Ruy Lopez: Closed, Chigorin, Yugoslav System
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Statistics from Lichess
137 games: White 55.5% / Draw 9.5% / Black 35.0%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 4444 | ||
| 1919 | ||
| 1717 | ||
| 1616 | ||
| 1515 | ||
| 99 | ||
| 77 | ||
| 33 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 25, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.76 White is better
Best play: 15. Bd2 cxd4 16. cxd4 Rac8 17. Bc3 Bf8 18. Rc1 Bg7 19. Qd2 Nc6
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Ruy Lopez: Closed, Chigorin, Yugoslav System (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 12. Nbd2 Bd7 13. Nf1 Rfe8 14. Ne3 g6 (14 moves).
In 137 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 55.5%, Black 35.0% and 9.5% were drawn. White's most played move here is 15. dxe5, in 32% of those games.
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Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Ruy Lopez: Closed, Chigorin, Yugoslav System (C97)”. Lichess data as of 25 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/ruy-lopez-closed-chigorin-yugoslav-system