Ruy Lopez: Closed, Worrall Attack, Delayed Castling Line
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Statistics from Lichess
19,436 games: White 54.0% / Draw 5.4% / Black 40.6%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 13,96714K | ||
| 2,4272,427 | ||
| 1,9251,925 | ||
| 661661 | ||
| 214214 | ||
| 8080 | ||
| 4848 | ||
| 4646 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 26, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.13 The position is about equal
Best play: 8. c3 O-O 9. d4 Re8 10. a4 Bd7 11. Ng5 Rf8 12. f4 bxa4
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Ruy Lopez: Closed, Worrall Attack, Delayed Castling Line (ECO C86, Open Games) is a variation of the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Worrall Attack, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Qe2 b5 7. Bb3 d6 (7 moves).
In 19,436 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 54.0%, Black 40.6% and 5.4% were drawn. White's most played move here is 8. c3, in 72% of those games.
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, Worrall Attack, Delayed Castling Line
8. a4 scores best for White: 61.1%, with White winning 58.6% and Black 36.5% of 1,925 games. The most played, 8. c3, scores 57.3% in 14K games, and 8. h3 scores lowest: 53.1%. 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, Worrall Attack, Delayed Castling Line (C86)”. Lichess data as of 26 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/ruy-lopez-closed-worrall-attack-delayed-castling-line