Ruy Lopez: Closed, Chigorin Defense

Ruy Lopez: Closed

Definition

“Ruy Lopez: Closed” is the family of variations that arise after the moves 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. With …d6 and …Be7 Black erects a flexible “Spanish Wall,” instead of the early …Bc5 of the Open Variation. The resulting position is the gateway to a labyrinth of lines—Chigorin, Breyer, Zaitsev, Marshall Gambit, Smyslov System, and more.

Strategic Themes

• Slow-burn center. White often maintains the pawn on e4 supported by d2–d3 or d2–d4, while Black waits for the right moment to challenge with …d5.
• Minor-piece maneuvering. Knights are frequently rerouted: Nb1–d2–f1–g3 (or e3) for White; …Nb8–d7–f8–g6 for Black.
• Queenside space vs. kingside prospects. Black’s queenside pawns gain space with …b5 and …a6, but White hopes that the latent pressure on the e-file and the f1–a6 diagonal will tell in the middlegame.
• Long-term bishop pair. Black’s light-squared bishop is often hemmed in, so the positional struggle can hinge on whether Black can successfully liberate with …d5 or …f5.

Usage in Practice

The Closed Ruy Lopez has been the main battlefield of classical chess for over a century. World champions from Lasker to Carlsen have relied on it to test the depth of their opponents’ understanding.

Illustrative Game

Fischer’s brilliant 29th-move exchange sacrifice in game 6 of the 1972 World Championship (Fischer – Spassky) emerged from a Closed Ruy Lopez. [[Pgn| e4|e5|Nf3|Nc6|Bb5|a6|Ba4|Nf6|O-O|Be7| Re1|b5|Bb3|d6|c3|O-O|h3|Nb8|d4|Nbd7| c4|c6|cxb5|axb5|Nc3|Bb7|Bg5|b4|Nb1|h6|Bh4|c5| dxe5|Nxe4|Bxe7|Qxe7|exd6|Qf6|Nbd2|Nxd6| Ne5|Nxe5|dxe5|Qg6|Qg4|Qxg4|hxg4|c4|exd6|cxb3| ]]

Historical Notes

• Wilhelm Steinitz systematized many of the early Closed lines, teaching that the center could be held with pieces, not pawns.
• Chigorin, Breyer, and Zaitsev each contributed hallmark knight maneuvers (…Na5, …Nb8–d7–b8, and …Bb7 respectively).
• In the computer era, the line remains robust; top engines assess the starting position as roughly equal, underscoring its theoretical soundness.

Interesting Facts

• The move 8…O-O officially completes Black’s development, yet the battle has barely begun—grandmasters may spend 40 minutes on their ninth move.
• Although the opening bears the name of 16th-century priest Ruy López de Segura, none of his own games featured the modern Closed structure.

Chigorin Defense (in the Closed Ruy Lopez)

Definition

The Chigorin Defense is a specific branch of the Closed Ruy Lopez that arises after 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. Named after the great Russian master Mikhail Chigorin, the move …Na5 aims to drive White’s bishop to c2 and seize the initiative on the queenside.

Main Line Move-Order

1. …Na5 10. Bc2 c5 11. d4 Qc7 12. Nbd2 Nc6 (or …cxd4)
2. …Na5 10. Bc2 c5 11. d4 Nd7 (Smyslov improvement)
3. …Na5 10. Bc2 c5 11. d4 exd4 12. cxd4 Nc6 13. Nc3 (Archangelsk-Chigorin crossover)

Strategic Hallmarks

• Queenside vs. center. Black fights for the d4-square and often advances …c5–c4, squeezing White’s light-squared bishop.
• Flexible knight. The knight on a5 may reroute to c4, b7, or even g6 after …Nc6 …Nd7 …Nf8.
• Tense pawn skeleton. Unlike the Marshall Gambit, material remains equal, so positional nuances loom large.
• Timing of d4. White’s central break with d2-d4 is critical; play it too early and the d-pawn can become a target, too late and Black clamps with …c5–c4.

Typical Plans

• White: Prepare d4, reposition the queen’s knight via b1–d2–f1–g3, and aim for kingside pressure with Re1–e5 or Ng3–f5.
• Black: Expand with …c5 and …c4, relocate the a5-knight, and eventually strike in the center with …d5 or on the kingside with …f5.

Classic Example

Karpov – Portisch, Candidates Final 1974, featured the textbook break …d5 on move 17, equalizing effortlessly. A shortened replay is shown below. [[Pgn| e4|e5|Nf3|Nc6|Bb5|a6|Ba4|Nf6|O-O|Be7| Re1|b5|Bb3|d6|c3|O-O|h3|Na5|Bc2|c5| d4|Qc7|Nbd2|Nc6|d5|Nd8|Nf1|Ne8|g4|g6| Ng3|Ng7|Bh6|f6|Kh2|Nf7|Be3|d5| ]]

Historical & Anecdotal Notes

• Mikhail Chigorin introduced …Na5 in the late 19th century, challenging the then-fashionable Steinitz Defense.
• The defense gained a modern renaissance when Anatoly Karpov adopted it during his rise in the 1970s, refining the …Nd7 resource to bolster the …c5 advance.
• Do not confuse this line with the Chigorin Defense to the Queen’s Gambit (1. d4 d5 2. c4 Nc6).

Interesting Facts

• Engines historically preferred White’s space, but recent neural-network evaluations (e.g., Leela Zero) have elevated the Chigorin line to full equality, reviving grandmaster interest.
• The seemingly “sidebar” move 9…Na5 has generated opening monographs hundreds of pages long—proof that one knight hop can change theory for decades.