reached in more than one way, 3 on average.

The Lichess opening list names 234 further lines after this position, such as Morphy Defense (3... a6) and Berlin Defense (3... Nf6).

The same moves can be played in 6 different legal orders that all reach this position. For example 1. Nf3 e5 2. e4 Nc6 3. Bb5, which starts as the Zukertort Opening.

Map of every game of the next four moves after the Ruy Lopez
Every game of the next four moves from this position, as the map draws it. Each ring is one more move; the outer ring holds all 908,001 games.

Move by move

  1. 1. e4King's Pawn Game
  2. 1... e5King's Pawn Game
  3. 2. Nf3King's Knight Opening
  4. 2... Nc6King's Knight Opening: Normal Variation
  5. 3. Bb5Ruy Lopez

Named lines from here

…and 2 more on the map.

Related openings

FEN

r1bqkbnr/pppp1ppp/2n5/1B2p3/4P3/5N2/PPPP1PPP/RNBQK2R b KQkq - 3 3