Ruy Lopez: Closed, Worrall Attack
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Statistics from Lichess
29,510 games: White 53.3% / Draw 5.6% / Black 41.1%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 24,26924K | ||
| 2,8852,885 | ||
| 2,2522,252 | ||
| 4747 | ||
| 2323 | ||
| 1515 | ||
| 1111 | ||
| 66 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.01 The position is about equal
Best play: 6... b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. d3 d6 9. a4 b4 10. a5 Rb8 11. Nbd2
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Ruy Lopez: Closed, Worrall Attack (ECO C86, 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. Qe2 (6 moves).
In 29,510 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 53.3%, Black 41.1% and 5.6% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 6…b5, in 82% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations; the most played are Ruy Lopez: Closed, Worrall Attack, Castling Line and Ruy Lopez: Closed, Worrall Attack, Delayed Castling Line.
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How to play against the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Worrall Attack
The most played answer, 6…b5, also scores best for Black: 44.4%, with Black winning 41.6% and White 52.7% of 24K games. Of the main answers, 6…O-O scores lowest: 39.7%. Stockfish's first choice is also 6…b5.
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 (2)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Ruy Lopez: Closed, Worrall Attack (C86)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/ruy-lopez-closed-worrall-attack