C77 Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Anderssen Variation
C77 holds eight named lines, all under the name Ruy Lopez. It leaves C70 (Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense) with 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.d3. That final move, by the d-pawn, covers c4 and e4 and opens a line for the bishop on c1 and the queen on d1. Of all other reference positions, the board of C55 (Italian Game: Two Knights Defense) comes closest, six squares apart.
| # | White | Black |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | e4 | e5 |
| 2 | Nf3 | Nc6 |
| 3 | Bb5 | a6 |
| 4 | Ba4 | Nf6 |
| 5 | d3 |
Lines filed under C77
All eight share the start 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 and then split six ways at White’s move 5.
| Name | After the shared start | Plies | At the end |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Anderssen Variation | 5.d3 | 9 | |
| Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Bayreuth Variation | 5.Bxc6 | 9 | White +3 |
| Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Jaffe Gambit | 5.c3 | 9 | |
| Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Mackenzie Variation | 5.d4 | 9 | |
| Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Tarrasch Variation | 5.Nc3 | 9 | |
| Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Wormald Attack | 5.Qe2 | 9 | |
| Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Duras Variation | 5.d3 d6 6.c4 | 11 | |
| Ruy Lopez: Wormald Attack, Grünfeld Variation | 5.Qe2 b5 6.Bb3 Be7 7.d4 d6 8.c3 Bg4 | 16 |
The road to C77
- 1.e4 … 2...Nc6four earlier stops: B00, C20, C40, C44
- 3.Bb5C60 Ruy Lopez
- 3...a6C70 Morphy Defense
- 5.d3C77
The position after 5.d3
White has brought out the knight on f3 and bishop on a4; Black the knight on c6 and knight on f6. Black could capture with Nxe4. Black is to move and has 30 legal moves.
Closest boards in other codes
| Code | Line | Differs on |
|---|---|---|
| C56 | Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Open Variation | six squares: d3, a4, c4, d4, a6, a7 |
| C65 | Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense | six squares: d2, d3, a4, b5, a6, a7 |
| C68 | Ruy Lopez: Exchange Variation | six squares: d2, d3, a4, c6, f6, g8 |
| C71 | Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Modern Steinitz Defense | six squares: d2, d3, d6, f6, d7, g8 |
| C42 | Petrov’s Defense | eight squares: f1, d2, d3, a4, a6, c6, a7, b8 |
| C43 | Petrov’s Defense: Modern Attack | eight squares: f1, d3, a4, d4, a6, c6, a7, b8 |
| C44 | King’s Knight Opening: Normal Variation | eight squares: f1, d2, d3, a4, a6, f6, a7, g8 |