Tree path 10 levels King's Pawn Game › King's Knight Opening › Normal Variation › Ruy Lopez › Morphy Defense › Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense › Ruy Lopez: Closed › Ruy Lopez: Closed › Ruy Lopez: Closed › Pilnik Variation
Ruy Lopez: Closed, Pilnik Variation
Overview
Ruy Lopez: Closed, Pilnik Variation is a named branch in the Open Games group of chess theory, classified under ECO C90.
The Open Games group covers open games — classical 1.e4 e5 openings where both sides contest the centre directly with pawns.
Play reaches this position via 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. d3 d6 9. c3, after 17 plies of opening development.
In the opening tree, this line branches off from Ruy Lopez: Closed, part of the broader King's Pawn Game system.
Use the board to walk through every move, check how the position has scored on Lichess, or take it head-to-head against Stockfish.
- ECO code
- C90
- Group
- Open Games (C)
- Plies
- 17
- Parent
- Ruy Lopez: Closed
This overview is generated automatically from the opening's metadata. Know this line well? Write a description — submissions are reviewed before publishing.
Statistics from Lichess
159,451 games · White 51.9% / Draw 5.5% / Black 42.6%
| Moves | Games | W / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Na5 | 67,398 | |
| Bg4 | 37,782 | |
| h6 | 15,165 | |
| Bb7 | 11,375 | |
| Be6 | 10,041 | |
| Nb8 | 7,813 | |
| Re8 | 5,026 | |
| a5 | 1,314 |
Source: Lichess Opening Explorer · cached 2026-09-26 03:16:31
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