Ruy Lopez: Closed, Keres Defense
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Statistics from Lichess
22,704 games: White 45.3% / Draw 7.2% / Black 47.5%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 12,76413K | ||
| 4,3404,340 | ||
| 2,0882,088 | ||
| 988988 | ||
| 895895 | ||
| 688688 | ||
| 395395 | ||
| 315315 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 1, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.77 White is better
Best play: 12. d5 Nb6 13. Nbd2 Qc7 14. b3 c4 15. b4 Nb7 16. Nf1 a5
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Ruy Lopez: Closed, Keres Defense (ECO C96, 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 Nd7 (11 moves).
In 22,704 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 45.3%, Black 47.5% and 7.2% were drawn. White's most played move here is 12. Nbd2, in 56% of those games.
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How to play against the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Keres Defense
12. a4 scores best for White: 51.5%, with White winning 47.8% and Black 44.9% of 2,088 games. The most played answer, 12. Nbd2, scores lowest: 47.3% in 13K games. Stockfish's first choice is 12. d5.
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, Keres Defense (C96)”. Lichess data as of 1 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/ruy-lopez-closed-keres-defense