Ruy Lopez: Closed, Bogoljubow Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
149,372 games: White 45.8% / Draw 5.7% / Black 48.5%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 48,48948K | ||
| 36,50037K | ||
| 29,63130K | ||
| 9,9199,919 | ||
| 7,7327,732 | ||
| 6,5916,591 | ||
| 3,9453,945 | ||
| 3,2313,231 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 25, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.14 The position is about equal
Best play: 10. Be3 Bh5 11. Nbd2 d5 12. Qc1 exd4 13. cxd4 Qd7 14. e5 Ne4
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Ruy Lopez: Closed, Bogoljubow Variation (ECO C91, Open Games) is a variation of the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Yates Variation, 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 O-O 9. d4 Bg4 (9 moves).
In 149,372 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 45.8%, Black 48.5% and 5.7% were drawn. White's most played move here is 10. d5, in 32% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Ruy Lopez: Closed, Yates Variation, Short Attack.
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, Bogoljubow Variation
10. Be3 scores best for White: 56.1%, with White winning 52.9% and Black 40.6% of 37K games. The most played, 10. d5, scores 49.4% in 48K games, and 10. h3 scores lowest: 42.8%. Stockfish's first choice is also 10. Be3.
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
Variations (1)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Ruy Lopez: Closed, Bogoljubow Variation (C91)”. Lichess data as of 25 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/ruy-lopez-closed-bogoljubow-variation