Ruy Lopez: Closed, Borisenko Variation
7.3K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
Black expected score · All ratings · All speeds
44.6%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 45.6%.
Measured over 7.3K games at this level and clock.
Black comes out behind here — there are better weapons in the list.
Outcomes for Black
Draw 5.3 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 7.3K games
- Rank among the families Black can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 7.3K
- Best context
- 48.0% at 1800-1999 Blitz
- Worst context
- 41.8% at 2200-2499 Blitz
- Average game length
- 43 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 94.7%
- Draws
- 5.3%
Best and worst are the strongest and weakest squares with at least 500 games behind them. The table further down shows every square, including thinner ones.
Where it holds · Black score by rating × clock
Green is clearly ahead for Black, grey is around even, red is behind. Tap a cell to measure there, and again to clear. It gets better as the rating rises: 30.0% at 0-999, 37.4% at 2500+.
| Rating | UB | Bulle | Blitz | Rapid | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0-999 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1000-1199 | — | — | — | ||
| 1200-1399 | — | — | |||
| 1400-1599 | — | — | |||
| 1600-1799 | — | ||||
| 1800-1999 | — | ||||
| 2000-2199 | — | ||||
| 2200-2499 | — | ||||
| 2500+ | — | — |
Expected score matrix by rating bracket and time control
- 0-999 rating, Bullet: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 78.6% expected score (2 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 28.1% expected score (19 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 38.0% expected score (11 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 78.6% expected score (2 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 47.3% expected score (53 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 38.8% expected score (83 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 35.7% expected score (9 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 45.1% expected score (161 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 44.9% expected score (399 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 44.7% expected score (45 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (4 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 43.6% expected score (308 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 48.0% expected score (1,469 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 51.4% expected score (248 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 25.6% expected score (23 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 46.3% expected score (277 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 45.3% expected score (2,118 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 44.2% expected score (439 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 43.9% expected score (15 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 41.2% expected score (266 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 41.8% expected score (979 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 35.3% expected score (178 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 21.5% expected score (2 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 38.7% expected score (78 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 28.7% expected score (69 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 44.7% expected score (8 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Borisenko Variation scores 44.6% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 43.7% and 45.6% — from 7.3K Lichess games. Win rate, draw rate and loss rate come from games played December 2023 to November 2025.
How the figures are made
- Whose games these are
- 7.3K+ rated games played on Lichess (2023-12 to 2025-11). The games are Lichess’s and free for anyone to use. What is ours is the reading of them. Last rebuilt January 2026.
- Which games we count
- Rated games only — nothing casual.
- Both players within 200 rating points of each other. A mismatch tells you about the gap, not about the opening.
- At least 2 moves played.
- A game is filed under White’s rating.
- Why every number comes with a range
- A number off a few hundred games is a guess. The same number off millions is a fact. The range is what tells them apart, and it is what the lists rank on — so an opening cannot reach the top on a lucky run of forty games. The more games behind a figure, the narrower its range.
- How much we need before we say anything
- An opening page needs 100 games. A gambit needs 50 games at a rating before we will say whether it pays there. The chaos and trap lists need 500 games overall and 250 games at one rating or clock.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Borisenko Variation win rate?
Playing the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Borisenko Variation, Black wins 41.9%, draws 5.3% and loses 52.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 44.6%. It rests on 7.3K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Borisenko Variation perform best?
The Ruy Lopez: Closed, Borisenko Variation performs best for Black at 1800-1999, with an Expected Score of 47.5% (2.0K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Borisenko Variation better in blitz or rapid?
For Black, the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Borisenko Variation scores about the same in both: an Expected Score of 45.0% in Blitz (5.1K games) against 44.4% in Rapid (929 games).
How sharp is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Borisenko Variation?
The Ruy Lopez: Closed, Borisenko Variation has a sharpness score of 94.7 (decisive), meaning 94.7% of games end decisively. Average game length is 43 moves.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Borisenko Variation win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, Black wins 40.6%, draws 1.7% and loses 57.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 41.5%. It rests on 145 Lichess games, which average 35 moves.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Borisenko Variation win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, Black wins 43.2%, draws 3.5% and loses 53.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 45.0%. It rests on 609 Lichess games, which average 39 moves.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Borisenko Variation win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, Black wins 45.0%, draws 5.0% and loses 50.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.5%. It rests on 2.0K Lichess games, which average 41 moves.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Borisenko Variation win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, Black wins 42.3%, draws 5.8% and loses 51.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 45.2%. It rests on 2.8K Lichess games, which average 44 moves.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Borisenko Variation win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, Black wins 37.7%, draws 6.0% and loses 56.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 40.7%. It rests on 1.4K Lichess games, which average 45 moves.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Borisenko Variation win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, Black wins 31.0%, draws 6.7% and loses 62.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 34.4%. It rests on 155 Lichess games, which average 49 moves.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Borisenko Variation win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, Black wins 42.2%, draws 2.4% and loses 55.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 43.5%. It rests on 1.2K Lichess games.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Borisenko Variation win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, Black wins 42.2%, draws 5.6% and loses 52.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 45.0%. It rests on 5.1K Lichess games.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Borisenko Variation win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, Black wins 40.9%, draws 7.0% and loses 52.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 44.4%. It rests on 929 Lichess games.
Is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Borisenko Variation a good opening?
The Ruy Lopez: Closed, Borisenko Variation is hard work for Black — it favours White. Across all ratings, Black wins 41.9% of its games and loses 52.8%. It performs best at 1800-1999. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.