- 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
- Family
- Ruy Lopez
- To move
- White
- Master games
- 1,424
- Average game length
- 44 moves
- Years covered
- 1918–2026
Ruy Lopez: Closed 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. It belongs to the Ruy Lopez family and is known as the Closed; in the resulting position it is White to move.
Katuranga's collection of 138,070 master games contains 1,424 games on this line — the 83rd most played opening in the collection. The oldest game on this line is from 1918 and the most recent from 2026. The busiest decade in this collection is the 2000s, with 399 games. An average game here lasts 44 moves.
White wins 30% of those games, 52% end in a draw, and Black wins 18%. Compared with the collection average (White 37%, draws 35%, Black 28%), Black scores worse here by 10 percentage points. Draws are more common here than usual, by 17 points.
From this position the most popular move is 8.c3, played in 580 games, followed by 8.a4 (364) and 8.h3 (304). After 8.c3 White scores 28% and Black 15%.
The name that appears most often on the White side of this line is Vachier Lagrave,M (76 games); on the Black side, Aronian,L (135).
1 named variation branch off this position and have their own page here, among them Ruy Lopez: Closed, Anti-Marshall.
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Results in master games
- White 30% (433)
- Draws 52% (738)
- Black 18% (253)
Most played continuations
| Move | Games | White / draws / Black | Leads into |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8.c3 | 580 | 28/57/15 | — |
| 8.a4 | 364 | 34/45/21 | Ruy Lopez: Closed, Anti-Marshall |
| 8.h3 | 304 | 27/58/15 | — |
| 8.d3 | 92 | 45/34/21 | — |
| 8.d4 | 65 | 25/50/25 | — |
| 8.a3 | 16 | 25/50/25 | — |
| 8.Nc3 | 2 | 50/50/0 | — |
| 8.Bd5 | 1 | 0/0/100 | — |
Variations from this position
- Anti-Marshall · 8.a4 · 364 games
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
Played most often by
As White
- Vachier Lagrave,M 76
- Shirov,A 70
- Anand,V 67
As Black
- Aronian,L 135
- Carlsen,M 81
- Ding Liren 64
Games per decade
- 1910s 3
- 1920s 9
- 1930s 3
- 1940s 18
- 1950s 74
- 1960s 126
- 1970s 42
- 1980s 39
- 1990s 90
- 2000s 399
- 2010s 294
- 2020s 327
Master games on this line
| White | Black | Result | Year | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vachier Lagrave,M | Deac,Bogdan-Daniel | 1-0 | 2026 | GCT Super Blitz Croatia |
| Caruana,F | Lazavik,Denis | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | Titled Tue 2nd Jun 2026 |
| Rapport,R | Harikrishna,P | 1-0 | 2026 | V Menorca Cerrado 2026 |
| Carlsen,M | Durarbayli,Vasif | 1-0 | 2026 | Titled Tue 27th Jan 2026 |
| Maghsoodloo,Parham | Keymer,Vincent | 1-0 | 2026 | 8th Prague Masters 2026 |
| Sindarov,Javokhir | Abdusattorov,Nodirbek | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | Titled Tue 13th Jan 2026 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the Ruy Lopez: Closed?
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. It belongs to the Ruy Lopez family.
Is the Ruy Lopez: Closed good for White or for Black?
In 1,424 master games on this line White wins 30%, 52% are drawn and Black wins 18%. 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?
8.c3 — played in 580 of the master games on this line.
Which grandmasters play the Ruy Lopez: Closed?
On the White side Vachier Lagrave,M (76), Shirov,A (70), Anand,V (67); on the Black side Aronian,L (135), Carlsen,M (81), Ding Liren (64).
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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