Ruy Lopez: Closed, Smyslov-Breyer-Zaitsev Hybrid
1.0K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
Black expected score · All ratings · All speeds
46.2%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 48.7%.
Measured over 1.0K games at this level and clock.
Black comes out behind here — there are better weapons in the list.
Outcomes for Black
Draw 25.8 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 1.0K games
- Rank among the families Black can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 1.0K
- Best context
- not measured yet
- Average game length
- 52 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 74.2%
- Draws
- 25.8%
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.
Extra Analysis
Deep-dive datasets for this opening
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 1000-1199, 49.3% 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
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 50.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 55.7% expected score (16 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 38.9% expected score (3 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 34.2% expected score (8 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 55.1% expected score (28 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 19.3% expected score (5 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 47.6% expected score (19 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 46.3% expected score (92 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 33.8% expected score (17 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 37.4% expected score (38 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 46.9% expected score (287 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 33.7% expected score (23 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 42.3% expected score (5 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 46.1% expected score (127 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 47.1% expected score (309 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 51.1% expected score (45 games)
- 2500+ rating, Classical: 53.0% expected score (15 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Smyslov-Breyer-Zaitsev Hybrid scores 46.2% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 43.8% and 48.7% — from 1.0K 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
- 1.0K+ 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, Smyslov-Breyer-Zaitsev Hybrid win rate?
Playing the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Smyslov-Breyer-Zaitsev Hybrid, Black wins 33.3%, draws 25.8% and loses 40.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 46.2%. It rests on 1.0K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Smyslov-Breyer-Zaitsev Hybrid perform best?
The Ruy Lopez: Closed, Smyslov-Breyer-Zaitsev Hybrid performs best for Black at 2500+, with an Expected Score of 47.4% (496 games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Smyslov-Breyer-Zaitsev Hybrid better in blitz or rapid?
For Black, the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Smyslov-Breyer-Zaitsev Hybrid scores higher in Blitz: an Expected Score of 47.4% in Blitz (734 games) against 40.5% in Rapid (93 games).
How sharp is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Smyslov-Breyer-Zaitsev Hybrid?
The Ruy Lopez: Closed, Smyslov-Breyer-Zaitsev Hybrid has a sharpness score of 74.2 (drawish), meaning 74.2% of games end decisively. Average game length is 52 moves.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Smyslov-Breyer-Zaitsev Hybrid win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, Black wins 41.8%, draws 5.7% and loses 52.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 44.7%. It rests on 129 Lichess games, which average 45 moves.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Smyslov-Breyer-Zaitsev Hybrid win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, Black wins 41.0%, draws 7.5% and loses 51.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 44.8%. It rests on 353 Lichess games, which average 45 moves.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Smyslov-Breyer-Zaitsev Hybrid win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, Black wins 24.2%, draws 46.3% and loses 29.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.4%. It rests on 496 Lichess games, which average 60 moves.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Smyslov-Breyer-Zaitsev Hybrid win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, Black wins 17.6%, draws 53.2% and loses 29.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 44.2%. It rests on 195 Lichess games.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Smyslov-Breyer-Zaitsev Hybrid win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, Black wins 39.8%, draws 15.2% and loses 45.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.4%. It rests on 734 Lichess games.
Is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Smyslov-Breyer-Zaitsev Hybrid a good opening?
The Ruy Lopez: Closed, Smyslov-Breyer-Zaitsev Hybrid is hard work for Black — it favours White. Across all ratings, Black wins 33.3% of its games and loses 40.9%. It performs best at 2500+. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.