Ruy Lopez: Steinitz Defense
Chess opening · ECO C62 · 6 half-moves
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 d6
The Ruy Lopez: Steinitz Defense is reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 d6. It is White's move in the position shown.
It branches from the Ruy Lopez with 3… d6.
How often it is played
The Ruy Lopez: Steinitz Defense and its variations appeared in 0.35% of games — 10,419 of 3,000,000 rated games sampled from Lichess in September 2026. That makes it number 122 of the openings listed here.
Results
White won 52%, 4.5% were drawn and Black won 43%. These are games between players of every strength and time control, so they say how the opening does in practice rather than how sound it is.
What the engine thinks
Stockfish, at depth 18, evaluates the position at +0.79 — a clear edge for White. Positive numbers favour White; see reading the evaluation bar.
Similar openings
The most-played alternatives — what else could have been chosen around the move where this opening begins.
| Opening | Moves | Share of games |
|---|---|---|
| Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense | 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 | 0.44% |
| Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense | 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 | 0.34% |
| Ruy Lopez: Classical Variation | 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Bc5 | 0.20% |
Main continuations
| Variation | Moves | Share of games |
|---|---|---|
| Ruy Lopez: Steinitz Defense, Nimzowitsch Attack | 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 d6 4. d4 Bd7 5. Nc3 Nf6 6. Bxc6 | 0.00% |
| Ruy Lopez: Steinitz Defense, Center Gambit | 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 d6 4. d4 exd4 5. O-O | 0.00% |
| Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Tarrasch Trap | 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 d6 4. d4 Bd7 5. Nc3 Nf6 6. O-O Be7 7. Re1 O-O | 0.00% |
| Ruy Lopez: Steinitz Defense, Semi-Duras Variation | 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 d6 4. d4 Bd7 5. c4 | 0.00% |
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