Ruy Lopez: Closed 7. Bb3 O-O
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Statistics from Lichess
1,487,864 games: White 46.6% / Draw 5.6% / Black 47.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 939,406939K | ||
| Anti-Marshall | 189,739190K | |
| 174,900175K | ||
| 90,99591K | ||
| 70,65071K | ||
| 8,5478,547 | ||
| 7,0057,005 | ||
| 3,9643,964 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 1, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.29 The position is about equal
Best play: 8. c3 Na5 9. Bc2 d5 10. d4 dxe4 11. Nxe5 c5 12. Be3 Bb7
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: Black scores 49% under 1400, 48% at 2200 and up and 45% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 25K | |
| 1400–1799 | 287K | |
| 1800–2199 | 972K | |
| 2200 and up | 301K | |
| Masters, over the board | 23K |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – Aronian, L.
- Carlsen, M. – Ding Liren
- Kasparov, G. – Kramnik, V.
- Anand, V. – Carlsen, M.
- Caruana, F. – Ding Liren
Rated blitz, rapid and classical Lichess games by rating band, and over-the-board games of players rated 2200+ from the Lichess masters database, updated Sep 27, 2026
Overview
Ruy Lopez: Closed (ECO C88, Open Games) is a variation of the Ruy Lopez: Closed, 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 (7 moves).
In 1,487,864 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 46.6%, Black 47.8% and 5.6% were drawn. White's most played move here is 8. c3, in 63% of those games.
It branches into 3 named variations; the most played are Ruy Lopez: Marshall Attack and Ruy Lopez: Closed, Anti-Marshall. In all, 10 named lines continue from it.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to answer 7…O-O
8. a4 (Anti-Marshall) scores best for White: 54.3%, with White winning 51.3% and Black 42.6% of 190K games. The most played answer, 8. c3, scores lowest: 47.0% in 939K games. Stockfish's first choice is 8. c3.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: White's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings
Popularity by year
This line has lost ground since 2016: 0.045% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.081% (its peak: 0.096% in 2017).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.081% | 29,041 |
| 2017 | 0.096% | 52,796 |
| 2018 | 0.093% | 73,414 |
| 2019 | 0.078% | 97,812 |
| 2020 | 0.07% | 203,808 |
| 2021 | 0.055% | 215,928 |
| 2022 | 0.056% | 210,638 |
| 2023 | 0.054% | 201,261 |
| 2024 | 0.046% | 166,645 |
| 2025 | 0.045% | 155,712 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.048% | 52,564 |
Share of rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500 (blitz, rapid and classical) that reach this position, by year; 2026: January to April. Which openings are rising and falling
Variations (3)
All 10 named lines that continue from here
- C88 Anti-Marshall 8 moves
- C90 Pilnik Variation 9 moves
- C89 Ruy Lopez: Marshall Attack 8 moves
- C89 Modern Variation 11 moves
- C89 Original Marshall Attack 11 moves
- C89 Steiner Variation 9 moves
- C89 Ruy Lopez: Marshall Attack, Main Line 12 moves
- C89 Ruy Lopez: Marshall Attack, Re3 Variation 14 moves
- C89 Ruy Lopez: Marshall Attack, Modern Main Line 14 moves
- C89 Ruy Lopez: Marshall Attack, Main Line, Spassky Variation 18 moves
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Ruy Lopez: Closed (C88)”. Lichess data as of 1 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/ruy-lopez-closed-3