Caissa Codex
C98

Ruy Lopez: Closed, Chigorin Defense 12…Nc6 13. dxc5

Chess diagram: Ruy Lopez: Closed, Chigorin Defense after 13. dxc5

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Statistics from Lichess

453 games: White 54.3% / Draw 8.8% / Black 36.9%

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Next moveGamesWhite / Draw / BlackW / D / B
453453

Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 28, 2026

Engine evaluation

+0.04 The position is about equal

Best play: 13... dxc5 14. Qe2 Be6 15. Ng5 Nd8 16. b3 Bd7 17. Nf1 h6 18. Nf3

Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.

Overview

Ruy Lopez: Closed, Chigorin Defense (ECO C98, 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 12. Nbd2 Nc6 13. dxc5 (13 moves).

In 453 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 54.3%, Black 36.9% and 8.8% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 13…dxc5, in 100% of those games.

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Cite this page

Caissa Codex. “Ruy Lopez: Closed, Chigorin Defense (C98)”. Lichess data as of 28 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/ruy-lopez-closed-chigorin-defense-6

https://chesscodex.org/openings/ruy-lopez-closed-chigorin-defense-6