C98 Ruy Lopez: Closed, Chigorin Defense
C98 holds two named lines, all under the name Ruy Lopez. It leaves C97, a position of the same name, with 12.Nbd2 Nc6. White has three minor pieces off their first squares, level for the most of the 40 Ruy Lopez codes. At 24 plies, its reference line is the second-longest of the 40 Ruy Lopez codes. Both kings have castled by the end of the reference line, White on move 5 and Black on move 8.
| # | White | Black |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | c5 |
| 11 | d4 | Qc7 |
| 12 | Nbd2 | Nc6 |
Moves only C98 plays
Same as C99 up to 12.Nbd2, then:
- 12...Nc6 The knight goes from a5 to c6.
Lines filed under C98
Both share their first 24 plies, the whole reference line.
| Name | After the shared start | Plies | At the end |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ruy Lopez: Closed, Chigorin Defense | (the shared start itself) | 24 | both castled |
| Ruy Lopez: Closed, Chigorin Defense | 13.dxc5 | 25 | White +1, both castled |
Ruy Lopez: Closed, Chigorin Defense
- 13.dxc5 The d-pawn takes the pawn on c5, covering b6 and d6.
The road to C98
The position after 12...Nc6
White has brought out the knight on d2, knight on f3 and bishop on c2; Black the knight on c6, knight on f6 and bishop on e7. White could capture with Nxe5, dxc5, dxe5. White is to move and has 31 legal moves.
Closest boards in other codes
| Code | Line | Differs on |
|---|---|---|
| C92 | Ruy Lopez: Closed | eight squares: b1, c2, d2, b3, d4, c5, c7, d8 |
| C96 | Ruy Lopez: Closed, Chigorin Defense | eight squares: b1, d2, d4, a5, c5, c6, c7, d8 |
| C91 | Ruy Lopez: Closed, Yates Variation | nine squares: b1, c2, d2, h2, b3, h3, c5, c7 … |
| C95 | Ruy Lopez: Closed, Breyer | nine squares: b1, c2, d2, b3, c5, c6, c7, b8 … |
| C90 | Ruy Lopez: Closed | ten squares: b1, c2, d2, h2, b3, h3, d4, c5 … |
| C93 | Ruy Lopez: Closed, Smyslov Defense | ten squares: b1, c2, d2, b3, d4, c5, h6, c7 … |
| C94 | Ruy Lopez: Closed, Breyer Defense | ten squares: b1, c2, d2, b3, d4, c5, c6, c7 … |