Ruy Lopez: Closed, Worrall Attack, Castling Line 8…d5 9. d3
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Statistics from Lichess
19,885 games: White 55.8% / Draw 5.6% / Black 38.6%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 6,3896,389 | ||
| 6,2976,297 | ||
| 2,3342,334 | ||
| 1,4211,421 | ||
| 1,4071,407 | ||
| 841841 | ||
| 665665 | ||
| 237237 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.01 The position is about equal
Best play: 9... Be6 10. Bg5 a5 11. Bxf6 Bxf6 12. a4 b4 13. Nbd2 Rb8 14. exd5
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Ruy Lopez: Closed, Worrall Attack, Castling Line (ECO C86, Open Games) is a variation of the Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Wormald Attack, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. Qe2 Be7 6. O-O b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. c3 d5 9. d3 (9 moves).
In 19,885 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 55.8%, Black 38.6% and 5.6% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 9…dxe4, in 32% of those games.
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How to answer 9. d3
9…Bb7 scores best for Black: 47.5%, with Black winning 44.5% and White 49.4% of 1,407 games. The most played answer, 9…dxe4, scores lowest: 36.9% in 6,389 games. Stockfish's first choice is 9…Be6.
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Ruy Lopez: Closed, Worrall Attack, Castling Line (C86)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/ruy-lopez-closed-worrall-attack-castling-line-2