C96 · Open · a plan for White
Ruy Lopez: Closed, Chigorin Defense
19/19
1.e4e52.Nf3Nc63.Bb5a64.Ba4Nf65.O-OBe76.Re1b57.Bb3d68.c3O-O9.h3Na510.Bc2
Live databaseLichess 1600–2000 · blitz + rapid
Ruy Lopez: Closed, Chigorin Defense267k games · Black to move
MoveWhite / draw / BlackPlayedGamesScore
2.8%7.5k41%
1.1%2.9k39%
0.5%1.5k38%
0.4%1.2k36%
0.4%1.0k37%
0.2%53742%
0.1%37233%
0.1%26438%
Famous games in this line9.9k master games
So, W. (2775) – Carlsen, M. (2834)Anand, Viswanathan (2817) – Ivanchuk, Vassily (2779)Kasparov, Garry (2838) – Ponomariov, Ruslan (2743)Topalov, Veselin (2812) – Ivanchuk, Vassily (2746)Topalov, Veselin (2775) – Ivanchuk, Vassily (2779)Kasparov, Garry (2838) – Ivanchuk, Vassily (2711)Ivanchuk, Vassily (2769) – Karjakin, Sergey (2779)Kramnik, Vladimir (2807) – Ponomariov, Ruslan (2734)Heroes of this opening Topalov, Veselin · Ivanchuk, Vassily
- Family
- Ruy Lopez
- Category
- Open
- First move
- 1.e4
- ECO
- C96
- Line
- 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. h3 Na5 10. Bc2
Classical
★ Read the guide: Ruy Lopez (Spanish Opening)Explore all 234 Ruy Lopez lines →Keep exploring
Go deeper — named lines from here
Ruy Lopez: Closed, Chigorin Defense, Gajewski GambitC96 10…d5Ruy Lopez: Closed, Keres DefenseC96 10…c5 11.d4 Nd7Ruy Lopez: Closed, Rossolimo DefenseC96 10…c6 11.d4 Qc7Ruy Lopez: Closed, Borisenko VariationC96 10…c5 11.d4 Nc6
Nearby lines in the family
From the archives
Ruy López de Segura was a 16th-century Spanish priest whose 1561 book systematized 3.Bb5 — alongside advice like seating your opponent facing the sun. The 'Spanish torture' has been a world-championship battleground from Steinitz to Carlsen: slow pressure, forever.
Study this opening