Ruy Lopez: Closed, Trajkovic Counterattack
Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.
Statistics from Lichess
28,715 games: White 47.9% / Draw 4.9% / Black 47.3%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 21,50122K | ||
| 3,0253,025 | ||
| 1,5181,518 | ||
| 1,2661,266 | ||
| 681681 | ||
| 383383 | ||
| 127127 | ||
| 8686 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.43 White is slightly better
Best play: 8. c3 O-O 9. d4 d6 10. Nbd2 exd4 11. cxd4 Nb4 12. Qe2 c5
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Ruy Lopez: Closed, Trajkovic Counterattack (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 Bb7 (7 moves).
In 28,715 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 47.9%, Black 47.3% and 4.9% were drawn. White's most played move here is 8. c3, in 75% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
Write a description or report a mistake
How to play against the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Trajkovic Counterattack
8. d3 scores best for White: 53.2%, with White winning 50.1% and Black 43.6% of 3,025 games. The most played answer, 8. c3, scores lowest: 49.6% in 22K games. Stockfish's first choice is 8. c3.
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, Trajkovic Counterattack (C88)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/ruy-lopez-closed-trajkovic-counterattack