Ruy Lopez: Closed, Yates Variation, Short Attack
Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.
Statistics from Lichess
1,650 games: White 49.2% / Draw 5.6% / Black 45.2%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 743743 | ||
| 296296 | ||
| 157157 | ||
| 140140 | ||
| 107107 | ||
| 7070 | ||
| 4545 | ||
| 4141 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.07 The position is about equal
Best play: 10... Bxf3 11. gxf3 Na5 12. Bc2 Nh5 13. axb5 axb5 14. b4 Nc4 15. Rxa8
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Ruy Lopez: Closed, Yates Variation, Short Attack (ECO C91, Open Games) is a variation of the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Bogoljubow Variation, 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 Bg4 10. a4 (10 moves).
In 1,650 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.2%, Black 45.2% and 5.6% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 10…exd4, in 45% 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, Yates Variation, Short Attack
10…Bxf3 scores best for Black: 50.8%, with Black winning 48.0% and White 46.3% of 296 games. The most played, 10…exd4, scores 47.2% in 743 games, and 10…Rb8 scores lowest: 36.9%. Stockfish's first choice is also 10…Bxf3.
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, Yates Variation, Short Attack (C91)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/ruy-lopez-closed-yates-variation-short-attack