1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 opens the Ruy Lopez, Closed Defence: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3... 7.Bb3, ECO C88. With 2,421,585 games on record, the patterns below come from the largest practical sample available.
History and Notable Players
It arises from the Ruy Lopez, Closed Defence. On the White side, Viswanathan Anand (147 games), Vlastimil Jansa (139 games), Alexei Shirov (131 games) top the database. Notable Black exponents: Svetozar Gligoric (216 games), Alexander G Beliavsky (180 games), Oleg M Romanishin (175 games).
Performance Across Rating Levels
How well the Ruy Lopez, Closed Defence: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3... 7.Bb3 works depends on what level you're playing at. The 1200 bracket has 26,304 games (0.00% of all games at that level); White wins 49.4%, Black 47%, 3.5% are drawn. Move up to 1800 Elo and the share shifts to 0.08%, with White winning 46.7% versus Black's 48.3%. Among 2500-rated players the line appears in 0.40% of games and draws spike to 10.1%, indicating tight preparation. Positions also become less sharp as level rises (sharpness 0.96 → 0.90).
Time Control Patterns
Time control matters here: blitz players reach for this opening more than others. In bullet, it appears in 0.02% of games (602,460); White wins 48.4%. Blitz shows 0.06% adoption across 2,038,580 games, White scoring 47.5%. In rapid, the share rises to 0.03% — 383,005 games, White 46.2%. White's score swings 2.2pp across formats, so time control isn't just a stylistic choice here — it shifts the actual results.
Move Diversity and Theory Depth
Looking at move selection shows how forcing — or not — the position really is. At 1200 Elo, the top reply is O-O, played 70.9% of the time. There are 2 other moves seeing meaningful share, and 94.2% of games stick to established theory. Entropy: 1.32. By 2500, d6 dominates at 53.3% of replies; only 2 viable alternatives remain and 99.9% of moves are theory. Entropy drops to 1.08.
Historical Trends
Year-over-year data tells you whether this opening is a contemporary fixture or a fading one. Adoption peaked in 2015 at 0.09% (20,349 games). By 2025 it sits at 0.04% — a 54% shift overall, leaving the line in decline.
Main Lines and Variations
After 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3, the established follow-ups are:
- Ruy Lopez, Marshall Attack
- Ruy Lopez, Closed Defence: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3... d6
- Ruy Lopez: Chigorin Defense
- Ruy Lopez: Chigorin Defense, Main Line
Each branch leads to a different middlegame character — the resulting pawn structure decides what kind of game you get.
Common Mistakes
- Playing outside main lines — At 400 Elo, only 92.7% of moves follow established theory — at 2000 that climbs to 99.5%. Most of the gap is players who pick a reasonable-looking move over the best one, and the position quietly drifts.
- Neglecting development — Extra pawn moves in the opening are tempting, especially when you "know the moves". Developing a piece each turn is the simple correction.
- Playing without a plan — Each Ruy Lopez, Closed Defence: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3... 7.Bb3 middlegame demands a specific approach. Decide whether the position calls for attack, manoeuvre, or simplification before reaching for a move.
Practice on Chessiverse
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