Ruy Lopez: Open, Motzko Attack
527 games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · All ratings · All speeds
58.6%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 62.0%.
Measured over 527 games at this level and clock.
A strong choice for White at this level and clock.
Outcomes for White
Draw 23.9 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 527 games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 527
- Best context
- not measured yet
- Average game length
- 51 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 76.1%
- Draws
- 23.9%
Best and worst are the strongest and weakest squares with at least 500 games behind them. The table further down shows every square, including thinner ones.
Extra Analysis
Deep-dive datasets for this opening
Where it holds · White score by rating × clock
Green is clearly ahead for White, grey is around even, red is behind. Tap a cell to measure there, and again to clear. It gets better as the rating rises: 60.0% at 1400-1599, 64.1% at 2500+.
| Rating | UB | Bulle | Blitz | Rapid | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0-999 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1000-1199 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1200-1399 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1400-1599 | — | ||||
| 1600-1799 | — | — | |||
| 1800-1999 | — | — | |||
| 2000-2199 | — | — | |||
| 2200-2499 | — | ||||
| 2500+ | — |
Expected score matrix by rating bracket and time control
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 72.3% expected score (3 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 57.7% expected score (5 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 61.2% expected score (3 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 53.5% expected score (13 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 52.5% expected score (19 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 73.1% expected score (5 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 22.8% expected score (4 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 53.5% expected score (41 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 26.2% expected score (9 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 51.5% expected score (32 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 56.9% expected score (130 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (14 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 61.0% expected score (76 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 64.8% expected score (120 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 61.4% expected score (38 games)
- 2500+ rating, Classical: 69.1% expected score (9 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Ruy Lopez: Open, Motzko Attack scores 58.6% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 55.2% and 62.0% — from 527 Lichess games. Win rate, draw rate and loss rate come from games played December 2023 to November 2025.
How the figures are made
- Whose games these are
- 527+ rated games played on Lichess (2023-12 to 2025-11). The games are Lichess’s and free for anyone to use. What is ours is the reading of them. Last rebuilt January 2026.
- Which games we count
- Rated games only — nothing casual.
- Both players within 200 rating points of each other. A mismatch tells you about the gap, not about the opening.
- At least 2 moves played.
- A game is filed under White’s rating.
- Why every number comes with a range
- A number off a few hundred games is a guess. The same number off millions is a fact. The range is what tells them apart, and it is what the lists rank on — so an opening cannot reach the top on a lucky run of forty games. The more games behind a figure, the narrower its range.
- How much we need before we say anything
- An opening page needs 100 games. A gambit needs 50 games at a rating before we will say whether it pays there. The chaos and trap lists need 500 games overall and 250 games at one rating or clock.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Ruy Lopez: Open, Motzko Attack win rate?
Playing the Ruy Lopez: Open, Motzko Attack, White wins 46.6%, draws 23.9% and loses 29.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 58.6%. It rests on 527 rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Ruy Lopez: Open, Motzko Attack perform best?
The Ruy Lopez: Open, Motzko Attack performs best for White at 2500+, with an Expected Score of 63.5% (243 games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Ruy Lopez: Open, Motzko Attack better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the Ruy Lopez: Open, Motzko Attack scores higher in Blitz: an Expected Score of 59.5% in Blitz (316 games) against 56.3% in Rapid (70 games).
How sharp is the Ruy Lopez: Open, Motzko Attack?
The Ruy Lopez: Open, Motzko Attack has a sharpness score of 76.1 (drawish), meaning 76.1% of games end decisively. Average game length is 51 moves.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Open, Motzko Attack win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, White wins 51.0%, draws 8.6% and loses 40.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.3%. It rests on 178 Lichess games, which average 42 moves.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Open, Motzko Attack win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, White wins 42.7%, draws 41.5% and loses 15.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 63.5%. It rests on 243 Lichess games, which average 66 moves.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Open, Motzko Attack win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, White wins 40.2%, draws 32.6% and loses 27.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 56.5%. It rests on 129 Lichess games.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Open, Motzko Attack win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, White wins 51.2%, draws 16.5% and loses 32.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 59.5%. It rests on 316 Lichess games.
Is the Ruy Lopez: Open, Motzko Attack a good opening?
The Ruy Lopez: Open, Motzko Attack is good for White. Across all ratings, White wins 46.6% of its games and loses 29.4%. It performs best at 2500+. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.