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Ruy Lopez: Closed, Smyslov Defense

24K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026

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White Expected Score56.4%Range (90% confident): 55.9% – 56.9%Based on 24K games
0%56.4%100%
Range (90% confident): 55.9% – 56.9%
Outcome Distribution
53.8%5.1%41.1%
Win
Draw
Loss
9...h6
Ruy Lopez: Closed, Smyslov Defense
Analyzen=24K
Avg Length39 moves
Sharpness95%
Draw Rate5.1%

What is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Smyslov Defense expected score for White?

Snapshot

At all ratings, the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Smyslov Defense has a 56.4% expected score for White (we're 90% confident it's between 55.9% and 56.9%), based on 24K Lichess games.

White Win% by Rating

Improves with rating: 51% → 55%

0
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
2000
2200
2500+

  • 0-999: 50.5% win rate (53 games)
  • 1000-1199: 55.9% win rate (273 games)
  • 1200-1399: 56.9% win rate (766 games)
  • 1400-1599: 56.3% win rate (1,981 games)
  • 1600-1799: 57.1% win rate (4,024 games)
  • 1800-1999: 53.5% win rate (6,464 games)
  • 2000-2199: 52.3% win rate (6,012 games)
  • 2200-2499: 50.7% win rate (3,597 games)
  • 2500+: 55.3% win rate (683 games)

White Win% by Time Control

Best in UltraBullet (71%), worst in Classical (54%)

UltraBullet
Bullet
Blitz
Rapid
Classical

  • UltraBullet: 71.4% win rate (2 games)
  • Bullet: 54.5% win rate (4,912 games)
  • Blitz: 53.5% win rate (15,049 games)
  • Rapid: 54.3% win rate (3,726 games)
  • Classical: 53.5% win rate (164 games)

White% by Rating × Time Control

Click any cell to filter. Green = above 50%, Red = below 50%.

RatingUBBulleBlitzRapidClass
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: 52.8% expected score (34 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Blitz: 47.0% expected score (15 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Rapid: 59.1% expected score (4 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 57.4% expected score (120 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 54.9% expected score (122 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 63.9% expected score (31 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 61.6% expected score (289 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 58.5% expected score (376 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 49.0% expected score (97 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 68.2% expected score (4 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 56.0% expected score (621 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 59.1% expected score (1,111 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 57.5% expected score (241 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (7 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 58.3% expected score (871 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 58.9% expected score (2,534 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 59.8% expected score (583 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 56.9% expected score (35 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 53.9% expected score (1,081 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 55.8% expected score (4,158 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 58.4% expected score (1,154 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 57.6% expected score (71 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 53.2% expected score (953 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 55.2% expected score (3,916 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 56.0% expected score (1,110 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 58.7% expected score (33 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 57.2% expected score (699 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 53.2% expected score (2,421 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 55.2% expected score (469 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 60.6% expected score (8 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Bullet: 57.9% expected score (244 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Blitz: 62.4% expected score (396 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Rapid: 65.6% expected score (37 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Classical: 83.3% expected score (6 games)

Related Openings

Parent
Ruy Lopez
51.9%
Variations (5)
Ruy Lopez: Alapin Defense
55.9%
Ruy Lopez: Alapin Defense, Alapin Gambit
53.0%
Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense
49.9%
Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Anderssen Variation
48.6%
Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Berlin Wall
12.2%
Analyze Ruy Lopez: Closed, Smyslov Defense PositionsGet move-by-move win rates with the TrueElo analyzer

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Smyslov Defense win rate?

The Ruy Lopez: Closed, Smyslov Defense has a 53.8% (90% CI: 53.3%-54.4%) win rate for white, based on 24K rated games from Lichess.

At what rating does the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Smyslov Defense perform best?

The Ruy Lopez: Closed, Smyslov Defense performs best at 1600-1799 Elo with a 57.1% win rate for white (4.0K games). Win rate tends to decline at higher ratings as opponents know the theory better.

Is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Smyslov Defense better in blitz or rapid?

Bullet (54.5%) outperforms Classical (53.5%) by 1.0%. Choose your time control wisely.

How sharp is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Smyslov Defense?

The Ruy Lopez: Closed, Smyslov Defense has a sharpness score of 94.9 (decisive), meaning 94.9% of games end decisively. Average game length is 39 moves.

What is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Smyslov Defense win rate at 1000-1199 Elo?

At 1000-1199 Elo, the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Smyslov Defense has a 55.9% (90% CI: 51.0%-60.8%) win rate for white, based on 273 Lichess games. Average game length is 31 moves with a 2.4% draw rate.

What is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Smyslov Defense win rate at 1200-1399 Elo?

At 1200-1399 Elo, the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Smyslov Defense has a 56.9% (90% CI: 53.9%-59.8%) win rate for white, based on 766 Lichess games. Average game length is 33 moves with a 3.3% draw rate.

What is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Smyslov Defense win rate at 1400-1599 Elo?

At 1400-1599 Elo, the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Smyslov Defense has a 56.3% (90% CI: 54.4%-58.1%) win rate for white, based on 2.0K Lichess games. Average game length is 34 moves with a 3.3% draw rate.

What is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Smyslov Defense win rate at 1600-1799 Elo?

At 1600-1799 Elo, the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Smyslov Defense has a 57.1% (90% CI: 55.9%-58.4%) win rate for white, based on 4.0K Lichess games. Average game length is 36 moves with a 3.4% draw rate.

What is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Smyslov Defense win rate at 1800-1999 Elo?

At 1800-1999 Elo, the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Smyslov Defense has a 53.5% (90% CI: 52.5%-54.5%) win rate for white, based on 6.5K Lichess games. Average game length is 38 moves with a 4.9% draw rate.

What is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Smyslov Defense win rate at 2000-2199 Elo?

At 2000-2199 Elo, the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Smyslov Defense has a 52.3% (90% CI: 51.2%-53.3%) win rate for white, based on 6.0K Lichess games. Average game length is 41 moves with a 5.5% draw rate.

What is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Smyslov Defense win rate at 2200-2499 Elo?

At 2200-2499 Elo, the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Smyslov Defense has a 50.7% (90% CI: 49.4%-52.1%) win rate for white, based on 3.6K Lichess games. Average game length is 44 moves with a 7.0% draw rate.

What is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Smyslov Defense win rate at 2500+ Elo?

At 2500+ Elo, the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Smyslov Defense has a 55.3% (90% CI: 52.2%-58.4%) win rate for white, based on 683 Lichess games. Average game length is 53 moves with a 11.9% draw rate.

What is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Smyslov Defense win rate in Bullet?

In Bullet games, the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Smyslov Defense has a 54.5% (90% CI: 53.3%-55.6%) win rate for white (4.9K Lichess games). Draw rate is 3.1%.

What is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Smyslov Defense win rate in Blitz?

In Blitz games, the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Smyslov Defense has a 53.5% (90% CI: 52.8%-54.2%) win rate for white (15K Lichess games). Draw rate is 5.4%.

What is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Smyslov Defense win rate in Rapid?

In Rapid games, the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Smyslov Defense has a 54.3% (90% CI: 52.9%-55.6%) win rate for white (3.7K Lichess games). Draw rate is 6.1%.

What is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Smyslov Defense win rate in Classical?

In Classical games, the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Smyslov Defense has a 53.5% (90% CI: 47.1%-59.8%) win rate for white (164 Lichess games). Draw rate is 11.8%.

Is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Smyslov Defense a good opening?

The Ruy Lopez: Closed, Smyslov Defense is statistically favors white with a 53.8% (90% CI: 53.3%-54.4%) win rate across all ratings. It performs best at 1600-1799 Elo. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.