C99 Ruy Lopez: Closed, Chigorin Defense, Panov System
C99 holds a single named line. It leaves C97 (Ruy Lopez: Closed, Chigorin Defense) with 12.Nbd2 cxd4 13.cxd4. At 25 plies, its reference line is the third-longest of all 500 codes. White has three minor pieces off their first squares, level for the most of the 40 Ruy Lopez codes. Black, to move in that position, has 40 legal moves, the third-highest count of the 40 Ruy Lopez codes.
| # | 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 | cxd4 |
| 13 | cxd4 |
Moves only C99 plays
Same as C98 up to 12.Nbd2, then:
- 12...cxd4 The c-pawn takes the pawn on d4, covering c3 and e3, opening a line for the queen on c7.
- 13.cxd4 The c-pawn takes the pawn on d4, covering c5 and e5.
The road to C99
The position after 13.cxd4
White has brought out the knight on d2, knight on f3 and bishop on c2; Black the knight on a5, knight on f6 and bishop on e7. Black could capture with Bxh3, Nxe4, Qxc2, exd4. The c-file is fully open.
Closest boards in other codes
| Code | Line | Differs on |
|---|---|---|
| C96 | Ruy Lopez: Closed, Chigorin Defense | six squares: b1, d2, c3, d4, c7, d8 |
| C95 | Ruy Lopez: Closed, Breyer | nine squares: b1, c2, d2, b3, c3, a5, c7, b8 … |
| C92 | Ruy Lopez: Closed | ten squares: b1, c2, d2, b3, c3, d4, a5, c6 … |
| C94 | Ruy Lopez: Closed, Breyer Defense | ten squares: b1, c2, d2, b3, c3, d4, a5, c7 … |
| C91 | Ruy Lopez: Closed, Yates Variation | 11 squares: b1, c2, d2, h2, b3, c3, h3, a5 … |
| C90 | Ruy Lopez: Closed | 12 squares: b1, c2, d2, h2, b3, c3, h3, d4 … |
| C93 | Ruy Lopez: Closed, Smyslov Defense | 12 squares: b1, c2, d2, b3, c3, d4, a5, c6 … |