Ruy Lopez: Closed, Rosen Attack
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Statistics from Lichess
43,898 games: White 40.7% / Draw 5.1% / Black 54.2%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 14,48114K | ||
| 11,22311K | ||
| 10,60311K | ||
| 4,2344,234 | ||
| 2,5572,557 | ||
| 424424 | ||
| 163163 | ||
| 6161 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 6, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.51 Black is slightly better
Best play: 8... Nxd4 9. Nxd4 exd4 10. a4 Rb8 11. Bf4 O-O 12. Qxd4 c5 13. Qd2
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Ruy Lopez: Closed, Rosen Attack (ECO C88, 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. d4 (8 moves).
In 43,898 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 40.7%, Black 54.2% and 5.1% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 8…exd4, in 33% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Ruy Lopez: Noah's Ark Trap.
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, Rosen Attack
8…Nxd4 scores best for Black: 71.4%, with Black winning 69.3% and White 26.5% of 4,234 games. The most played, 8…exd4, scores 62.1% in 14K games, and 8…Na5 scores lowest: 36.8%. Stockfish's first choice is also 8…Nxd4.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: Black'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, Rosen Attack (C88)”. Lichess data as of 6 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/ruy-lopez-closed-rosen-attack