Ruy Lopez: Closed, Averbakh Variation
Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.
Statistics from Lichess
206,518 games: White 53.4% / Draw 5.3% / Black 41.3%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 124,909125K | ||
| 49,71850K | ||
| 21,25421K | ||
| 3,6753,675 | ||
| 3,2953,295 | ||
| 1,4061,406 | ||
| 1,1301,130 | ||
| 727727 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 24, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.33 White is slightly better
Best play: 7. c3 O-O 8. h3 b5 9. Bc2 d5 10. exd5 Qxd5 11. d4 exd4
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 45% both under 1400 and at 2200 and up, and 44% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 12K | |
| 1400–1799 | 90K | |
| 1800–2199 | 131K | |
| 2200 and up | 14K | |
| Masters, over the board | 707 |
Master games
- Giri, A. – Mamedyarov, S.
- Grischuk, A. – Mamedyarov, S.
- Ivanchuk, V. – Mamedyarov, S.
- Topalov, V. – Mamedyarov, S.
- Anand, V. – Adams, M.
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, Averbakh Variation (ECO C87, 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 d6 (6 moves).
In 206,518 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 53.4%, Black 41.3% and 5.3% were drawn. White's most played move here is 7. c3, in 60% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
Write a description or report a mistake
How to play against the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Averbakh Variation
7. h3 scores best for White: 56.8%, with White winning 54.3% and Black 40.6% of 50K games. The most played, 7. c3, scores 56.8% in 125K games, and 7. d4 scores lowest: 50.8%. Stockfish's first choice is 7. 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
The Ruy Lopez: Closed, Averbakh Variation has lost ground since 2016: 0.0062% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.011% (its peak: 0.014% in 2017).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.011% | 4,042 |
| 2017 | 0.014% | 7,560 |
| 2018 | 0.013% | 10,037 |
| 2019 | 0.011% | 14,046 |
| 2020 | 0.0096% | 28,012 |
| 2021 | 0.0078% | 30,483 |
| 2022 | 0.0074% | 27,882 |
| 2023 | 0.0074% | 28,011 |
| 2024 | 0.0069% | 24,609 |
| 2025 | 0.0062% | 21,676 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.0062% | 6,842 |
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Ruy Lopez: Closed, Averbakh Variation (C87)”. Lichess data as of 24 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/ruy-lopez-closed-averbakh-variation