Ruy Lopez: Closed, Yates Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
244,732 games: White 48.1% / Draw 5.5% / Black 46.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Ruy Lopez: Closed, Bogoljubow Variation | 138,328138K | |
| 54,03854K | ||
| 19,90020K | ||
| 13,54614K | ||
| 7,7567,756 | ||
| 5,4075,407 | ||
| 1,4531,453 | ||
| 1,1821,182 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 25, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.17 The position is about equal
Best play: 9... Bg4 10. Be3 Bh5 11. Nbd2 d5 12. Bg5 exd4 13. exd5 dxc3 14. dxc6
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: White scores 53% under 1400, 52% at 2200 and up and 56% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 16K | |
| 1400–1799 | 90K | |
| 1800–2199 | 143K | |
| 2200 and up | 43K | |
| Masters, over the board | 4,050 |
Master games
- Aronian, L. – Carlsen, M.
- Giri, A. – Carlsen, M.
- Nepomniachtchi, I. – Ding Liren
- Nepomniachtchi, I. – Ding Liren
- Nepomniachtchi, I. – Ding Liren
Rated blitz, rapid and classical Lichess games by rating band, and over-the-board games of players rated 2200+ from the Lichess masters database, updated Sep 27, 2026
Overview
Ruy Lopez: Closed, Yates Variation (ECO C91, 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. c3 O-O 9. d4 (9 moves).
In 244,732 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.1%, Black 46.4% and 5.5% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 9…Bg4, in 57% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Ruy Lopez: Closed, Bogoljubow Variation. In all, 2 named lines continue from it.
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, Yates Variation
The most played answer, 9…Bg4 (Ruy Lopez: Closed, Bogoljubow Variation), also scores best for Black: 51.5%, with Black winning 48.7% and White 45.6% of 138K games. Of the main answers, 9…Na5 scores lowest: 44.5%. Stockfish's first choice is also 9…Bg4.
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
Popularity by year
The Ruy Lopez: Closed, Yates Variation has lost ground since 2016: 0.0071% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.014% (its peak: 0.016% in 2017).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.014% | 4,998 |
| 2017 | 0.016% | 9,021 |
| 2018 | 0.015% | 12,029 |
| 2019 | 0.014% | 17,325 |
| 2020 | 0.012% | 34,651 |
| 2021 | 0.0093% | 36,575 |
| 2022 | 0.0088% | 33,027 |
| 2023 | 0.0085% | 31,999 |
| 2024 | 0.0078% | 28,083 |
| 2025 | 0.0071% | 24,716 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.0074% | 8,104 |
Share of rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500 (blitz, rapid and classical) that reach this position, by year; 2026: January to April. Which openings are rising and falling
Variations (1)
All 2 named lines that continue from here
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Ruy Lopez: Closed, Yates Variation (C91)”. Lichess data as of 25 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/ruy-lopez-closed-yates-variation