- ECO code
- C84
- Moves
- 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7
- Family
- Ruy Lopez
- To move
- White
- Master games
- 3,942
- Average game length
- 45 moves
- Years covered
- 1859–2026
Ruy Lopez: Closed is the opening filed under ECO code C84, reached after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7. 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 3,942 games on this line — the 39th most played opening in the collection. The oldest game on this line is from 1859 and the most recent from 2026. The busiest decade in this collection is the 2020s, with 919 games. An average game here lasts 45 moves.
White wins 36% of those games, 45% end in a draw, and Black wins 19%. Compared with the collection average (White 37%, draws 35%, Black 28%), Black scores worse here by 9 percentage points. Draws are more common here than usual, by 10 points.
From this position the most popular move is 6.Re1, played in 3,008 games, followed by 6.d3 (608) and 6.Bxc6 (153). After 6.Re1 White scores 35% and Black 18%.
The name that appears most often on the White side of this line is Vachier Lagrave,M (200 games); on the Black side, Aronian,L (209).
12 named variations branch off this position and have their own page here, among them Ruy Lopez: Closed (C88); Ruy Lopez: Closed (C88); Ruy Lopez: Closed (C90).
Reading about an opening is not the same as knowing it. Play this line against the Katuranga bot, then let the engine mark your brilliant moves, mistakes and blunders in Analysis — the fastest way to find out which of these moves you actually understand.
Results in master games
- White 36% (1,405)
- Draws 45% (1,798)
- Black 19% (739)
Most played continuations
| Move | Games | White / draws / Black | Leads into |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.Re1 | 3,008 | 35/47/18 | — |
| 6.d3 | 608 | 38/42/20 | Ruy Lopez: Closed, Martinez Variation |
| 6.Bxc6 | 153 | 33/42/25 | — |
| 6.Qe2 | 94 | 42/29/29 | — |
| 6.Nc3 | 44 | 39/43/18 | — |
| 6.d4 | 34 | 12/50/38 | — |
| 6.c3 | 1 | 0/100/0 | — |
Variations from this position
- Closed (C88) · 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 · 2,916 games
- Closed (C88) · 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 O-O · 1,424 games
- Closed (C90) · 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 O-O · 1,368 games
- Closed (C92) · 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 O-O 9.h3 · 1,234 games
- Martinez Variation · 6.d3 · 608 games
- Chigorin Defense · 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 O-O 9.h3 Na5 · 389 games
- Chigorin Defense · 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 O-O 9.h3 Na5 10.Bc2 · 389 games
- Chigorin Defense · 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 O-O 9.h3 Na5 10.Bc2 c5 · 382 games
- Anti-Marshall · 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 O-O 8.a4 · 364 games
- Breyer Defense · 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 O-O 9.h3 Nb8 · 344 games
- Breyer · 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 O-O 9.h3 Nb8 10.d4 · 321 games
- Breyer Defense, Zaitsev Hybrid · 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 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
Played most often by
As White
- Vachier Lagrave,M 200
- Shirov,A 189
- Grischuk,A 154
As Black
- Aronian,L 209
- Carlsen,M 151
- Spassky, Boris V 134
Games per decade
- 1850s 1
- 1860s 1
- 1880s 1
- 1890s 5
- 1900s 57
- 1910s 24
- 1920s 43
- 1930s 42
- 1940s 74
- 1950s 186
- 1960s 294
- 1970s 174
- 1980s 185
- 1990s 291
- 2000s 772
- 2010s 873
- 2020s 919
Master games on this line
| White | Black | Result | Year | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| So,W | Gukesh,D | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | 14th Norway Chess 2026 |
| Rustamov,Rustam | Caruana,F | 1-0 | 2026 | 1st 3-0 Thu 23rd Apr 2026 |
| Nepomniachtchi,I | Esipenko,Andrey | 1-0 | 2026 | Titled Tue 10th Feb 2026 |
| Vokhidov,Shamsiddin | Vachier Lagrave,M | 1-0 | 2026 | Titled Tue 17th Mar 2026 |
| Erdogmus,Yagiz Kaan | Erigaisi,Arjun | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | 31st Sigeman & Co 2026 |
| Bacrot,E | Vachier Lagrave,M | 1-0 | 2026 | Titled Tue 6th Jan 2026 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the Ruy Lopez: Closed?
It is the opening with ECO code C84, reached after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7. It belongs to the Ruy Lopez family.
Is the Ruy Lopez: Closed good for White or for Black?
In 3,942 master games on this line White wins 36%, 45% are drawn and Black wins 19%. 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?
6.Re1 — played in 3,008 of the master games on this line.
Which grandmasters play the Ruy Lopez: Closed?
On the White side Vachier Lagrave,M (200), Shirov,A (189), Grischuk,A (154); on the Black side Aronian,L (209), Carlsen,M (151), Spassky, Boris V (134).
Every number on this page is computed from Katuranga's master game collection; names and ECO codes follow the lichess opening book (CC0).
Try this line on the board
Play this opening against the Katuranga bot, then review the game — the engine marks every brilliant move, mistake and blunder.