- ECO code
- C88
- Moves
- 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 O-O 8.a4
- Family
- Ruy Lopez
- To move
- Black
- Master games
- 364
- Average game length
- 46 moves
- Years covered
- 1932–2026
Ruy Lopez: Closed, Anti-Marshall is the opening filed under ECO code C88, reached after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 O-O 8.a4. It belongs to the Ruy Lopez family and is known as the Closed, Anti-Marshall; in the resulting position it is Black to move.
Katuranga's collection of 138,070 master games contains 364 games on this line — the 267th most played opening in the collection. The oldest game on this line is from 1932 and the most recent from 2026. The busiest decade in this collection is the 2020s, with 141 games. An average game here lasts 46 moves.
White wins 34% of those games, 45% end in a draw, and Black wins 21%. Compared with the collection average (White 37%, draws 35%, Black 28%), Black scores worse here by 7 percentage points. Draws are more common here than usual, by 10 points.
From this position the most popular move is 8...b4, played in 226 games, followed by 8...Bb7 (112) and 8...Rb8 (22). After 8...b4 White scores 30% and Black 23%.
The name that appears most often on the White side of this line is Vachier Lagrave,M (37 games); on the Black side, Aronian,L (38).
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Results in master games
- White 34% (125)
- Draws 45% (161)
- Black 21% (78)
Most played continuations
| Move | Games | White / draws / Black | Leads into |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8...b4 | 226 | 30/47/23 | — |
| 8...Bb7 | 112 | 44/38/18 | — |
| 8...Rb8 | 22 | 27/46/27 | — |
| 8...d5 | 3 | 67/33/0 | — |
| 8...Na5 | 1 | 0/0/100 | — |
How the position is reached
- King's Pawn Game · 1.e4 · 62,859 games
- King's Pawn Game · 1.e4 e5 · 24,632 games
- King's Knight Opening · 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 · 21,895 games
- King's Knight Opening: Normal Variation · 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 · 19,295 games
- Ruy Lopez · 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 · 12,516 games
- Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense · 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 · 8,064 games
- Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense · 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O · 5,861 games
- Ruy Lopez: Closed · 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 · 3,942 games
- Ruy Lopez: Closed · 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 · 2,916 games
- Ruy Lopez: Closed · 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 O-O · 1,424 games
Played most often by
As White
- Vachier Lagrave,M 37
- Caruana,F 26
- Grischuk,A 19
As Black
- Aronian,L 38
- Carlsen,M 30
- Ding Liren 22
Games per decade
- 1930s 1
- 1940s 2
- 1950s 2
- 1960s 15
- 1970s 3
- 1980s 14
- 1990s 13
- 2000s 69
- 2010s 104
- 2020s 141
Master games on this line
| White | Black | Result | Year | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vachier Lagrave,M | Deac,Bogdan-Daniel | 1-0 | 2026 | GCT Super Blitz Croatia |
| Maghsoodloo,Parham | Keymer,Vincent | 1-0 | 2026 | 8th Prague Masters 2026 |
| Nepomniachtchi,I | Niemann,Hans Moke | 1-0 | 2026 | 3rd UzChess Cup Masters |
| Nepomniachtchi,I | Abdusattorov,Nodirbek | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | Chess.com Open PlayIn1 |
| Vachier Lagrave,M | Niemann,Hans Moke | 0-1 | 2026 | GCT Super Blitz Poland |
| Nepomniachtchi,I | Kravtsiv,M | 1-0 | 2026 | 1st 3-0 Thu 8th Jan 2026 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Anti-Marshall?
It is the opening with ECO code C88, reached after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 O-O 8.a4. It belongs to the Ruy Lopez family.
Is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Anti-Marshall good for White or for Black?
In 364 master games on this line White wins 34%, 45% are drawn and Black wins 21%. The collection average is White 37%, draws 35%, Black 28% — so this line is no worse than usual for White than the field as a whole.
What is the main continuation of the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Anti-Marshall?
8...b4 — played in 226 of the master games on this line.
Which grandmasters play the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Anti-Marshall?
On the White side Vachier Lagrave,M (37), Caruana,F (26), Grischuk,A (19); on the Black side Aronian,L (38), Carlsen,M (30), Ding Liren (22).
Every number on this page is computed from Katuranga's master game collection; names and ECO codes follow the lichess opening book (CC0).
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