Ruy Lopez
Encyclopedia
The Ruy Lopez, also called the Spanish Opening or Spanish Game, is a chess opening
characterised by the moves:
The Ruy Lopez is one of the most popular openings, with such a vast number of variations that in the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings
all codes from C60 to C99 are assigned to them.
, which dates from around 1490. Popular use of the Ruy Lopez opening did not develop, however, until the mid-19th century when Carl Jaenisch
, a Russian theoretician, "rediscovered" its potential. The opening remains the most commonly used amongst the open games in master play; it has been adopted by almost all players during their careers, many of whom have played it with both colours.
ing the knight and e4-pawn, or 5...Qg5, forking the knight and g2-pawn, both of which win back the material with a good position. White's 3.Bb5 is still a good move, however: it develops a piece, prepares castling
, and sets up a potential pin
against Black's king. Since White's third move carries no immediate threat, Black can respond in a wide variety of ways. This opening has been dubbed the "Spanish Torture" because Black has to struggle a long time in order to achieve equality.
Traditionally, White's objective in playing the Ruy Lopez is to spoil Black's pawn structure
; either way Black recaptures following the exchange
on c6 will have negative features for him, though he thereby gains the bishop pair. White does not always exchange bishop for knight on c6, however, but usually in the various forms of the Exchange Variation (ECO C68–C69).
, although he was not the originator of the line. The variations with Black moves other than 3...a6 are older and generally simpler, but the Morphy Defence lines are more commonly played.
and Boris Spassky
, becoming popular in the 1980s when it was shown that 4.c3 a6! gives Black a good game.
It was later discovered that 4.d4 exd4 5.Bg5 instead of 4.c3 a6 gives White the advantage, and as such the variation is rarely played today.
An interesting gambit
line 4.d4 exd4 5.c3 has also been recommended by Alexander Khalifman
, although some of the resulting positions have yet to be extensively tested.
Although Bent Larsen
used it occasionally with success, it remains one of the least explored variations of the Ruy Lopez.
This defence was published in 1843 in Paul Rudolf von Bilguer
's Handbuch des Schachspiels
and explored by Henry Bird in the late 19th century. Bird played it as Black at least 25 times, scoring +9 =3 −13 (nine wins, three draws
, thirteen losses). Bird's Defence was later used a few times in tournament play by Siegbert Tarrasch
, Boris Spassky
, and Alexander Khalifman
. Although it is still sometimes seen as a surprise weapon, no strong master since Bird has adopted it regularly.
Although the favorite of the first world champion
Wilhelm Steinitz
, and often played by world champions and expert defensive players Emanuel Lasker
, José Capablanca
, and occasionally by Vasily Smyslov
, it largely fell into disuse after World War I, as its inherent passivity spurred a search for more active means of defending the Spanish. White can force Black to concede the strongpoint at e5 (see Tarrasch Trap
), a significant but not fatal concession.
The deferred variant of this defence (3...a6 4.Ba4 d6) offers Black a freer position and is more popular.
Considered by many to be somewhat dubious, it is occasionally used in top-level play as a surprise weapon.
This variation was originated by Carl Jaenisch
in 1847 and is sometimes named after him.
Although later named for German lawyer Adolf Karl Wilhelm Schliemann (1817–1872),
the line Schliemann actually played in the 1860s was a gambit variation of the Cordel Defence (3...Bc5 4.c3 f5).
The most common responses for White to 3...f5!? are 4.d3 or 4.Nc3, with play after 4.Nc3 fxe4 5.Nxe4 going 5....d5, with great complications to follow, or 5....Nf6, which generally leads to quieter play.
and Boris Gulko. White's most common reply is 4.c3, when Black may choose to play 4...f5, the Cordel Gambit, leading to sharp play, after which 5.d4 is considered the strongest reply. More solid for Black is instead, 4.... Nf6, when 5.0-0 0-0 6.d4 Bb6 leads to the Benelux Variation. White's principal alternative to 4.c3 is 4.0-0.
An alternative for White is the fork trick 4. Nxe5. Few games have been played with this line, but there is no clear refutation for Black. The name derives from White's play if Black captures the knight: 4. ... Nxe5 5. d4.
". The Berlin Defence was played in the late 19th century and early 20th century by Emanuel Lasker
and others, who typically answered 4.0-0 with 4...d6 in the style of the Steinitz Variation. This approach ultimately fell out of favour, as had the old form of the Steinitz, due to its passivity, and the entire variation became rare. Arthur Bisguier
played the Berlin for decades, but always chose the variation 4.0-0 Nxe4. Then in 2000, Vladimir Kramnik
used the latter line as a drawing weapon against Garry Kasparov
in their World Championship match
, after which the Berlin enjoyed a remarkable renaissance; even players with a dynamic style such as Alexei Shirov
, Veselin Topalov
, and Kasparov himself have tried it.
Since Black's third move does not threaten to win the e-pawn (if Black captures it, White will win back the pawn on e5 ), White usually castles
. After 4.0-0, Black can play either the solid 4...Nxe4 or the more combative 4...Bc5 (the Berlin Classical Variation). After 4...Nxe4 5.d4 (5.Re1 Nd6 6.Nxe5 is also reasonable) Nd6 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.dxe5 Nf5 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8 White is considered to have a small advantage in light of his somewhat better pawn structure and Black's awkwardly placed king. Black, by way of compensation, possesses the bishop pair and his position has no weaknesses, so it is difficult for White to exploit his structural superiority without opening the game for Black's bishops; all four of the games in the Kasparov–Kramnik match in which this line was employed ended in draws. An alternative for Black, though seldom seen since the 1890s, is 6....bxc6 7.dxe5 Nb7, though White keeps an advantage, as, despite Black's two bishops, it is difficult for him to gain active counterplay.
If White plays 4.Nc3, a transposition arises to the Four Knights Game
.
Should White, instead, play 4.d3, "Steinitz's move, with which he scored many spectacular successes during his long reign as World Champion", then Black might try to spring the Mortimer Trap
.
The Berlin is assigned ECO codes C65–67. ECO code C65 covers alternatives to 4.0-0, as well as 4.0-0 Bc5. ECO code C66 covers 4.0-0 d6 while C67 is 4.0-0 Nxe4.
The main point to 3...a6 is that after the common retreat 4.Ba4, Black will have the possibility of breaking the eventual pin on his queen knight by playing ...b5.
White must take some care not to fall into the Noah's Ark Trap
, in which Black traps White's king bishop on the b3-square with a ...a6, ...b5, and ...c4 pawn advance on the queenside.
Ercole del Rio
, in his 1750 treatise
Sopra il giuoco degli Scacchi, Osservazioni pratiche dell'anonimo Modenese (On the game of Chess, practical Observations by an anonymous Modenese), was the first author to mention 3...a6. However, the move became popular after it was played by Paul Morphy
, and it is named for him. Steinitz did not approve of the move; in 1889, he wrote, "on principle this ought to be disadvantageous as it drives the bishop where it wants to go". Steinitz' opinion did not prevail, however; today, 3...a6 is played in over 75 percent of all games beginning with the Ruy Lopez.
After 3...a6, the most commonly played line is the Closed Defence, which goes 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7, discussed in the two following sections. Alternatives to the Closed Defence described in this section are:
and Bobby Fischer
employed it with success.
After 4.Bxc6, Black almost always responds 4...dxc6, although 4...bxc6 is playable. It is not usually played due to the reply 5.d4 exd4 6.Qxd4 and white is in control of the centre. After 4...dxc6, the obvious 5.Nxe5? is weak, since 5...Qd4! 6.Nf3 Qxe4+ 7.Qe2 Qxe2+ leaves White with no compensation
for Black's bishop pair.
There are two principal lines after 4.Bxc6 dxc6. In the late 19th century and early 20th century, Lasker had great success with 5.d4 exd4 6.Qxd4 Qxd4 7.Nxd4. Since then, better defences for Black have been developed, and this line is considered to slightly favour Black. Jon Jacobs wrote in the July 2005 Chess Life
(p. 21): "A database search (limited to games longer than 20 moves, both players FIDE 2300+) reveals the position after 7.Nxd4 was reached 20 times from 1985–2002. White's results were abysmal: +0−7=13." Max Euwe
gives the pure pawn ending in this position as a win for White.
The flexible 5.0-0 is sometimes called the Barendregt Variation, but it was Fischer who developed it into a serious weapon. Unlike 5.d4, it forces Black to defend his e-pawn, which he usually does with 5...f6, 5...Bg4, 5...Qd6 (the sharpest line, preparing queenside castling
), 5...Qe7, 5...Qf6 or 5...Bd6. A rare but playable move is 5...Be6 (or 5...Be7), the idea being that if White plays 6.Nxe5, Black plays 6... Qd4, forking the knight and the e4 pawn. The move ...Qd4, regaining the pawn at e4, is usually impossible in these variations once White has castled, due to the open e-file.
White may also delay the exchange for a move or two: 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.Bxc6 or 5.0-0 Be7 6.Bxc6 (the Delayed Exchange Deferred), for example; at first glance this seems a waste of time, but Black having played ...Nf6 rules out defending the pawn with ...f6, and the bishop already being on e7 means that ...Bd6 would be a loss of tempo
.
This defence has been known since the 1880s and was reintroduced in 1901 by Carl Schlechter
. In the 1950s, Mark Taimanov
played it with some success, though it remained a sideline, as it has to this day.
For a century it was believed that it was safer for Black to place the bishop on e7, but it is much more active on c5.
White can gain time after playing d4 as the black bishop will have to move, but this doesn't always seem to be as important as was once thought.
The Møller Defence, 3...a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Bc5 was already an old line in 1903 when Dane
Jørgen Møller (1873–1944) analyzed it in Tidsskrift för Schack. Alexander Alekhine
played this for Black in the early portion of his career; despite his advocacy, it never achieved great popularity, and even he eventually came to consider it dubious.
The Graz Defence, 3...a6 4.Ba4 b5 5.Bb3 Bc5, was analysed by Alois Fink (b. 1910) in Österreichische Schachzeitung in 1956 and in Wiener Schach Nachrichten in 1979, although it did not become popular until the 1990s.
, José Raúl Capablanca
and Paul Keres
.
The possibility of breaking the pin with a timely ...b5 gives Black more latitude than in the Old Steinitz Defence; in particular, in the Old Steinitz, White can practically force Black to give up his strongpoint at e5, but in the Steinitz Deferred, Black is able to maintain his centre.
Most of the plausible White moves are playable here, including 5.c3, 5.c4, 5.Bxc6, 5.d4, and 5.0-0.
The sharp Siesta Variation arises after 5.c3 f5, while a manoeuvring game results from the calmer 5.c3 Bd7 6.d4.
The game is also sharp after 5.Bxc6+ bxc6 6.d4 or 5.0-0 Bg4 6.h3 h5.
The older lines starting with 5.c4 and 5.d4 are not regarded as testing for Black, though the latter offers a tricky gambit.
There are six ECO classifications
for the Modern Steinitz. White's responses 5.d4, 5.Nc3, and 5.c4 are included in C71, while 5.0-0 is C72. The delayed exchange 5.Bxc6+ bxc6 6.d4 is C73. C74–C76 all begin with 5.c3. C74 covers 5...Nf6, but primarily focuses on 5...f5 6.exf5 Bxf5 with 7.d4 or 7.0-0. C75's main continuation is 5...Bd7 6.d4 Nge7, the Rubinstein Variation. C76 is characterized by the Black kingside fianchetto
5...Bd7 6.d4 g6.
adopted it versus Anatoly Karpov
.
It is considered inferior to the regular Schliemann, since White can answer effectively with 5.d4! exd4 6.e5.
. The variation begins 3...a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 b5 6.Bb3 Bb7. This line often leads to sharp positions in which Black hopes that the fianchettoed bishop's influence on the center and kingside will offset Black's delay in castling. White has several options, including attempting to build an ideal pawn centre with c3 and d4, defending the e-pawn with Re1 or simply developing. The Arkhangelsk Defence is tactically justified by Black's ability to meet 7.Ng5 with 7...d5 8.exd5 Nd4! (not 8...Nxd5, when White gets the advantage with 9.Qh5 g6 10.Qf3).
With the move order 3...a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 d6, Black waits until White castles before playing ...d6.
This can enable Black to avoid some lines in the Steinitz Defence Deferred in which White castles queenside although the position of the knight on f6 also precludes Black from supporting the centre with f7–f6.
These nuances seem to have little importance today, as neither the Steinitz Defence Deferred nor the Russian Defence have been popular for many years.
Chigorin
played the Russian Defence in the 1890s, and later it was adopted by Rubinstein
and Alekhine. The last significant use of the Russian Defence was in the 1950s when it was played by some Russian masters.
White has a variety of options at move nine, including 9.c3, 9.Be3, 9.Qe2 and 9.Nbd2.
The classical line starts with 9.c3 when Black may choose from 9...Na5, 9...Be7 (the main line), and the aggressive 9...Bc5.
After 9.c3 Bc5 10.Nbd2 0-0 11.Bc2, Black must meet the attack on e4, with the following possibilities from which to choose: 11....f5, 11....Bf5, both of which aim to maintain the strongpoint on e4, or the forcing line 11....Nxf2, introduced by the English amateur Vernon Dilworth.
Today, 9.Be3 Be7 10.c3 is often used to transpose into the main line, 9.c3, while obviating the option of the Dilworth.
An old continuation is 11...f5, when after 12.Nb3 Ba7 13.Nfd4 Nxd4 14.Nxd4 Bxd4 White can gain some advantage with Bogoljubov's 15.Qxd4.
Instead, the very sharp La Grande Variante continues 15.cxd4 f4 16.f3 Ng3 17.hxg3 fxg3 18.Qd3 Bf5 19.Qxf5 Rxf5 20.Bxf5 Qh4 21.Bh3 Qxd4+ 22.Kh1 Qxe5, with unclear consequences.
Perhaps the most famous game in this variation is Smyslov
–Reshevsky
, 1945 USSR–USA Radio Match. An analysis of the line had just been published in a Russian chess magazine, and Smyslov was able to follow it to quickly obtain a winning position.
Reshevsky had not seen the analysis and he struggled in vain to solve the position over the board with his chess clock
running.
The Dilworth Variation (or Attack), 11...Nxf2 12.Rxf2 f6 13.exf6 Bxf2+ 14.Kxf2 Qxf6 has scored well for Black, with many traps for the ill-prepared White player. The main line leads to unbalanced endgames which are difficult to play for both sides, though with a strong drawing tendency. Yusupov
is one of the few grandmasters
to often adopt the Dilworth.
In the Howell Attack (ECO C81), 9.Qe2, White aims for play against d5 after Rd1.
The game usually continues 9...Be7 10.Rd1 followed by 10...Nc5 or 10...0-0.
Keres
played this line several times in the late 1940s, and it is sometimes named after him.
Karpov's
move, 9.Nbd2, limits Black's options.
In the 1978 Karpov–Korchnoi
World Chess Championship
match, following 9.Nbd2 Nc5 10.c3 d4 (10...Be7 is an old move that remains popular) Karpov introduced the surprising 11.Ng5!?, a move suggested by his trainer, Igor Zaitsev
.
If Black takes the knight with 11...Qxg5 White regains the material with 12.Qf3.
This variation played a decisive role in a later World Championship match, Kasparov
–Anand 1995, when Anand was unable to successfully defend as Black.
Black now threatens to win a pawn with 6...b5 followed by 7...Nxe4, so White must respond.
Usually White defends the e-pawn with 6.Re1 which, in turn, threatens Black with the loss of a pawn after 7.Bxc6 and 8.Nxe5.
Black most commonly averts this threat by driving away the white bishop with 6...b5 7.Bb3, although it is also possible to defend the pawn with 6...d6.
After 4...Nf6 5.0-0 Be7, the most frequently seen continuation is 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0, discussed in the next section.
Examined in this section are the alternatives to the main line:
The knight on f6 prevents Black from supporting the e-pawn with f7–f6, and the bishop is somewhat passively posted on e7.
Black can hold the balance, but it is easy to make a misstep.
Paul Keres
played the line several times. More recently, Sergei Tiviakov
has played it, as has Nigel Short
, who played it twice in his 1992 match against Anatoly Karpov
and won both games.
, Black defends the threatened e-pawn with 6...d6 instead of driving away the white bishop with the more common 6...b5.
This defence shares some similarities with the Modern Steinitz and Russian Defences as Black avoids the ...b5 advance that weakens the queenside.
White can reply with either 7.Bxc6 bxc6 8.d4 or 7.c3 Bg4 (it is too late for Black to transpose into the more usual lines of the Closed Defence, because 7...b5 would allow 8.Bc2, saving White a tempo over the two-move sequence Bb3–c2 found in other variations).
The pin
temporarily prevents White from playing d2–d4.
In response, White can either force d4 with 8.h3 Bh5 9.Bxc6 bxc6 10.d4, or postpone d4 for the time being and play 8.d3 followed by manoeuvering the queen knight to the kingside with Nbd2–f1–g3.
8...d5, sacrificing a pawn. The main line begins with 9.exd5 Nxd5 (9...e4?!, the Herman Steiner
variation, is considered weaker) 10.Nxe5 Nxe5 11.Rxe5 c6 (Marshall's original moves, 11...Nf6, and 11...Bb7 are considered inferior, but have also yielded good results at top levels of play for Black. GM Joel Benjamin
suggests that 11...Bb7 is inferior due to 12.Qf3). Black will attack and force weaknesses in White's kingside which has been stripped of defenders. White's first decision is whether to play 12.d3 or 12.d4. In either case it is apparent that the move 8.c3 is no longer helpful to White. The Black attack can be quite treacherous for White. Since Black's compensation is based on positional rather than tactical considerations, it is difficult or perhaps impossible to find a refutation, and variations have been analyzed very deeply (sometimes beyond move 30) without coming to a definite determination over the soundness of Black's gambit. The Marshall Attack is a very sharp opening system in which a great amount of theoretical knowledge is vital, and many White players, including Garry Kasparov
, avoid it by playing one of the anti-Marshall systems, 8.d4, 8.a4 or 8.h3 instead of 8.c3.
This gambit became famous when Frank James Marshall used it as a prepared variation against José Raúl Capablanca
in 1918; nevertheless Capablanca found a way through the complications and won. It is often said that Marshall had kept this gambit a secret for use against Capablanca since his defeat in their 1909 match. The most common counterclaim is that Marshall had used a similar approach in 1917 against Walter Frere, However Edward Winter
found: no clear evidence of the date for Frere vs Marshall; several games between 1910 and 1918 where Marshall passed up opportunities to use the Marshall Attack against Capablanca; and an 1893 game that used the same line as in Frere vs Marshall.
Improvements to Black's play were found (Marshall played 11...Nf6!? originally, but later discovered 11...c6!) and the Marshall Attack was adopted by top players including Boris Spassky
, John Nunn
and more recently Michael Adams. In the Classical World Chess Championship 2004
, challenger Peter Leko
used the Marshall to win an important game against champion Vladimir Kramnik
. Currently, Armenian Grandmaster Levon Aronian
is one of the main advocates for the Marshall Attack.
White can now play 9.d3 or 9.d4, but by far the most common move is 9.h3 which prepares d4 while preventing the awkward pin ...Bg4.
This can be considered the main line of the opening as a whole and thousands of top-level games have reached this position.
White aims to play d4 followed by Nbd2–f1–g3, which would firmly support e4 with the bishops on open diagonals and both knights threatening Black's kingside.
Black will try to prevent this knight manoeuver by expanding on the queenside, taking action in the centre, or putting pressure on e4.
After 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0, we have:
, is also known as the Teichmann Variation from the game Teichmann
–Schlechter
, Carlsbad 1911.
White plays 9.d3 intending to later advance to d4 under favourable circumstances.
Although d2–d3–d4 appears to lose a tempo compared to d2–d4, White may be able to omit h3 regaining the tempo, especially if Black plays ...Bb7.
After 9.d4 Bg4, the pin of the white king knight is troublesome.
The variation takes its name from the game Capablanca
–Bogoljubow
, London 1922.
around the turn of the 20th century and became the primary Black defence to the Ruy Lopez for more than fifty years.
With 9...Na5 Black chases the white bishop from the a2–g8 diagonal and frees the c-pawn for queenside expansion.
After 10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 the classical Black follow up is 11...Qc7, reinforcing e5 and placing the queen on the c-file which may later become open after ...cxd4.
Other Black moves in this position are 11...Bb7 and 11...Nd7; the latter was adopted by Keres
a few times in the 1960s.
The Chigorin Variation has declined in popularity because Black must spend some time bringing his offside knight on a5 back into the game.
The Chigorin is divided into four ECO classifications. In C96, Black or White deviate after 10. Bc2, and do not reach the classical main line position 10...c5 11. d4 Qc7. In C97, White proceeds from the diagram with 12.a4, 12.d5, 12.b4, or the main line 12.Nbd2 when Black responds with ...Be6, ...Rd8, ...Re8, ...Bb7 or ...Bd7. The C98 classification covers 12. Nbd2 Nc6, while C99 covers
12. Nbd2 cxd4 13. cxd4.
in an unpublished manuscript in the 1920s, but no such document has been discovered and there are no known game scores in which Breyer employed this line.
It is unclear how Breyer's name came to be associated with this variation, but the terminology is well established.
The Breyer Variation did not become popular until the 1960s when it was adopted by Spassky
and others.
In particular, Spassky's back to back wins over Tal
at Tbilisi
in 1965 did much to enhance its reputation, and Spassky has a career plus score with the Breyer.
With 9...Nb8 Black frees the c-pawn and intends to route the knight to d7 where it supports e5.
Black can follow up with ...Bb7 and ...c7–c5. White can attack either the kingside or the queenside.
If White fortifies the center with 10.d3 the opening is given ECO code
C94.
The more common continuation, 10.d4, is ECO C95.
, who was one of Karpov's
trainers for many years.
A Karpov favourite, the Zaitsev remains one of the most important variations of the Ruy Lopez.
With 9...Bb7 Black prepares to put more pressure on e4 after 10.d4 Re8 11.Nbd2 Bf8 when play can become very sharp and tactical.
One drawback of this line is that White can force Black to choose a different defence or allow a draw
by repetition of position
with 11.Ng5 Rf8 12.Nf3.
tried 9...Nd7 several times in the 1990 World Championship match
, but Kasparov
achieved a significant advantage against it in the 18th game.
It is solid but slightly passive.
Confusingly 9...Nd7 is also called the Chigorin Variation so there are two variations of the Ruy Lopez with that name, but 9...Na5 is the move more commonly associated with Chigorin
.
Kasparov played the Smyslov Variation in a loss to the Deep Blue chess computer in Game 2 of their 1997 match. Svetozar Gligorić
has been the most prolific C93 player.
Chess opening
A chess opening is the group of initial moves of a chess game. Recognized sequences of opening moves are referred to as openings as initiated by White or defenses, as created in reply by Black. There are many dozens of different openings, and hundreds of named variants. The Oxford Companion to...
characterised by the moves:
- 1. e4 e5
- 2. Nf3 Nc6
- 3. Bb5
The Ruy Lopez is one of the most popular openings, with such a vast number of variations that in the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings
Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings
The Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings is a classification system for the opening moves in a game of chess. It is presented as a five volume book collection describing chess openings...
all codes from C60 to C99 are assigned to them.
History
The opening is named after the 16th century Spanish priest Ruy López de Segura, who made a systematic study of this and other openings in the 150-page book on chess Libro del Ajedrez written in 1561. Though it bears his name, this particular opening was included in the Göttingen manuscriptGöttingen manuscript
The Göttingen manuscript is the earliest known work devoted entirely to modern chess. It is a Latin text of 33 leaves held at the University of Göttingen. A quarto parchment manuscript of 33 leaves, ff. 1–15a are a discussion of twelve chess openings, f. 16 is blank, and ff. 17–31b are a...
, which dates from around 1490. Popular use of the Ruy Lopez opening did not develop, however, until the mid-19th century when Carl Jaenisch
Carl Jaenisch
Carl Friedrich Andreyevich von Jaenisch was a Finnish and Russian chess player and theorist. In the 1840s, he was among the top players in the world.-Life and career:...
, a Russian theoretician, "rediscovered" its potential. The opening remains the most commonly used amongst the open games in master play; it has been adopted by almost all players during their careers, many of whom have played it with both colours.
Basics
At the most basic level, White's third move attacks the knight which defends the e5 pawn from the attack by the f3 knight. White's apparent threat to win Black's e-pawn with 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.Nxe5 is illusory — Black can respond with 5...Qd4, forkFork (chess)
In chess, a fork is a tactic that uses a single piece to attack multiple pieces at the same time. The attacker usually hopes to gain material by capturing one of the opponent's pieces. The defender often finds himself in a difficult position in which he cannot counter all threats. The attacking...
ing the knight and e4-pawn, or 5...Qg5, forking the knight and g2-pawn, both of which win back the material with a good position. White's 3.Bb5 is still a good move, however: it develops a piece, prepares castling
Castling
Castling is a special move in the game of chess involving the king and either of the original rooks of the same color. It is the only move in chess in which a player moves two pieces at the same time. Castling consists of moving the king two squares towards a rook on the player's first rank, then...
, and sets up a potential pin
Pin (chess)
In chess, a pin is a situation brought on by an attacking piece in which a defending piece cannot move without exposing a more valuable defending piece on its other side to capture by the attacking piece...
against Black's king. Since White's third move carries no immediate threat, Black can respond in a wide variety of ways. This opening has been dubbed the "Spanish Torture" because Black has to struggle a long time in order to achieve equality.
Traditionally, White's objective in playing the Ruy Lopez is to spoil Black's pawn structure
Pawn structure
In chess, the pawn structure is the configuration of pawns on the chessboard. Since pawns are the least mobile of the chess pieces, the pawn structure is relatively static and thus largely determines the strategic nature of the position.-General observations:Weaknesses in the pawn structure, such...
; either way Black recaptures following the exchange
Exchange (chess)
In the tactics and strategy in the board game of chess, an exchange or trade of chess pieces is series of closely related moves, typically sequential, in which the two players capture each others pieces. Any types of pieces except the kings may possibly be exchanged, i. e. captured in an...
on c6 will have negative features for him, though he thereby gains the bishop pair. White does not always exchange bishop for knight on c6, however, but usually in the various forms of the Exchange Variation (ECO C68–C69).
Main variations
The theory of the Ruy Lopez is the most extensively developed of all open games, with some lines having been analysed well beyond move thirty. At nearly every move there are many reasonable alternatives, and most have been deeply explored. It is convenient to divide the possibilities into two groups based on whether or not Black responds with (3...a6), which is named the Morphy Defence after Paul MorphyPaul Morphy
Paul Charles Morphy was an American chess player. He is considered to have been the greatest chess master of his era and an unofficial World Chess Champion. He was a chess prodigy...
, although he was not the originator of the line. The variations with Black moves other than 3...a6 are older and generally simpler, but the Morphy Defence lines are more commonly played.
Black defences other than 3...a6
Of the variations in this section, the Berlin and Schliemann Defences are the most popular today, followed by the Classical Defence.- 3...g6 (Smyslov Defence or Barnes Defence)
- 3...Nge7 (Cozio Defence)
- 3...Nd4 (Bird's Defence)
- 3...d6 (Steinitz Defence)
- 3...f5!? (Schliemann Defence)
- 3...Nf6 (Berlin Defence)
- 3...Bc5 (Classical or Cordel Defence)
Smyslov Defence
The Smyslov Defence, Fianchetto Defence, or Barnes Defence (ECO C60), (3...g6), is a quiet positional system played occasionally by Vasily SmyslovVasily Smyslov
Vasily Vasilyevich Smyslov was a Soviet and Russian chess grandmaster, and was World Chess Champion from 1957 to 1958. He was a Candidate for the World Chess Championship on eight occasions . Smyslov was twice equal first at the Soviet Championship , and his total of 17 Chess Olympiad medals won...
and Boris Spassky
Boris Spassky
Boris Vasilievich Spassky is a Soviet-French chess grandmaster. He was the tenth World Chess Champion, holding the title from late 1969 to 1972...
, becoming popular in the 1980s when it was shown that 4.c3 a6! gives Black a good game.
It was later discovered that 4.d4 exd4 5.Bg5 instead of 4.c3 a6 gives White the advantage, and as such the variation is rarely played today.
An interesting gambit
Gambit
A gambit is a chess opening in which a player, most often White, sacrifices material, usually a pawn, with the hope of achieving a resulting advantageous position. Some well-known examples are the King's Gambit , Queen's Gambit , and Evans Gambit...
line 4.d4 exd4 5.c3 has also been recommended by Alexander Khalifman
Alexander Khalifman
Alexander Valeryevich Khalifman is a Soviet and Russian chess Grandmaster of Jewish descent; he is also a former FIDE champion.When Khalifman was 6 years old, he was taught chess by his father....
, although some of the resulting positions have yet to be extensively tested.
Cozio Defence
The Cozio Defence (ECO C60), 3...Nge7, is distinctly old-fashioned, and the least popular of the defences at Black's third move.Although Bent Larsen
Bent Larsen
Jørgen Bent Larsen was a Danish chess Grandmaster and author. Larsen was known for his imaginative and unorthodox style of play and he was the first western player to pose a serious challenge to the Soviet Union's dominance of chess...
used it occasionally with success, it remains one of the least explored variations of the Ruy Lopez.
Bird's Defence
Bird's Defence (ECO C61), 3...Nd4, is an uncommon variation in modern praxis. With careful play White is held to gain an advantage.This defence was published in 1843 in Paul Rudolf von Bilguer
Paul Rudolf von Bilguer
Paul Rudolf von Bilguer was a German chess master and chess theoretician from Ludwigslust, Mecklenburg-Schwerin....
's Handbuch des Schachspiels
Handbuch des Schachspiels
Handbuch des Schachspiels is a chess book, first published in 1843 by Tassilo von Heydebrand und der Lasa. It was one of the most important opening references for many decades...
and explored by Henry Bird in the late 19th century. Bird played it as Black at least 25 times, scoring +9 =3 −13 (nine wins, three draws
Draw (chess)
In chess, a draw is when a game ends in a tie. It is one of the possible outcomes of a game, along with a win for White and a win for Black . Usually, in tournaments a draw is worth a half point to each player, while a win is worth one point to the victor and none to the loser.For the most part,...
, thirteen losses). Bird's Defence was later used a few times in tournament play by Siegbert Tarrasch
Siegbert Tarrasch
Siegbert Tarrasch was one of the strongest chess players and most influential chess teachers of the late 19th century and early 20th century....
, Boris Spassky
Boris Spassky
Boris Vasilievich Spassky is a Soviet-French chess grandmaster. He was the tenth World Chess Champion, holding the title from late 1969 to 1972...
, and Alexander Khalifman
Alexander Khalifman
Alexander Valeryevich Khalifman is a Soviet and Russian chess Grandmaster of Jewish descent; he is also a former FIDE champion.When Khalifman was 6 years old, he was taught chess by his father....
. Although it is still sometimes seen as a surprise weapon, no strong master since Bird has adopted it regularly.
Steinitz Defence
The Steinitz Defence (also called the Old Steinitz Defence) (ECO C62), 3...d6, is solid but passive and cramped.Although the favorite of the first world champion
World Chess Championship
The World Chess Championship is played to determine the World Champion in the board game chess. Men and women of any age are eligible to contest this title....
Wilhelm Steinitz
Wilhelm Steinitz
Wilhelm Steinitz was an Austrian and then American chess player and the first undisputed world chess champion from 1886 to 1894. From the 1870s onwards, commentators have debated whether Steinitz was effectively the champion earlier...
, and often played by world champions and expert defensive players Emanuel Lasker
Emanuel Lasker
Emanuel Lasker was a German chess player, mathematician, and philosopher who was World Chess Champion for 27 years...
, José Capablanca
José Raúl Capablanca
José Raúl Capablanca y Graupera was a Cuban chess player who was world chess champion from 1921 to 1927. One of the greatest players of all time, he was renowned for his exceptional endgame skill and speed of play...
, and occasionally by Vasily Smyslov
Vasily Smyslov
Vasily Vasilyevich Smyslov was a Soviet and Russian chess grandmaster, and was World Chess Champion from 1957 to 1958. He was a Candidate for the World Chess Championship on eight occasions . Smyslov was twice equal first at the Soviet Championship , and his total of 17 Chess Olympiad medals won...
, it largely fell into disuse after World War I, as its inherent passivity spurred a search for more active means of defending the Spanish. White can force Black to concede the strongpoint at e5 (see Tarrasch Trap
Tarrasch Trap
Tarrasch Trap refers to two different chess opening traps in the Ruy Lopez that are named for Siegbert Tarrasch.Unlike many variations that appear only in analysis, Tarrasch actually sprung his traps against masters in tournament games....
), a significant but not fatal concession.
The deferred variant of this defence (3...a6 4.Ba4 d6) offers Black a freer position and is more popular.
Schliemann Defence
The Schliemann Defence or Jaenisch Gambit (ECO C63), 3...f5!?, is a sharp line in which Black plays for a kingside attack, frequently sacrificing one or two pawns.Considered by many to be somewhat dubious, it is occasionally used in top-level play as a surprise weapon.
This variation was originated by Carl Jaenisch
Carl Jaenisch
Carl Friedrich Andreyevich von Jaenisch was a Finnish and Russian chess player and theorist. In the 1840s, he was among the top players in the world.-Life and career:...
in 1847 and is sometimes named after him.
Although later named for German lawyer Adolf Karl Wilhelm Schliemann (1817–1872),
the line Schliemann actually played in the 1860s was a gambit variation of the Cordel Defence (3...Bc5 4.c3 f5).
The most common responses for White to 3...f5!? are 4.d3 or 4.Nc3, with play after 4.Nc3 fxe4 5.Nxe4 going 5....d5, with great complications to follow, or 5....Nf6, which generally leads to quieter play.
Classical Defence
The Classical Defence or Cordel Defence (ECO C64), 3...Bc5, is possibly the oldest defence to the Ruy Lopez, and has been played occasionally by former world champion Boris SpasskyBoris Spassky
Boris Vasilievich Spassky is a Soviet-French chess grandmaster. He was the tenth World Chess Champion, holding the title from late 1969 to 1972...
and Boris Gulko. White's most common reply is 4.c3, when Black may choose to play 4...f5, the Cordel Gambit, leading to sharp play, after which 5.d4 is considered the strongest reply. More solid for Black is instead, 4.... Nf6, when 5.0-0 0-0 6.d4 Bb6 leads to the Benelux Variation. White's principal alternative to 4.c3 is 4.0-0.
An alternative for White is the fork trick 4. Nxe5. Few games have been played with this line, but there is no clear refutation for Black. The name derives from White's play if Black captures the knight: 4. ... Nxe5 5. d4.
Berlin Defence
The Berlin Defence, 3...Nf6, has long had a reputation for solidity and drawishness and is sometimes called "the Berlin WallBerlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...
". The Berlin Defence was played in the late 19th century and early 20th century by Emanuel Lasker
Emanuel Lasker
Emanuel Lasker was a German chess player, mathematician, and philosopher who was World Chess Champion for 27 years...
and others, who typically answered 4.0-0 with 4...d6 in the style of the Steinitz Variation. This approach ultimately fell out of favour, as had the old form of the Steinitz, due to its passivity, and the entire variation became rare. Arthur Bisguier
Arthur Bisguier
Arthur Bernard Bisguier is an American chess Grandmaster, chess promoter, and writer. Bisguier won two U.S. Junior Championships , three U.S. Open Chess Championship titles , and the 1954 United States Chess Championship title. He played for the United States in five chess Olympiads...
played the Berlin for decades, but always chose the variation 4.0-0 Nxe4. Then in 2000, Vladimir Kramnik
Vladimir Kramnik
Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik is a Russian chess grandmaster. He was the Classical World Chess Champion from 2000 to 2006, and the undisputed World Chess Champion from 2006 to 2007...
used the latter line as a drawing weapon against Garry Kasparov
Garry Kasparov
Garry Kimovich Kasparov is a Russian chess grandmaster, a former World Chess Champion, writer, political activist, and one of the greatest chess players of all time....
in their World Championship match
Classical World Chess Championship 2000
The Classical World Chess Championship 2000, known at the time as the Braingames World Chess Championships, was held from October 8, 2000 – November 4, 2000 in London, United Kingdom. Garry Kasparov, the defending champion, played Vladimir Kramnik...
, after which the Berlin enjoyed a remarkable renaissance; even players with a dynamic style such as Alexei Shirov
Alexei Shirov
Alexei Dmitrievich Shirov is a Soviet-born Latvian chess grandmaster. He has consistently ranked among the world's top players since the early 1990s, and reached a ranking as high as number four in 1998...
, Veselin Topalov
Veselin Topalov
Veselin Aleksandrov Topalov is a Bulgarian chess grandmaster. He currently has the sixth highest rating in the world, and was the challenger facing world champion Viswanathan Anand in the World Chess Championship 2010, losing the match 6½–5½....
, and Kasparov himself have tried it.
Since Black's third move does not threaten to win the e-pawn (if Black captures it, White will win back the pawn on e5 ), White usually castles
Castling
Castling is a special move in the game of chess involving the king and either of the original rooks of the same color. It is the only move in chess in which a player moves two pieces at the same time. Castling consists of moving the king two squares towards a rook on the player's first rank, then...
. After 4.0-0, Black can play either the solid 4...Nxe4 or the more combative 4...Bc5 (the Berlin Classical Variation). After 4...Nxe4 5.d4 (5.Re1 Nd6 6.Nxe5 is also reasonable) Nd6 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.dxe5 Nf5 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8 White is considered to have a small advantage in light of his somewhat better pawn structure and Black's awkwardly placed king. Black, by way of compensation, possesses the bishop pair and his position has no weaknesses, so it is difficult for White to exploit his structural superiority without opening the game for Black's bishops; all four of the games in the Kasparov–Kramnik match in which this line was employed ended in draws. An alternative for Black, though seldom seen since the 1890s, is 6....bxc6 7.dxe5 Nb7, though White keeps an advantage, as, despite Black's two bishops, it is difficult for him to gain active counterplay.
If White plays 4.Nc3, a transposition arises to the Four Knights Game
Four Knights Game
The Four Knights Game is a chess opening that begins with the moves:The opening is fairly popular with beginners who strictly adhere to the opening principle: "Develop knights before bishops." It was one of the workhorses in the family of the Open Game, at even the highest levels, until World War...
.
Should White, instead, play 4.d3, "Steinitz's move, with which he scored many spectacular successes during his long reign as World Champion", then Black might try to spring the Mortimer Trap
Mortimer Trap
The Mortimer Trap is a chess opening trap in the Ruy Lopez named after James Mortimer. The Mortimer Trap is a true trap in the sense that Black deliberately plays an inferior move hoping to trick White into making a mistake....
.
The Berlin is assigned ECO codes C65–67. ECO code C65 covers alternatives to 4.0-0, as well as 4.0-0 Bc5. ECO code C66 covers 4.0-0 d6 while C67 is 4.0-0 Nxe4.
Morphy Defence 3...a6: alternatives to Closed Defence
By far the most commonly played Black third move is the Morphy Defence, 3...a6, which "puts the question" to the White bishop.The main point to 3...a6 is that after the common retreat 4.Ba4, Black will have the possibility of breaking the eventual pin on his queen knight by playing ...b5.
White must take some care not to fall into the Noah's Ark Trap
Noah's Ark Trap
The Noah's Ark Trap is a chess opening trap in the Ruy Lopez.The name is actually used to describe a family of traps in the Ruy Lopez in which a white bishop is trapped on the b3-square by black pawns.The origin of the name is uncertain....
, in which Black traps White's king bishop on the b3-square with a ...a6, ...b5, and ...c4 pawn advance on the queenside.
Ercole del Rio
Ercole del Rio
Domenico Ercole del Rio was an Italian lawyer and author. He published an 110-page chess book in 1750 which was the basis of a work by Giambattista Lolli thirteen years later. He composed many chess problems. He was one of the Modenese Masters.-References:...
, in his 1750 treatise
Treatise
A treatise is a formal and systematic written discourse on some subject, generally longer and treating it in greater depth than an essay, and more concerned with investigating or exposing the principles of the subject.-Noteworthy treatises:...
Sopra il giuoco degli Scacchi, Osservazioni pratiche dell'anonimo Modenese (On the game of Chess, practical Observations by an anonymous Modenese), was the first author to mention 3...a6. However, the move became popular after it was played by Paul Morphy
Paul Morphy
Paul Charles Morphy was an American chess player. He is considered to have been the greatest chess master of his era and an unofficial World Chess Champion. He was a chess prodigy...
, and it is named for him. Steinitz did not approve of the move; in 1889, he wrote, "on principle this ought to be disadvantageous as it drives the bishop where it wants to go". Steinitz' opinion did not prevail, however; today, 3...a6 is played in over 75 percent of all games beginning with the Ruy Lopez.
After 3...a6, the most commonly played line is the Closed Defence, which goes 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7, discussed in the two following sections. Alternatives to the Closed Defence described in this section are:
- 4.Bxc6 (Exchange Variation)
- 4.Ba4
- 4...b5 5.Bb3 Na5 (Norwegian Defence)
- 4...b5 5.Bb3 Bc5 (Graz Defence)
- 4...Bc5 (Classical Defence Deferred)
- 4...d6 (Steinitz Defence Deferred)
- 4...f5 (Schliemann Defence Deferred)
- 4...Nf6 5.0-0 b5 6.Bb3 Bb7 (Arkhangelsk Defence)
- 4...Nf6 5.0-0 b5 6.Bb3 Bc5 (Modern Archangel Defence)
- 4...Nf6 5.0-0 Bc5 (Møller Defence)
- 4...Nf6 5.0-0 d6 (Russian Defence)
- 4...Nf6 5.0-0 Nxe4 (Open Defence)
Exchange Variation
In the Exchange Variation, 4.Bxc6, (ECO C68–C69) White damages Black's pawn structure, giving him a ready-made long-term plan of playing d4 ....exd4 Qxd4, followed by exchanging all the pieces and winning the pure pawn ending. Black gains good compensation, however, in the form of the bishop pair, and the variation is not considered White's most ambitious, though former world champions Emanuel LaskerEmanuel Lasker
Emanuel Lasker was a German chess player, mathematician, and philosopher who was World Chess Champion for 27 years...
and Bobby Fischer
Bobby Fischer
Robert James "Bobby" Fischer was an American chess Grandmaster and the 11th World Chess Champion. He is widely considered one of the greatest chess players of all time. Fischer was also a best-selling chess author...
employed it with success.
After 4.Bxc6, Black almost always responds 4...dxc6, although 4...bxc6 is playable. It is not usually played due to the reply 5.d4 exd4 6.Qxd4 and white is in control of the centre. After 4...dxc6, the obvious 5.Nxe5? is weak, since 5...Qd4! 6.Nf3 Qxe4+ 7.Qe2 Qxe2+ leaves White with no compensation
Compensation (chess)
In chess, compensation refers to various advantages a player has in exchange for a disadvantage. The term normally refers to medium to long-term advantages as opposed to short-term advantages...
for Black's bishop pair.
There are two principal lines after 4.Bxc6 dxc6. In the late 19th century and early 20th century, Lasker had great success with 5.d4 exd4 6.Qxd4 Qxd4 7.Nxd4. Since then, better defences for Black have been developed, and this line is considered to slightly favour Black. Jon Jacobs wrote in the July 2005 Chess Life
Chess Life
Chess Life is a monthly chess magazine published in the United States. The official publication of the United States Chess Federation , it reaches more than a quarter of a million readers every month. A subscription to Chess Life is one of the benefits of Full Adult, Youth, or Life membership in...
(p. 21): "A database search (limited to games longer than 20 moves, both players FIDE 2300+) reveals the position after 7.Nxd4 was reached 20 times from 1985–2002. White's results were abysmal: +0−7=13." Max Euwe
Max Euwe
Machgielis Euwe was a Dutch chess Grandmaster, mathematician, and author. He was the fifth player to become World Chess Champion . Euwe also served as President of FIDE, the World Chess Federation, from 1970 to 1978.- Early years :Euwe was born in Watergraafsmeer, near Amsterdam...
gives the pure pawn ending in this position as a win for White.
The flexible 5.0-0 is sometimes called the Barendregt Variation, but it was Fischer who developed it into a serious weapon. Unlike 5.d4, it forces Black to defend his e-pawn, which he usually does with 5...f6, 5...Bg4, 5...Qd6 (the sharpest line, preparing queenside castling
Castling
Castling is a special move in the game of chess involving the king and either of the original rooks of the same color. It is the only move in chess in which a player moves two pieces at the same time. Castling consists of moving the king two squares towards a rook on the player's first rank, then...
), 5...Qe7, 5...Qf6 or 5...Bd6. A rare but playable move is 5...Be6 (or 5...Be7), the idea being that if White plays 6.Nxe5, Black plays 6... Qd4, forking the knight and the e4 pawn. The move ...Qd4, regaining the pawn at e4, is usually impossible in these variations once White has castled, due to the open e-file.
White may also delay the exchange for a move or two: 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.Bxc6 or 5.0-0 Be7 6.Bxc6 (the Delayed Exchange Deferred), for example; at first glance this seems a waste of time, but Black having played ...Nf6 rules out defending the pawn with ...f6, and the bishop already being on e7 means that ...Bd6 would be a loss of tempo
Tempo (chess)
In chess, tempo refers to a "turn" or single move. When a player achieves a desired result in one fewer move, he "gains a tempo" and conversely when he takes one more move than necessary he "loses a tempo"...
.
Norwegian Defence
The Norwegian Defence (also called the Wing Variation) (ECO C70), is an aggressive but time-consuming alternative for Black, with the line going 3...a6 4.Ba4 b5 5.Bb3 Na5. The goal of the opening is to eliminate the white bishop. The usual continuation is 6.0-0 d6 7.d4 Nxb3, but the speculative sacrifice 6.Bxf7+?! Kxf7 7.Nxe5+, has been played which drives the black king out, but with accurate play, Black is supposed to be able to consolidate his extra piece.This defence has been known since the 1880s and was reintroduced in 1901 by Carl Schlechter
Carl Schlechter
Carl Schlechter was a leading Austrian chess master and theoretician at the turn of the 20th century. He is best known for drawing a World Chess Championship match with Emanuel Lasker.-Early life:...
. In the 1950s, Mark Taimanov
Mark Taimanov
Mark Evgenievich Taimanov is a leading Soviet and Russian chess player and concert pianist.-Chess:He was awarded the International Grandmaster title in 1952 and played in the Candidates Tournament in Zurich in 1953, where he tied for eighth place. From 1946 to 1956, he was among the world's top...
played it with some success, though it remained a sideline, as it has to this day.
Variations combining 3...a6 and ...Bc5
The Graz Defence, Classical Defence Deferred, and Møller Defence combine 3...a6 with the active move ...Bc5.For a century it was believed that it was safer for Black to place the bishop on e7, but it is much more active on c5.
White can gain time after playing d4 as the black bishop will have to move, but this doesn't always seem to be as important as was once thought.
The Møller Defence, 3...a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Bc5 was already an old line in 1903 when Dane
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
Jørgen Møller (1873–1944) analyzed it in Tidsskrift för Schack. Alexander Alekhine
Alexander Alekhine
Alexander Alexandrovich Alekhine was the fourth World Chess Champion. He is often considered one of the greatest chess players ever.By the age of twenty-two, he was already among the strongest chess players in the world. During the 1920s, he won most of the tournaments in which he played...
played this for Black in the early portion of his career; despite his advocacy, it never achieved great popularity, and even he eventually came to consider it dubious.
The Graz Defence, 3...a6 4.Ba4 b5 5.Bb3 Bc5, was analysed by Alois Fink (b. 1910) in Österreichische Schachzeitung in 1956 and in Wiener Schach Nachrichten in 1979, although it did not become popular until the 1990s.
Steinitz Defence Deferred
In the Steinitz Defence Deferred (also called the Modern Steinitz Defence or the Neo-Steinitz Defence) (ECO C72–C76), Black interpolates 3...a6 4.Ba4 before playing 4...d6, which was frequently played by Alexander AlekhineAlexander Alekhine
Alexander Alexandrovich Alekhine was the fourth World Chess Champion. He is often considered one of the greatest chess players ever.By the age of twenty-two, he was already among the strongest chess players in the world. During the 1920s, he won most of the tournaments in which he played...
, José Raúl Capablanca
José Raúl Capablanca
José Raúl Capablanca y Graupera was a Cuban chess player who was world chess champion from 1921 to 1927. One of the greatest players of all time, he was renowned for his exceptional endgame skill and speed of play...
and Paul Keres
Paul Keres
Paul Keres , was an Estonian chess grandmaster, and a renowned chess writer. He was among the world's top players from the mid-1930s to the mid-1960s....
.
The possibility of breaking the pin with a timely ...b5 gives Black more latitude than in the Old Steinitz Defence; in particular, in the Old Steinitz, White can practically force Black to give up his strongpoint at e5, but in the Steinitz Deferred, Black is able to maintain his centre.
Most of the plausible White moves are playable here, including 5.c3, 5.c4, 5.Bxc6, 5.d4, and 5.0-0.
The sharp Siesta Variation arises after 5.c3 f5, while a manoeuvring game results from the calmer 5.c3 Bd7 6.d4.
The game is also sharp after 5.Bxc6+ bxc6 6.d4 or 5.0-0 Bg4 6.h3 h5.
The older lines starting with 5.c4 and 5.d4 are not regarded as testing for Black, though the latter offers a tricky gambit.
There are six ECO classifications
Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings
The Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings is a classification system for the opening moves in a game of chess. It is presented as a five volume book collection describing chess openings...
for the Modern Steinitz. White's responses 5.d4, 5.Nc3, and 5.c4 are included in C71, while 5.0-0 is C72. The delayed exchange 5.Bxc6+ bxc6 6.d4 is C73. C74–C76 all begin with 5.c3. C74 covers 5...Nf6, but primarily focuses on 5...f5 6.exf5 Bxf5 with 7.d4 or 7.0-0. C75's main continuation is 5...Bd7 6.d4 Nge7, the Rubinstein Variation. C76 is characterized by the Black kingside fianchetto
Fianchetto
In chess the fianchetto is a pattern of development wherein a bishop is developed to the second rank of the adjacent knight file, the knight pawn having been moved one or two squares forward....
5...Bd7 6.d4 g6.
Schliemann Defence Deferred
The Schliemann Defence Deferred, 3...a6 4.Ba4 f5, is rarely seen, with practically its only top-level appearance being in the 1974 Candidates Final, when Viktor KorchnoiViktor Korchnoi
Viktor Lvovich Korchnoi ; pronounced in the original Russian as "karch NOY"; Ви́ктор Льво́вич Корчно́й, born March 23, 1931 is a professional chess player, author and currently the oldest active grandmaster on the tournament circuit...
adopted it versus Anatoly Karpov
Anatoly Karpov
Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov is a Russian chess grandmaster and former World Champion. He was the official world champion from 1975 to 1985 when he was defeated by Garry Kasparov. He played three matches against Kasparov for the title from 1986 to 1990, before becoming FIDE World Champion once...
.
It is considered inferior to the regular Schliemann, since White can answer effectively with 5.d4! exd4 6.e5.
Arkhangelsk Defence
The Arkhangelsk Defence (or Archangel Defence) (ECO C78) was invented by Soviet theoreticians in the city of ArkhangelskArkhangelsk
Arkhangelsk , formerly known as Archangel in English, is a city and the administrative center of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. It lies on both banks of the Northern Dvina River near its exit into the White Sea in the north of European Russia. The city spreads for over along the banks of the river...
. The variation begins 3...a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 b5 6.Bb3 Bb7. This line often leads to sharp positions in which Black hopes that the fianchettoed bishop's influence on the center and kingside will offset Black's delay in castling. White has several options, including attempting to build an ideal pawn centre with c3 and d4, defending the e-pawn with Re1 or simply developing. The Arkhangelsk Defence is tactically justified by Black's ability to meet 7.Ng5 with 7...d5 8.exd5 Nd4! (not 8...Nxd5, when White gets the advantage with 9.Qh5 g6 10.Qf3).
Russian Defence
The Russian Defence (ECO C79) can be considered a delayed Steinitz Defence Deferred.With the move order 3...a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 d6, Black waits until White castles before playing ...d6.
This can enable Black to avoid some lines in the Steinitz Defence Deferred in which White castles queenside although the position of the knight on f6 also precludes Black from supporting the centre with f7–f6.
These nuances seem to have little importance today, as neither the Steinitz Defence Deferred nor the Russian Defence have been popular for many years.
Chigorin
Mikhail Chigorin
Mikhail Ivanovich Chigorin also was a leading Russian chess player...
played the Russian Defence in the 1890s, and later it was adopted by Rubinstein
Akiba Rubinstein
Akiba Kiwelowicz Rubinstein was a famous Polish chess Grandmaster at the beginning of the 20th century. He was scheduled to play a match with Emanuel Lasker for the world championship in 1914, but it was cancelled because of the outbreak of World War I...
and Alekhine. The last significant use of the Russian Defence was in the 1950s when it was played by some Russian masters.
Open Defence
In the Open Defence, 3...a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Nxe4, Black tries to make use of the time White will take to regain the pawn to gain a foothold in the centre, with play usually continuing 6.d4 b5 7.Bb3 d5 8.dxe5 Be6. Here 8.Nxe5, once adopted by Fischer, is much less often seen, and Black should equalise after the accurate 8....Nxe5 9.dxe5 c6, which avoids prematurely committing the light-squared bishop and solidly defends d5, often a problem in the Open. The Riga Variation, 6...exd4, is considered inferior; the main line runs 7.Re1 d5 8.Nxd4 Bd6! 9.Nxc6 Bxh2+! 10.Kh1! (10.Kxh2 Qh4+ 11.Kg1 Qxf2+ draws by perpetual check.) Qh4 11.Rxe4+! dxe4 12.Qd8+! Qxd8 13.Nxd8+ Kxd8 14.Kxh2 Be6 (14...f5?? 15.Bg5#!) and now the endgame is considered to favor White after 15.Be3 or Nd2 (but not 15.Nc3 c5!, playing to trap the bishop).White has a variety of options at move nine, including 9.c3, 9.Be3, 9.Qe2 and 9.Nbd2.
The classical line starts with 9.c3 when Black may choose from 9...Na5, 9...Be7 (the main line), and the aggressive 9...Bc5.
After 9.c3 Bc5 10.Nbd2 0-0 11.Bc2, Black must meet the attack on e4, with the following possibilities from which to choose: 11....f5, 11....Bf5, both of which aim to maintain the strongpoint on e4, or the forcing line 11....Nxf2, introduced by the English amateur Vernon Dilworth.
Today, 9.Be3 Be7 10.c3 is often used to transpose into the main line, 9.c3, while obviating the option of the Dilworth.
An old continuation is 11...f5, when after 12.Nb3 Ba7 13.Nfd4 Nxd4 14.Nxd4 Bxd4 White can gain some advantage with Bogoljubov's 15.Qxd4.
Instead, the very sharp La Grande Variante continues 15.cxd4 f4 16.f3 Ng3 17.hxg3 fxg3 18.Qd3 Bf5 19.Qxf5 Rxf5 20.Bxf5 Qh4 21.Bh3 Qxd4+ 22.Kh1 Qxe5, with unclear consequences.
Perhaps the most famous game in this variation is Smyslov
Vasily Smyslov
Vasily Vasilyevich Smyslov was a Soviet and Russian chess grandmaster, and was World Chess Champion from 1957 to 1958. He was a Candidate for the World Chess Championship on eight occasions . Smyslov was twice equal first at the Soviet Championship , and his total of 17 Chess Olympiad medals won...
–Reshevsky
Samuel Reshevsky
Samuel "Sammy" Herman Reshevsky was a famous chess prodigy and later a leading American chess Grandmaster...
, 1945 USSR–USA Radio Match. An analysis of the line had just been published in a Russian chess magazine, and Smyslov was able to follow it to quickly obtain a winning position.
Reshevsky had not seen the analysis and he struggled in vain to solve the position over the board with his chess clock
Game clock
A game clock consists of two adjacent clocks and buttons to stop one clock while starting the other, such that the two component clocks never run simultaneously. Game clocks are used in two-player games where the players move in turn...
running.
The Dilworth Variation (or Attack), 11...Nxf2 12.Rxf2 f6 13.exf6 Bxf2+ 14.Kxf2 Qxf6 has scored well for Black, with many traps for the ill-prepared White player. The main line leads to unbalanced endgames which are difficult to play for both sides, though with a strong drawing tendency. Yusupov
Artur Yusupov
Artur Mayakovich Yusupov is a German International Grandmaster of chess, and a chess writer.-Chess career:...
is one of the few grandmasters
International Grandmaster
The title Grandmaster is awarded to strong chess players by the world chess organization FIDE. Apart from World Champion, Grandmaster is the highest title a chess player can attain....
to often adopt the Dilworth.
In the Howell Attack (ECO C81), 9.Qe2, White aims for play against d5 after Rd1.
The game usually continues 9...Be7 10.Rd1 followed by 10...Nc5 or 10...0-0.
Keres
Paul Keres
Paul Keres , was an Estonian chess grandmaster, and a renowned chess writer. He was among the world's top players from the mid-1930s to the mid-1960s....
played this line several times in the late 1940s, and it is sometimes named after him.
Karpov's
Anatoly Karpov
Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov is a Russian chess grandmaster and former World Champion. He was the official world champion from 1975 to 1985 when he was defeated by Garry Kasparov. He played three matches against Kasparov for the title from 1986 to 1990, before becoming FIDE World Champion once...
move, 9.Nbd2, limits Black's options.
In the 1978 Karpov–Korchnoi
Viktor Korchnoi
Viktor Lvovich Korchnoi ; pronounced in the original Russian as "karch NOY"; Ви́ктор Льво́вич Корчно́й, born March 23, 1931 is a professional chess player, author and currently the oldest active grandmaster on the tournament circuit...
World Chess Championship
World Chess Championship
The World Chess Championship is played to determine the World Champion in the board game chess. Men and women of any age are eligible to contest this title....
match, following 9.Nbd2 Nc5 10.c3 d4 (10...Be7 is an old move that remains popular) Karpov introduced the surprising 11.Ng5!?, a move suggested by his trainer, Igor Zaitsev
Igor Zaitsev
Igor Arkadyevich Zaitsev is a Russian grandmaster of chess. He is of Armenian descent.-Early life and family:He was born in Ramenskoe, a town outside Moscow...
.
If Black takes the knight with 11...Qxg5 White regains the material with 12.Qf3.
This variation played a decisive role in a later World Championship match, Kasparov
Garry Kasparov
Garry Kimovich Kasparov is a Russian chess grandmaster, a former World Chess Champion, writer, political activist, and one of the greatest chess players of all time....
–Anand 1995, when Anand was unable to successfully defend as Black.
Closed Defence 3...a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7: alternatives to Main Line
In the main line, White normally retreats his bishop with 4.Ba4, when the usual continuation is 4...Nf6 5.0-0 Be7.Black now threatens to win a pawn with 6...b5 followed by 7...Nxe4, so White must respond.
Usually White defends the e-pawn with 6.Re1 which, in turn, threatens Black with the loss of a pawn after 7.Bxc6 and 8.Nxe5.
Black most commonly averts this threat by driving away the white bishop with 6...b5 7.Bb3, although it is also possible to defend the pawn with 6...d6.
After 4...Nf6 5.0-0 Be7, the most frequently seen continuation is 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0, discussed in the next section.
Examined in this section are the alternatives to the main line:
- 6.Bxc6 (Delayed Exchange Variation Deferred)
- 6.d4 (Centre Attack)
- 6.Qe2 (Worrall Attack)
- 6.Re1 d6 (Averbakh Variation)
- 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3
- 7... Bb7 (Trajković Variation)
- 7... 0-0 8.c3 d5 (Marshall Attack)
Delayed Exchange Variation Deferred
The Delayed Exchange Variation Deferred (or Exchange Variation Doubly Deferred) (ECO C85), 6.Bxc6, loses a tempo compared to the Exchange Variation, though in compensation, the black knight on f6 and bishop on e7 are awkwardly placed.The knight on f6 prevents Black from supporting the e-pawn with f7–f6, and the bishop is somewhat passively posted on e7.
Centre Attack
The Centre Attack (or Centre Variation) (ECO C69), 6.d4, leads to sharp play.Black can hold the balance, but it is easy to make a misstep.
Worrall Attack
In the Worrall Attack (ECO C86), White substitutes 6.Qe2 for 6.Re1. The idea is that the queen will support the e-pawn leaving the rook free to move to d1 to support the advance of the d-pawn, although there isn't always time for this. Play normally continues 6..b5 7.Bb3 followed by 7...0-0 8.c3 and 8...d5 or 8...d6.Paul Keres
Paul Keres
Paul Keres , was an Estonian chess grandmaster, and a renowned chess writer. He was among the world's top players from the mid-1930s to the mid-1960s....
played the line several times. More recently, Sergei Tiviakov
Sergei Tiviakov
Sergei Tiviakov is a naturalised Dutch chess Grandmaster.Tiviakov won the Dutch Chess Championship in 2006 and 2007. In 2008, in Plovdiv, he won the European Individual Chess Championship with 8.5/11....
has played it, as has Nigel Short
Nigel Short
Nigel David Short MBE is an English chess grandmaster earning the title at the age of 19. Short is often regarded as the strongest English player of the 20th century as he was ranked third in the world, from January 1988 – July 1989 and in 1993, he challenged Garry Kasparov for the World Chess...
, who played it twice in his 1992 match against Anatoly Karpov
Anatoly Karpov
Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov is a Russian chess grandmaster and former World Champion. He was the official world champion from 1975 to 1985 when he was defeated by Garry Kasparov. He played three matches against Kasparov for the title from 1986 to 1990, before becoming FIDE World Champion once...
and won both games.
Averbakh Variation
In the Averbakh Variation (C87), named for Yuri AverbakhYuri Averbakh
Yuri Lvovich Averbakh is a Soviet and Russian chess player and author. He is currently the oldest living chess grandmaster.-Life and career:...
, Black defends the threatened e-pawn with 6...d6 instead of driving away the white bishop with the more common 6...b5.
This defence shares some similarities with the Modern Steinitz and Russian Defences as Black avoids the ...b5 advance that weakens the queenside.
White can reply with either 7.Bxc6 bxc6 8.d4 or 7.c3 Bg4 (it is too late for Black to transpose into the more usual lines of the Closed Defence, because 7...b5 would allow 8.Bc2, saving White a tempo over the two-move sequence Bb3–c2 found in other variations).
The pin
Pin (chess)
In chess, a pin is a situation brought on by an attacking piece in which a defending piece cannot move without exposing a more valuable defending piece on its other side to capture by the attacking piece...
temporarily prevents White from playing d2–d4.
In response, White can either force d4 with 8.h3 Bh5 9.Bxc6 bxc6 10.d4, or postpone d4 for the time being and play 8.d3 followed by manoeuvering the queen knight to the kingside with Nbd2–f1–g3.
Trajković Variation
An alternative to 7...d6 is 7...Bb7. This is known as the Trajković Variation. Black may sacrifice a pawn with 8.c3 d5 9.exd5 Nxd5 10.Nxe5 Nxe5 11.Rxe5 Nf4.Marshall Attack
One of Black's more aggressive alternatives is the Marshall Attack: after 3...a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0-0 8.c3 Black plays the gambitGambit
A gambit is a chess opening in which a player, most often White, sacrifices material, usually a pawn, with the hope of achieving a resulting advantageous position. Some well-known examples are the King's Gambit , Queen's Gambit , and Evans Gambit...
8...d5, sacrificing a pawn. The main line begins with 9.exd5 Nxd5 (9...e4?!, the Herman Steiner
Herman Steiner
Herman Steiner was a United States chess player, organizer, and columnist.He won the U.S. Chess Championship in 1948 and became International Master in 1950....
variation, is considered weaker) 10.Nxe5 Nxe5 11.Rxe5 c6 (Marshall's original moves, 11...Nf6, and 11...Bb7 are considered inferior, but have also yielded good results at top levels of play for Black. GM Joel Benjamin
Joel Benjamin
Joel Benjamin is an American chess Grandmaster. In 1998, he was voted "Grandmaster of the Year" by the U.S. Chess Federation. , his Elo rating was 2576, making him the No. 12 player in the U.S. and the 214th-highest rated player in the world.-Life and career:Benjamin is a native of Brooklyn, New...
suggests that 11...Bb7 is inferior due to 12.Qf3). Black will attack and force weaknesses in White's kingside which has been stripped of defenders. White's first decision is whether to play 12.d3 or 12.d4. In either case it is apparent that the move 8.c3 is no longer helpful to White. The Black attack can be quite treacherous for White. Since Black's compensation is based on positional rather than tactical considerations, it is difficult or perhaps impossible to find a refutation, and variations have been analyzed very deeply (sometimes beyond move 30) without coming to a definite determination over the soundness of Black's gambit. The Marshall Attack is a very sharp opening system in which a great amount of theoretical knowledge is vital, and many White players, including Garry Kasparov
Garry Kasparov
Garry Kimovich Kasparov is a Russian chess grandmaster, a former World Chess Champion, writer, political activist, and one of the greatest chess players of all time....
, avoid it by playing one of the anti-Marshall systems, 8.d4, 8.a4 or 8.h3 instead of 8.c3.
This gambit became famous when Frank James Marshall used it as a prepared variation against José Raúl Capablanca
José Raúl Capablanca
José Raúl Capablanca y Graupera was a Cuban chess player who was world chess champion from 1921 to 1927. One of the greatest players of all time, he was renowned for his exceptional endgame skill and speed of play...
in 1918; nevertheless Capablanca found a way through the complications and won. It is often said that Marshall had kept this gambit a secret for use against Capablanca since his defeat in their 1909 match. The most common counterclaim is that Marshall had used a similar approach in 1917 against Walter Frere, However Edward Winter
Edward Winter (chess historian)
Edward Winter is an English journalist, archivist, historian, collector and author about the game of chess. He writes a regular column on that subject, Chess Notes, and is also a regular columnist for ChessBase.-Chess Notes:...
found: no clear evidence of the date for Frere vs Marshall; several games between 1910 and 1918 where Marshall passed up opportunities to use the Marshall Attack against Capablanca; and an 1893 game that used the same line as in Frere vs Marshall.
Improvements to Black's play were found (Marshall played 11...Nf6!? originally, but later discovered 11...c6!) and the Marshall Attack was adopted by top players including Boris Spassky
Boris Spassky
Boris Vasilievich Spassky is a Soviet-French chess grandmaster. He was the tenth World Chess Champion, holding the title from late 1969 to 1972...
, John Nunn
John Nunn
John Denis Martin Nunn is one of England's strongest chess players and once belonged to the world's top ten. He is also a three times world champion in chess problem solving, a chess writer and publisher, and a mathematician....
and more recently Michael Adams. In the Classical World Chess Championship 2004
Classical World Chess Championship 2004
The Classical World Chess Championship 2004 was held from September 25, 2004 - October 18, 2004 in Brissago, Switzerland. Vladimir Kramnik, the defending champion, played Peter Leko, the challenger, in a fourteen game match....
, challenger Peter Leko
Péter Lékó
On the way to winning the prestigious Corus chess tournament in 2005, Lékó defeated Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand with the black pieces. The moves were:...
used the Marshall to win an important game against champion Vladimir Kramnik
Vladimir Kramnik
Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik is a Russian chess grandmaster. He was the Classical World Chess Champion from 2000 to 2006, and the undisputed World Chess Champion from 2006 to 2007...
. Currently, Armenian Grandmaster Levon Aronian
Levon Aronian
Levon Grigor Aronian is an Armenian chess Grandmaster and the reigning World Blitz Chess Champion. On the September 2011 FIDE list, he has an Elo rating of 2807, making him number three in the world and Armenia's number one...
is one of the main advocates for the Marshall Attack.
Main Line: 3...a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0
The main lines of the closed Ruy Lopez continue 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0.White can now play 9.d3 or 9.d4, but by far the most common move is 9.h3 which prepares d4 while preventing the awkward pin ...Bg4.
This can be considered the main line of the opening as a whole and thousands of top-level games have reached this position.
White aims to play d4 followed by Nbd2–f1–g3, which would firmly support e4 with the bishops on open diagonals and both knights threatening Black's kingside.
Black will try to prevent this knight manoeuver by expanding on the queenside, taking action in the centre, or putting pressure on e4.
After 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0, we have:
- 9.d3 (Pilnik Variation)
- 9.d4 Bg4 (Bogoljubow Variation)
- 9.h3
- 9...Na5 (Chigorin Variation)
- 9...Bb7 (Zaitsev Variation)
- 9...Nb8 (Breyer Variation)
- 9...Nd7 (Karpov Variation)
- 9...Be6 (Kholmov Variation)
- 9...h6 (Smyslov Variation)
Pilnik Variation
The Pilnik Variation, named for Herman PilnikHerman Pilnik
Herman Pilnik was an Argentine chess Grandmaster.-Career:...
, is also known as the Teichmann Variation from the game Teichmann
Richard Teichmann
Richard Teichmann was a German chess master.He was known as "Richard the Fifth" because he often finished in fifth place in tournaments. But in Karlsbad 1911, he scored a convincing win, crushing Akiba Rubinstein and Carl Schlechter with the same line of the Ruy Lopez...
–Schlechter
Carl Schlechter
Carl Schlechter was a leading Austrian chess master and theoretician at the turn of the 20th century. He is best known for drawing a World Chess Championship match with Emanuel Lasker.-Early life:...
, Carlsbad 1911.
White plays 9.d3 intending to later advance to d4 under favourable circumstances.
Although d2–d3–d4 appears to lose a tempo compared to d2–d4, White may be able to omit h3 regaining the tempo, especially if Black plays ...Bb7.
Bogoljubow Variation
The Bogoljubow Variation, or the Yates Variation, is the reason why White usually plays 9.h3 instead of 9.d4.After 9.d4 Bg4, the pin of the white king knight is troublesome.
The variation takes its name from the game Capablanca
José Raúl Capablanca
José Raúl Capablanca y Graupera was a Cuban chess player who was world chess champion from 1921 to 1927. One of the greatest players of all time, he was renowned for his exceptional endgame skill and speed of play...
–Bogoljubow
Efim Bogoljubow
Efim Dmitriyevich Bogolyubov was a Russo-German chess grandmaster who won numerous events and played two matches with Alexander Alekhine for the world championship.-Early career:...
, London 1922.
Chigorin Variation
The Chigorin Variation was refined by Mikhail ChigorinMikhail Chigorin
Mikhail Ivanovich Chigorin also was a leading Russian chess player...
around the turn of the 20th century and became the primary Black defence to the Ruy Lopez for more than fifty years.
With 9...Na5 Black chases the white bishop from the a2–g8 diagonal and frees the c-pawn for queenside expansion.
After 10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 the classical Black follow up is 11...Qc7, reinforcing e5 and placing the queen on the c-file which may later become open after ...cxd4.
Other Black moves in this position are 11...Bb7 and 11...Nd7; the latter was adopted by Keres
Paul Keres
Paul Keres , was an Estonian chess grandmaster, and a renowned chess writer. He was among the world's top players from the mid-1930s to the mid-1960s....
a few times in the 1960s.
The Chigorin Variation has declined in popularity because Black must spend some time bringing his offside knight on a5 back into the game.
The Chigorin is divided into four ECO classifications. In C96, Black or White deviate after 10. Bc2, and do not reach the classical main line position 10...c5 11. d4 Qc7. In C97, White proceeds from the diagram with 12.a4, 12.d5, 12.b4, or the main line 12.Nbd2 when Black responds with ...Be6, ...Rd8, ...Re8, ...Bb7 or ...Bd7. The C98 classification covers 12. Nbd2 Nc6, while C99 covers
12. Nbd2 cxd4 13. cxd4.
Breyer Variation
The Breyer Variation was supposedly suggested by Gyula BreyerGyula Breyer
Gyula Breyer was a Hungarian chess player. He was a leading member of the hypermodern school of chess theory, which favored controlling the center with pressure from the flanks....
in an unpublished manuscript in the 1920s, but no such document has been discovered and there are no known game scores in which Breyer employed this line.
It is unclear how Breyer's name came to be associated with this variation, but the terminology is well established.
The Breyer Variation did not become popular until the 1960s when it was adopted by Spassky
Boris Spassky
Boris Vasilievich Spassky is a Soviet-French chess grandmaster. He was the tenth World Chess Champion, holding the title from late 1969 to 1972...
and others.
In particular, Spassky's back to back wins over Tal
Mikhail Tal
Mikhail Tal was a Soviet–Latvian chess player, a Grandmaster, and the eighth World Chess Champion.Widely regarded as a creative genius, and the best attacking player of all time, he played a daring, combinatorial style. His play was known above all for improvisation and unpredictability....
at Tbilisi
Tbilisi
Tbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...
in 1965 did much to enhance its reputation, and Spassky has a career plus score with the Breyer.
With 9...Nb8 Black frees the c-pawn and intends to route the knight to d7 where it supports e5.
Black can follow up with ...Bb7 and ...c7–c5. White can attack either the kingside or the queenside.
If White fortifies the center with 10.d3 the opening is given ECO code
Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings
The Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings is a classification system for the opening moves in a game of chess. It is presented as a five volume book collection describing chess openings...
C94.
The more common continuation, 10.d4, is ECO C95.
Zaitsev Variation
The Zaitsev Variation (also called the Flohr–Zaitsev Variation) was advocated by Igor ZaitsevIgor Zaitsev
Igor Arkadyevich Zaitsev is a Russian grandmaster of chess. He is of Armenian descent.-Early life and family:He was born in Ramenskoe, a town outside Moscow...
, who was one of Karpov's
Anatoly Karpov
Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov is a Russian chess grandmaster and former World Champion. He was the official world champion from 1975 to 1985 when he was defeated by Garry Kasparov. He played three matches against Kasparov for the title from 1986 to 1990, before becoming FIDE World Champion once...
trainers for many years.
A Karpov favourite, the Zaitsev remains one of the most important variations of the Ruy Lopez.
With 9...Bb7 Black prepares to put more pressure on e4 after 10.d4 Re8 11.Nbd2 Bf8 when play can become very sharp and tactical.
One drawback of this line is that White can force Black to choose a different defence or allow a draw
Draw (chess)
In chess, a draw is when a game ends in a tie. It is one of the possible outcomes of a game, along with a win for White and a win for Black . Usually, in tournaments a draw is worth a half point to each player, while a win is worth one point to the victor and none to the loser.For the most part,...
by repetition of position
Threefold repetition
In chess and some other abstract strategy games, the threefold repetition rule states that a player can claim a draw if the same position occurs three times, or will occur after their next move, with the same player to move. The repeated positions need not occur in succession...
with 11.Ng5 Rf8 12.Nf3.
Karpov Variation
KarpovAnatoly Karpov
Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov is a Russian chess grandmaster and former World Champion. He was the official world champion from 1975 to 1985 when he was defeated by Garry Kasparov. He played three matches against Kasparov for the title from 1986 to 1990, before becoming FIDE World Champion once...
tried 9...Nd7 several times in the 1990 World Championship match
World Chess Championship 1990
The 1990 World Chess Championship was played between Garry Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov. It was the fifth and final Kasparov-Karpov championship match, Kasparov winning by a single point.-Interzonals:...
, but Kasparov
Garry Kasparov
Garry Kimovich Kasparov is a Russian chess grandmaster, a former World Chess Champion, writer, political activist, and one of the greatest chess players of all time....
achieved a significant advantage against it in the 18th game.
It is solid but slightly passive.
Confusingly 9...Nd7 is also called the Chigorin Variation so there are two variations of the Ruy Lopez with that name, but 9...Na5 is the move more commonly associated with Chigorin
Mikhail Chigorin
Mikhail Ivanovich Chigorin also was a leading Russian chess player...
.
Kholmov Variation
The Kholmov Variation, 9...Be6, was popular in the 1980s but is now rarely played.Smyslov Variation
The Smyslov Variation (ECO C93) is a plan similar to that of the Zaitsev Variation. With 9...h6 Black prepares to play 10...Re8 and 11...Bf8 without fear of 10.Ng5. The loss of a tempo with 9...h6 gives White enough time to complete the Nbd2–f1–g3 manoeuver, and the pawn move can also weaken Black's kingside. The Zaitsev can be considered to be an improved Smyslov in which Black tries to save a tempo by omitting ...h6.Kasparov played the Smyslov Variation in a loss to the Deep Blue chess computer in Game 2 of their 1997 match. Svetozar Gligorić
Svetozar Gligoric
Svetozar Gligorić is a Serbian chess grandmaster. He won the championship of Yugoslavia a record twelve times, and is considered the best player ever from Serbia...
has been the most prolific C93 player.
Uncommon Black third moves
Here is a list of less common third moves for Black:- Bulgarian Variation: 3... a5
- Rotary Defense or Albany Defense: 3... b6
- Pollock's Defense: 3... Na5
- Retreat Variation: 3... Nb8
- Sawyer's Gambit: 3... d5
- Vinogradov Variation: 3... Qe7
- Lucena Defense: 3... Be7
- Alapin's Defense: 3... Bb4
- Nuremberg Defense: 3... f6
- Brentano Defense: 3... g5