Ruy Lopez: Closed, Yates Variation, Short Attack
530 games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · All ratings · All speeds
52.4%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 55.9%.
Measured over 530 games at this level and clock.
A strong choice for White at this level and clock.
Outcomes for White
Draw 4.4 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 530 games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 530
- Best context
- not measured yet
- Average game length
- 36 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 95.6%
- Draws
- 4.4%
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 falls away as the rating rises: 49.1% at 1000-1199, 40.0% 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, Bullet: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 68.2% expected score (4 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 38.9% expected score (3 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 74.0% expected score (11 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 83.4% expected score (3 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 65.8% expected score (8 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 35.4% expected score (19 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 27.0% expected score (5 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 31.0% expected score (9 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 44.2% expected score (50 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (18 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 56.5% expected score (14 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 46.8% expected score (91 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 38.9% expected score (39 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 39.7% expected score (13 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 57.0% expected score (106 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 68.2% expected score (26 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 67.4% expected score (10 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 62.4% expected score (67 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 60.9% expected score (17 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 50.0% expected score (7 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 30.0% expected score (6 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Yates Variation, Short Attack scores 52.4% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 48.8% and 55.9% — from 530 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
- 530+ 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, Yates Variation, Short Attack win rate?
Playing the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Yates Variation, Short Attack, White wins 50.1%, draws 4.4% and loses 45.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.4%. It rests on 530 rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Yates Variation, Short Attack perform best?
The Ruy Lopez: Closed, Yates Variation, Short Attack performs best for White at 2200-2499, with an Expected Score of 63.1% (94 games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Yates Variation, Short Attack better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Yates Variation, Short Attack scores about the same in both: an Expected Score of 52.7% in Blitz (354 games) against 52.3% in Rapid (108 games).
How sharp is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Yates Variation, Short Attack?
The Ruy Lopez: Closed, Yates Variation, Short Attack has a sharpness score of 95.6 (very decisive), meaning 95.6% of games end decisively. Average game length is 36 moves.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Yates Variation, Short Attack win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, White wins 43.6%, draws 3.8% and loses 52.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 45.5%. It rests on 144 Lichess games, which average 36 moves.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Yates Variation, Short Attack win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, White wins 55.9%, draws 3.7% and loses 40.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 57.8%. It rests on 146 Lichess games, which average 36 moves.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Yates Variation, Short Attack win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, White wins 50.5%, draws 4.4% and loses 45.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.7%. It rests on 354 Lichess games.
What is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Yates Variation, Short Attack win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, White wins 49.8%, draws 5.0% and loses 45.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.3%. It rests on 108 Lichess games.
Is the Ruy Lopez: Closed, Yates Variation, Short Attack a good opening?
The Ruy Lopez: Closed, Yates Variation, Short Attack is about level. Across all ratings, White wins 50.1% of its games and loses 45.4%. It performs best at 2200-2499. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.