Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Anderssen Variation: what should Black play?

In the Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Anderssen Variation, Black must decide how to address the attack on the b4 bishop following White's pawn push to c3. The engine's top recommendation is Bd6, which evaluates at +0.86, though the vast majority of recorded games feature Bc5. While both retreats keep the piece active, Bd6 immediately shores up the central pawn on e5.

Bishop retreats: Bd6 versus Bc5

The retreat Bc5 is by far the most frequent choice, played in 61.5% of games (8.6K recorded) with an engine evaluation of +0.92 and a 61.6% scoring rate for White. In contrast, the engine prioritizes Bd6, which accounts for 14.2% of games (2.0K recorded) and yields a 62.8% score for White. Placing the bishop on d6 defends e5 directly, but it also sits on the d-file, temporarily blocking the d7 pawn. An illustrative engine continuation after this choice runs Bd6 Nbd2 b5 Bc2 Be7 d4, where the bishop later relocates as White claims central space.

Alternative moves: Be7 and b5

Black also turns to Be7 in 19.7% of games (2.7K recorded), carrying a +1.00 evaluation and a 61.0% score for White. A sample continuation follows Be7 Bxc6 bxc6 Nxe5 O-O O-O. The counterattacking thrust b5 occurs in 3.5% of games (488 recorded, +0.97 evaluation), where White scores 61.0% after b5 cxb4 bxa4 Qxa4 Bb7 O-O. Lastly, retreating fully with Bf8 is seen in just 1.0% of games (144 recorded), yielding the position's highest White score at 73.3% and an engine evaluation of +1.40.