Ruy Lopez: Closed, Chigorin Defense 10. Bc2 c5
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Statistics from Lichess
372,923 games: White 49.5% / Draw 6.0% / Black 44.6%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 305,887306K | ||
| 40,85241K | ||
| 14,54215K | ||
| 4,3684,368 | ||
| 3,6103,610 | ||
| 3,4273,427 | ||
| 114114 | ||
| 4545 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 28, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.50 White is slightly better
Best play: 11. d4 cxd4 12. cxd4 exd4 13. Nxd4 Bd7 14. Nc3 Re8 15. a4 b4
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 1,401 | |
| 1400–1799 | 43K | |
| 1800–2199 | 237K | |
| 2200 and up | 100K | |
| Masters, over the board | 9,589 |
Master games
- So, W. – Carlsen, M.
- Anand, V. – Ivanchuk, V.
- Kasparov, G. – Ponomariov, R.
- Topalov, V. – Ivanchuk, V.
- Topalov, V. – Ivanchuk, V.
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, Chigorin Defense (ECO C96, Open Games) is a variation of the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Chigorin Defense, 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 Na5 10. Bc2 c5 (10 moves).
In 372,923 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.5%, Black 44.6% and 6.0% were drawn. White's most played move here is 11. d4, in 82% of those games.
It branches into 3 named variations; the most played are Ruy Lopez: Closed, Borisenko Variation and Ruy Lopez: Closed, Keres Defense. In all, 7 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 10…c5
11. d3 scores best for White: 54.7%, with White winning 52.0% and Black 42.6% of 41K games. The most played answer, 11. d4, scores lowest: 52.3% in 306K games. Stockfish's first choice is 11. d4.
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 is played less than half as often as in 2016: 0.011% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.022% (its peak: 0.027% in 2017).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.022% | 7,930 |
| 2017 | 0.027% | 14,886 |
| 2018 | 0.026% | 20,293 |
| 2019 | 0.023% | 28,134 |
| 2020 | 0.019% | 57,100 |
| 2021 | 0.013% | 52,755 |
| 2022 | 0.012% | 46,767 |
| 2023 | 0.013% | 47,772 |
| 2024 | 0.011% | 40,480 |
| 2025 | 0.011% | 37,855 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.011% | 12,047 |
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 7 named lines that continue from here
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Ruy Lopez: Closed, Chigorin Defense (C96)”. Lichess data as of 28 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/ruy-lopez-closed-chigorin-defense-3