- 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
- Family
- Ruy Lopez
- To move
- Black
- Master games
- 2,916
- Average game length
- 45 moves
- Years covered
- 1900–2026
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. It belongs to the Ruy Lopez family and is known as the Closed; in the resulting position it is Black to move.
Katuranga's collection of 138,070 master games contains 2,916 games on this line — the 45th most played opening in the collection. The oldest game on this line is from 1900 and the most recent from 2026. The busiest decade in this collection is the 2000s, with 691 games. An average game here lasts 45 moves.
White wins 35% of those games, 47% 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 12 points.
From this position the most popular move is 7...d6, played in 1,487 games, followed by 7...O-O (1,424) and 7...Bb7 (5). After 7...d6 White scores 40% and Black 18%.
The name that appears most often on the White side of this line is Shirov,A (158 games); on the Black side, Aronian,L (135).
10 named variations branch off this position and have their own page here, among them Ruy Lopez: Closed (C88); Ruy Lopez: Closed (C90); Ruy Lopez: Closed (C92).
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Results in master games
- White 35% (1,027)
- Draws 47% (1,370)
- Black 18% (519)
Most played continuations
| Move | Games | White / draws / Black | Leads into |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7...d6 | 1,487 | 40/42/18 | — |
| 7...O-O | 1,424 | 30/52/18 | Ruy Lopez: Closed (C88) |
| 7...Bb7 | 5 | 60/20/20 | — |
Variations from this position
- Closed (C88) · 7...O-O · 1,424 games
- Closed (C90) · 7...d6 8.c3 O-O · 1,368 games
- Closed (C92) · 7...d6 8.c3 O-O 9.h3 · 1,234 games
- Chigorin Defense · 7...d6 8.c3 O-O 9.h3 Na5 · 389 games
- Chigorin Defense · 7...d6 8.c3 O-O 9.h3 Na5 10.Bc2 · 389 games
- Chigorin Defense · 7...d6 8.c3 O-O 9.h3 Na5 10.Bc2 c5 · 382 games
- Anti-Marshall · 7...O-O 8.a4 · 364 games
- Breyer Defense · 7...d6 8.c3 O-O 9.h3 Nb8 · 344 games
- Breyer · 7...d6 8.c3 O-O 9.h3 Nb8 10.d4 · 321 games
- Breyer Defense, Zaitsev Hybrid · 7...d6 8.c3 O-O 9.h3 Nb8 10.d4 Nbd7 · 319 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
Played most often by
As White
- Shirov,A 158
- Vachier Lagrave,M 126
- Tal, Mihail 124
As Black
- Aronian,L 135
- Spassky, Boris V 118
- Carlsen,M 105
Games per decade
- 1900s 27
- 1910s 20
- 1920s 32
- 1930s 27
- 1940s 48
- 1950s 137
- 1960s 250
- 1970s 159
- 1980s 169
- 1990s 259
- 2000s 691
- 2010s 589
- 2020s 508
Master games on this line
| White | Black | Result | Year | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| So,W | Gukesh,D | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | 14th Norway Chess 2026 |
| Bacrot,E | Vachier Lagrave,M | 1-0 | 2026 | Titled Tue 6th Jan 2026 |
| Erdogmus,Yagiz Kaan | Topalov,V | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | Clash of Generations III |
| Vachier Lagrave,M | Saric,Iv | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | GCT Super Rapid Croatia |
| Vachier Lagrave,M | Deac,Bogdan-Daniel | 1-0 | 2026 | GCT Super Blitz Croatia |
| Vachier Lagrave,M | Fedoseev,Vl3 | 0-1 | 2026 | GCT Super Rapid Poland |
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. It belongs to the Ruy Lopez family.
Is the Ruy Lopez: Closed good for White or for Black?
In 2,916 master games on this line White wins 35%, 47% 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?
7...d6 — played in 1,487 of the master games on this line.
Which grandmasters play the Ruy Lopez: Closed?
On the White side Shirov,A (158), Vachier Lagrave,M (126), Tal, Mihail (124); on the Black side Aronian,L (135), Spassky, Boris V (118), Carlsen,M (105).
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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