Ruy Lopez: Closed, Balla Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
2,184 games: White 52.4% / Draw 5.6% / Black 42.0%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 569569 | ||
| 516516 | ||
| 299299 | ||
| 254254 | ||
| 239239 | ||
| 176176 | ||
| 5454 | ||
| 4545 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 3, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.68 White is slightly better
Best play: 11... c4 12. Bg5 O-O 13. h3 Be6 14. Nbd2 Rab8 15. axb5 axb5 16. Nf1
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Ruy Lopez: Closed, Balla Variation (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 d6 8. c3 Na5 9. Bc2 c5 10. d4 Qc7 11. a4 (11 moves).
In 2,184 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 52.4%, Black 42.0% and 5.6% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 11…Bb7, in 26% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Balla Variation
11…b4 scores best for Black: 52.0%, with Black winning 49.2% and White 45.2% of 516 games. The most played, 11…Bb7, scores 43.1% in 569 games, and 11…Bg4 scores lowest: 37.8%. Stockfish's first choice is 11…c4.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: Black's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Ruy Lopez: Closed, Balla Variation (C88)”. Lichess data as of 3 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/ruy-lopez-closed-balla-variation