Ruy Lopez: Closed, Breyer Defense 10…Nbd7 11. Nh4
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Statistics from Lichess
480 games: White 49.6% / Draw 5.2% / Black 45.2%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 157157 | ||
| 126126 | ||
| 6666 | ||
| 6565 | ||
| 3737 | ||
| 1818 | ||
| 1010 | ||
| 11 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 27, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.13 The position is about equal
Best play: 11... Nxe4 12. Nf5 Ndf6 13. Qf3 Bxf5 14. Qxf5 d5 15. dxe5 Bc5 16. Be3
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Ruy Lopez: Closed, Breyer Defense (ECO C95, Open Games) is a variation of the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Breyer Defense, Zaitsev Hybrid, 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. h3 Nb8 10. d4 Nbd7 11. Nh4 (11 moves).
In 480 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.6%, Black 45.2% and 5.2% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 11…Nxe4, in 33% of those games.
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How to answer 11. Nh4
The most played answer, 11…Nxe4, also scores best for Black: 47.8%, with Black winning 45.9% and White 50.3% of 157 games. Of the main answers, 11…Bb7 scores lowest: 46.0%. Stockfish's first choice is also 11…Nxe4.
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, Breyer Defense (C95)”. Lichess data as of 27 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/ruy-lopez-closed-breyer-defense-2