C72 Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Modern Steinitz Defense
C72 holds two named lines, all under the name Ruy Lopez. It leaves C71, a position of the same name, with 5.O-O. Of all other reference positions, the board of C79 (Morphy Defense, Steinitz Deferred) comes closest, two squares apart. When it ends, White has two minor pieces out and Black one, and only White has castled.
| # | White | Black |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | e4 | e5 |
| 2 | Nf3 | Nc6 |
| 3 | Bb5 | a6 |
| 4 | Ba4 | d6 |
| 5 | O-O |
Moves only C72 plays
Same as C71 up to 4...d6, then:
- 5.O-O White castles kingside, opening a line for the queen on d1, guarding the pawn on g2.
Lines filed under C72
Both share their first nine plies, the whole reference line.
| Name | After the shared start | Plies | At the end |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Modern Steinitz Defense | (the shared start itself) | 9 | White castled |
| Ruy Lopez: Closed, Kecskemet Variation | 5...Bd7 6.c3 Nf6 7.d4 Be7 8.Nbd2 O-O 9.Re1 Be8 | 18 | both castled |
Ruy Lopez: Closed, Kecskemet Variation
- 5...Bd7 The bishop leaves c8 for d7, opening a line for the rook on a8 and the queen on d8.
- 6.c3 The c-pawn advances to c3, covering b4 and d4, opening a line for the queen on d1 and the bishop on a4.
- 6...Nf6 The knight leaves g8 for f6, opening a line for the rook on h8.
- 7.d4 The d-pawn advances two squares to d4, covering c5 and e5, opening a line for the bishop on c1 and the queen on d1.
- 7...Be7 The bishop leaves f8 for e7, opening a line for the rook on h8.
The road to C72
- 1.e4 … 3.Bb5five earlier stops: B00, C20, C40, C44, C60
- 3...a6C70 Morphy Defense
- 4...d6C71 Modern Steinitz Defense
- 5.O-OC72
The position after 5.O-O
White has brought out the knight on f3 and bishop on a4; Black the knight on c6. Black is to move and has 28 legal moves.
Closest boards in other codes
| Code | Line | Differs on |
|---|---|---|
| C69 | Ruy Lopez: Exchange Variation, Normal Variation | three squares: a4, c6, d6 |
| C78 | Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense | four squares: d6, f6, d7, g8 |
| C80 | Ruy Lopez: Open | four squares: e4, d6, d7, g8 |
| C66 | Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Improved Steinitz Defense | six squares: a4, b5, a6, f6, a7, g8 |
| C74 | Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Modern Steinitz Defense | six squares: e1, f1, g1, h1, c2, c3 |
| C84 | Ruy Lopez: Closed | six squares: d6, f6, d7, e7, f8, g8 |
| C87 | Ruy Lopez: Closed, Averbakh Variation | six squares: e1, f1, f6, e7, f8, g8 |