Ruy Lopez: Closed, Delayed Exchange
24K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · All ratings · All speeds
54.6%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 55.2%.
Measured over 24K games at this level and clock.
A strong choice for White at this level and clock.
Outcomes for White
Draw 6.7 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 24K games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 24K
- Best context
- 58.4% at 2500+ Blitz
- Worst context
- 51.0% at 1600-1799 Rapid
- Average game length
- 37 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 93.3%
- Draws
- 6.7%
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 · White score by rating × clock
Green is clearly ahead for White, grey is around even, red is behind. Tap a cell to measure there, and again to clear. It holds about the same all the way up, near 50.8%.
| 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: 53.6% expected score (40 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 44.9% expected score (37 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 54.0% expected score (11 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 58.5% expected score (128 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 54.0% expected score (136 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (51 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 52.5% expected score (243 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 51.7% expected score (414 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 41.2% expected score (123 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 61.2% expected score (3 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 54.4% expected score (370 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 54.2% expected score (1,104 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 51.5% expected score (386 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 48.2% expected score (26 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 55.0% expected score (580 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 54.0% expected score (2,036 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 51.0% expected score (894 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 54.1% expected score (60 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 55.7% expected score (713 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 54.2% expected score (3,190 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 51.0% expected score (1,299 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (163 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 54.5% expected score (851 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 55.4% expected score (3,361 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 51.3% expected score (852 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 63.0% expected score (64 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 56.9% expected score (819 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 56.7% expected score (3,688 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 54.6% expected score (345 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 52.0% expected score (24 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 58.3% expected score (358 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 58.4% expected score (1,263 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 58.5% expected score (75 games)
- 2500+ rating, Classical: 34.7% expected score (5 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Delayed Exchange scores 54.6% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 54.1% and 55.2% — from 24K 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
- 24K+ 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, Delayed Exchange win rate?
Playing the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Delayed Exchange, White wins 51.2%, draws 6.7% and loses 42.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.6%. It rests on 24K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Delayed Exchange perform best?
The Ruy Lopez: Closed, Delayed Exchange performs best for White at 2500+, with an Expected Score of 58.3% (1.7K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Delayed Exchange better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Delayed Exchange scores higher in Blitz: an Expected Score of 55.3% in Blitz (15K games) against 51.3% in Rapid (4.0K games).
How sharp is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Delayed Exchange?
The Ruy Lopez: Closed, Delayed Exchange has a sharpness score of 93.3 (decisive), meaning 93.3% of games end decisively. Average game length is 37 moves.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Delayed Exchange win rate at 1000-1199?
At 1000-1199, White wins 54.2%, draws 2.1% and loses 43.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.2%. It rests on 315 Lichess games, which average 27 moves.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Delayed Exchange win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, White wins 48.6%, draws 3.4% and loses 48.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.3%. It rests on 783 Lichess games, which average 28 moves.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Delayed Exchange win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, White wins 51.5%, draws 4.1% and loses 44.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.6%. It rests on 1.9K Lichess games, which average 30 moves.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Delayed Exchange win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, White wins 50.9%, draws 4.9% and loses 44.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.4%. It rests on 3.6K Lichess games, which average 32 moves.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Delayed Exchange win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, White wins 50.8%, draws 5.4% and loses 43.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.5%. It rests on 5.4K Lichess games, which average 35 moves.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Delayed Exchange win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, White wins 51.0%, draws 7.2% and loses 41.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.6%. It rests on 5.1K Lichess games, which average 39 moves.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Delayed Exchange win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, White wins 52.4%, draws 8.3% and loses 39.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 56.6%. It rests on 4.9K Lichess games, which average 41 moves.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Delayed Exchange win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, White wins 50.9%, draws 14.8% and loses 34.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 58.3%. It rests on 1.7K Lichess games, which average 48 moves.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Delayed Exchange win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, White wins 53.1%, draws 4.9% and loses 42.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.6%. It rests on 4.1K Lichess games.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Delayed Exchange win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, White wins 51.8%, draws 6.9% and loses 41.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.3%. It rests on 15K Lichess games.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Delayed Exchange win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, White wins 47.5%, draws 7.5% and loses 45.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.3%. It rests on 4.0K Lichess games.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Delayed Exchange win rate in Classical?
In Classical, White wins 47.5%, draws 11.1% and loses 41.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.1%. It rests on 345 Lichess games.
Is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Delayed Exchange a good opening?
The Ruy Lopez: Closed, Delayed Exchange is good for White. Across all ratings, White wins 51.2% of its games and loses 42.0%. It performs best at 2500+. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.