Ruy Lopez: Closed

The Closed Defence of the Ruy Lopez, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7, is the most played system of the Ruy Lopez. With 5...Be7 Black genuinely threatens to win a pawn by 6...b5 followed by 7...Nxe4.

Origins

The classical main line of the Closed Defence is often regarded as the main line of the Ruy Lopez as a whole, and thousands of top-level games have reached it. For decades Black's principal choice there was the Chigorin Variation, refined by Mikhail Chigorin around the turn of the 20th century, which became the primary Black defence to the Ruy Lopez for more than fifty years. Alternatives rose to prominence in the second half of the twentieth century, as players like Boris Spassky and Anatoly Karpov looked for ways to avoid repositioning Black's awkwardly placed knight.

The idea

White usually defends the e-pawn with 6.Re1 or 6.d3, after which 7.Bxc6 and 8.Nxe5 threatens to win a pawn. After 6...b5 7.Bb3 Black usually plays 7...d6 or 7...O-O.

In the classical main line, 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 O-O 9.h3, 8.c3 prepares the central break d4 and the knight manoeuvre Nbd2–f1–g3, and 9.h3 prevents the pin ...Bg4. Black counters by expanding on the queenside, challenging the centre or increasing the pressure on e4.

Main lines

• 9.h3 reaches the classical main line. Black's main ninth moves:
  • 9...Na5, the Chigorin Variation, chases the bishop off the a2–g8 diagonal and frees the c-pawn. It has declined in popularity because Black must spend time bringing the a5-knight back into play.
  • 9...Nb8, the Breyer Variation, was recommended by Gyula Breyer as early as 1911 but became popular only in the 1960s, when Boris Spassky and others adopted it; Spassky's back-to-back wins over Mikhail Tal at Tbilisi in 1965 did much for its reputation.
  • 9...Bb7, the Zaitsev or Flohr–Zaitsev Variation (Flohr System in this database), was advocated by Igor Zaitsev, one of Anatoly Karpov's trainers. With the Breyer it is one of the most common lines in the traditional main line, and it has a high draw rate; White can force a draw by repetition with 10.d4 Re8 11.Ng5 Rf8 12.Nf3.
  • 9...Nd7, the Karpov Variation, was tried several times by Karpov in the 1990 World Championship match; Kasparov achieved a significant advantage against it in the 18th game.
  • 9...h6, the Smyslov Variation, prepares ...Re8 and ...Bf8 without fear of Ng5.
• 7...O-O usually means Black intends to meet 8.c3 with 8...d5, the Marshall Attack, a pawn offered for active play against White's king. To avoid it White often chooses 8.a4, 8.h3, 8.d4 or 8.d3, the Anti-Marshall systems (8.a4).
• 6.d3, the Martinez Variation, steers clear of the Marshall and the Anti-Marshall lines and has become a frequent alternative to 6.Re1 among top players.
• 6.Qe2, the Worrall Attack, was played by Nigel Short twice in his 1992 match against Anatoly Karpov, and he won both games.
• 6.Re1 d6 is the Averbakh Variation.

Strengths and weaknesses

For Black

• A thoroughly tested system with several established defences at move nine.
• The Zaitsev, one of the two most common of them, has a high draw rate.

Against Black

• The Breyer is nowadays considered too passive, and the Karpov Variation is solid but slightly passive.
• Achieving equality against the Ruy Lopez is difficult for Black, which is why the opening is nicknamed "the Spanish Torture".

Who should play it

The Closed Ruy Lopez suits players on either side who enjoy long strategic games and are willing to study a large body of theory.

The numbers

In 2,363,539 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 and 2500, White won 47.7%, Black 46.3%, and 6.0% were drawn. White wins 50.5% against Black's 46.0% under 1400, 48.8% against 47.0% at 1400–1799, 47.5% against 46.9% at 1800–2199 and 47.8% against 44.2% from 2200 up. In about 60,000 master games 54.9% were drawn, White won 28.4% and Black 16.7%.