Caissa Codex
C92

Ruy Lopez: Closed, Karpov Variation

Chess diagram: Ruy Lopez: Closed, Karpov Variation after 9…Nd7

Type a move and press Enter: e4, Nf3, O-O, or from and to squares like g1f3 (e7e8q to promote). The board is also played with the mouse.

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Statistics from Lichess

7,652 games: White 48.4% / Draw 6.7% / Black 45.0%

The moves played next. Pick one to see it on the board.
Next moveGamesWhite / Draw / BlackW / D / B
6,7306,730
369369
323323
116116
5454
5252
66
11

Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026

Engine evaluation

+0.58 White is slightly better

Best play: 10. d4 Nb6 11. Nbd2 a5 12. Bc2 Bd7 13. Nf1 a4 14. Ng3 Bf6

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

Overview

Ruy Lopez: Closed, Karpov Variation (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 Nd7 (9 moves).

In 7,652 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.4%, Black 45.0% and 6.7% were drawn. White's most played move here is 10. d4, in 88% of those games.

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Other lines from the same position

Instead of 9…Nd7, the position after Ruy Lopez: Closed also goes on to:

Cite this page

Caissa Codex. “Ruy Lopez: Closed, Karpov Variation (C92)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/ruy-lopez-closed-karpov-variation

https://chesscodex.org/openings/ruy-lopez-closed-karpov-variation