Ruy Lopez: Closed, Chigorin Defense, Gajewski Gambit
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Statistics from Lichess
3,266 games: White 41.9% / Draw 7.0% / Black 51.0%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 2,0612,061 | ||
| 609609 | ||
| 419419 | ||
| 147147 | ||
| 1515 | ||
| 1010 | ||
| 33 | ||
| 11 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 2, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.68 White is slightly better
Best play: 11. d4 Nxe4 12. Nxe5 f6 13. Nd3 Re8 14. Nf4 c6 15. Nd2 f5
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Ruy Lopez: Closed, Chigorin Defense, Gajewski Gambit (ECO C96, Open Games) is a gambit in 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 d5 (10 moves).
In 3,266 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 41.9%, Black 51.0% and 7.0% were drawn. White's most played move here is 11. exd5, in 63% of those games.
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How to play against the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Chigorin Defense, Gajewski Gambit
11. d4 scores best for White: 56.3%, with White winning 53.0% and Black 40.4% of 609 games. The most played answer, 11. exd5, scores lowest: 42.2% in 2,061 games. Stockfish's first choice is also 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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Ruy Lopez: Closed, Chigorin Defense, Gajewski Gambit (C96)”. Lichess data as of 2 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/ruy-lopez-closed-chigorin-defense-gajewski-gambit