Ruy Lopez: Closed, Flohr System
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Statistics from Lichess
131,250 games: White 50.5% / Draw 6.2% / Black 43.3%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 105,484105K | ||
| 16,76817K | ||
| 3,6613,661 | ||
| 3,3333,333 | ||
| 1,8701,870 | ||
| 3333 | ||
| 2929 | ||
| 1818 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 23, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.23 The position is about equal
Best play: 10. d4 Re8 11. Nbd2 Bf8 12. Bc2 Nb8 13. b3 Nbd7 14. Bb2 h6
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Ruy Lopez: Closed, Flohr System (ECO C92, Open Games) is a variation of the Ruy Lopez: Closed, 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 Bb7 (9 moves).
In 131,250 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 50.5%, Black 43.3% and 6.2% were drawn. White's most played move here is 10. d4, in 80% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Ruy Lopez: Closed, Smyslov-Breyer-Zaitsev Hybrid.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Flohr System
10. d3 scores best for White: 54.3%, with White winning 51.5% and Black 42.9% of 17K games. The most played answer, 10. d4, scores lowest: 53.6% in 105K games. Stockfish's first choice is 10. 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
Variations (1)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Ruy Lopez: Closed, Flohr System (C92)”. Lichess data as of 23 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/ruy-lopez-closed-flohr-system