- ECO code
- C97
- Moves
- 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 O-O 9.h3 Na5
- Family
- Ruy Lopez
- To move
- White
- Master games
- 389
- Average game length
- 45 moves
- Years covered
- 1906–2026
Ruy Lopez: Closed, Chigorin Defense is the opening filed under ECO code C97, reached after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 O-O 9.h3 Na5. It belongs to the Ruy Lopez family and is known as the Closed, Chigorin Defense; in the resulting position it is White to move.
Katuranga's collection of 138,070 master games contains 389 games on this line — the 251st most played opening in the collection. The oldest game on this line is from 1906 and the most recent from 2026. The busiest decade in this collection is the 2000s, with 102 games. An average game here lasts 45 moves.
White wins 44% of those games, 40% end in a draw, and Black wins 16%. Compared with the collection average (White 37%, draws 35%, Black 28%), Black scores worse here by 12 percentage points. Draws are more common here than usual, by 5 points.
From this position the most popular move is 10.Bc2, played in 389 games. 10.Bc2 leads into Ruy Lopez: Closed, Chigorin Defense (C96). After 10.Bc2 White scores 44% and Black 16%.
The name that appears most often on the White side of this line is Shirov,A (31 games); on the Black side, Keres, Paul (19).
2 named variations branch off this position and have their own page here, among them Ruy Lopez: Closed, Chigorin Defense (C96); Ruy Lopez: Closed, Chigorin Defense (C96).
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Results in master games
- White 44% (171)
- Draws 40% (154)
- Black 16% (64)
Most played continuations
| Move | Games | White / draws / Black | Leads into |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10.Bc2 | 389 | 44/40/16 | Ruy Lopez: Closed, Chigorin Defense (C96) |
Variations from this position
- Closed, Chigorin Defense (C96) · 10.Bc2 · 389 games
- Closed, Chigorin Defense (C96) · 10.Bc2 c5 · 382 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
- Ruy Lopez: Closed · 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 O-O · 1,368 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 d6 8.c3 O-O 9.h3 · 1,234 games
Played most often by
As White
- Shirov,A 31
- Tal, Mihail 22
- Fischer, Robert James 19
As Black
- Keres, Paul 19
- Rapport,R 14
- Smyslov, Vassily 11
Games per decade
- 1900s 6
- 1910s 1
- 1920s 5
- 1930s 2
- 1940s 14
- 1950s 40
- 1960s 51
- 1970s 30
- 1980s 14
- 1990s 35
- 2000s 102
- 2010s 59
- 2020s 30
Master games on this line
| White | Black | Result | Year | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erdogmus,Yagiz Kaan | Topalov,V | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | Clash of Generations III |
| Firouzja,Alireza | Makarian,Rudik | 1-0 | 2025 | Titled Tue 15th Apr Early |
| Vachier Lagrave,M | Van Foreest,Jorden | 1-0 | 2024 | Chess.com Classic Div 2 W |
| Ivanchuk,V | Ferreira,Jor1 | 1-0 | 2024 | Portuguese Top League |
| Hou Yifan | Mungunzul,Bat-Erdene | 1-0 | 2024 | FIDE World Bl Team Final |
| Vachier Lagrave,M | Sarana,A | 1/2-1/2 | 2024 | Chennai GM 2024 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Chigorin Defense?
It is the opening with ECO code C97, reached after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 O-O 9.h3 Na5. It belongs to the Ruy Lopez family.
Is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Chigorin Defense good for White or for Black?
In 389 master games on this line White wins 44%, 40% are drawn and Black wins 16%. 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, Chigorin Defense?
10.Bc2 — played in 389 of the master games on this line, which leads into Ruy Lopez: Closed, Chigorin Defense (C96).
Which grandmasters play the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Chigorin Defense?
On the White side Shirov,A (31), Tal, Mihail (22), Fischer, Robert James (19); on the Black side Keres, Paul (19), Rapport,R (14), Smyslov, Vassily (11).
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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