Closed

The Closed Defense, or Closed Spanish, is the most frequently played system of the Ruy Lopez. By developing the bishop to e7, Black shields the king from the e-file tactics that let White recover the pawn in the Open Variation. As a result, 6...b5 7. Bb3 Nxe4 becomes a genuine threat. In nearly three-quarters of games White answers with 6. Re1. Once e4 is protected, Bxc6 followed by Nxe5 also threatens to win a pawn, because ...Qd4 no longer regains it. Engines rate the position as roughly balanced.

After 6. Re1, Black usually plays 6...b5 7. Bb3, heading for the classical main line with 7...d6 or for the Marshall Attack with 7...O-O. The quieter 6...d6 is the Averbakh Variation. White's main alternative at move six is 6. d3, the Martinez Variation, which sidesteps the Marshall and the Anti-Marshall lines and has become popular at top level. With 6. Qe2, the Worrall Attack, White guards e4 with the queen and prepares Rd1 and d4, though the queen stands on a file that may open. The Morphy Attack, 6. Nc3, gets in the way of the c3 and d4 plan. In the Delayed Exchange, 6. Bxc6, White is a tempo down on the Exchange Variation, but Black can no longer hold e5 with ...f6. The Center Attack, 6. d4, transposes to the Mackenzie Variation after 6...exd4.