Ruy Lopez: Closed, Chigorin Defense 11. d4 Qc7
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Statistics from Lichess
180,827 games: White 48.4% / Draw 6.1% / Black 45.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 100,234100K | ||
| 44,97845K | ||
| 10,07110K | ||
| 6,5526,552 | ||
| 6,4406,440 | ||
| 6,3696,369 | ||
| 2,6262,626 | ||
| 1,1131,113 |
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: 12. d5 Nc4 13. b3 Nb6 14. Be3 c4 15. Na3 Bd7 16. Nd2 cxb3
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 | 427 | |
| 1400–1799 | 13K | |
| 1800–2199 | 110K | |
| 2200 and up | 60K | |
| Masters, over the board | 6,410 |
Master games
- So, W. – Carlsen, M.
- Anand, V. – Ivanchuk, V.
- Topalov, V. – Ivanchuk, V.
- Topalov, V. – Ivanchuk, V.
- Kasparov, G. – 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 C97, 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 11. d4 Qc7 (11 moves).
In 180,827 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.4%, Black 45.4% and 6.1% were drawn. White's most played move here is 12. Nbd2, in 55% of those games.
It branches into 3 named variations; the most played are Ruy Lopez: Closed, Chigorin Defense, Panov System and Ruy Lopez: Closed, Chigorin, Yugoslav System. In all, 4 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 11…Qc7
The most played answer, 12. Nbd2, also scores best for White: 52.1%, with White winning 49.1% and Black 44.8% of 100K games. Of the main answers, 12. Bg5 scores lowest: 50.9%. Stockfish's first choice is 12. d5.
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 has lost ground since 2016: 0.0053% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.011% (its peak: 0.013% in 2017).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.011% | 3,784 |
| 2017 | 0.013% | 7,149 |
| 2018 | 0.012% | 9,631 |
| 2019 | 0.011% | 13,977 |
| 2020 | 0.0096% | 28,048 |
| 2021 | 0.0066% | 25,934 |
| 2022 | 0.0061% | 22,856 |
| 2023 | 0.006% | 22,714 |
| 2024 | 0.0053% | 19,110 |
| 2025 | 0.0053% | 18,402 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.0053% | 5,851 |
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 4 named lines that continue from here
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Ruy Lopez: Closed, Chigorin Defense (C97)”. Lichess data as of 28 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/ruy-lopez-closed-chigorin-defense-4