ReViewing Chess: Ruy Lopez (Spanish), Modern Steinitz (ReViewing Chess: Openings)

You wouldn't be able to play a Modern Steinitz or Breyer against me. A Spanish Repertoire for Black by Mihail Marin () leondumoulin.nlhess. org/grandmaster-repertoirethe-open-spanish-qualitychess-by-v-.
Table of contents

The author has had some bad experiences playing against 1. One might think his proposal would be the newly-fashionable gambit 1. Nxe5 Qh4 featured in New in Chess Yearbook 93, but they would be mistaken.

Kuzmin, is hardly unknown but theory has always considered it inferior in part because the Modern Steinitz sequence 1. Indeed Krasenkov met 5. First he thinks that the Modern Steinitz move-order 1. This is definitely butting heads with conventional theory.

The Ruy Lopez Chess Opening Explained

Nxd4 no analysis of 7. Fritz 11 - T. Taylor, Los Angeles , but if The classical line starts with 9. Be7 the main line , and the aggressive Bc2, Black must meet the attack on e4, with the following possibilities from which to choose: Bf5, both of which aim to maintain the strongpoint on e4, or the forcing line Nxf2, introduced by the English amateur Vernon Dilworth.

Which opening you play versus the Ruy Lopez?

An old continuation is Nxd4 Bxd4 White can gain some advantage with Bogoljubov's Instead, the very sharp La Grande Variante continues Kh1 Qxe5, with unclear consequences. 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 , 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. Qe2, White aims for play against d5 after Rd1. The game usually continues Rd1 followed by Keres played this line several times in the late s, and it is sometimes named after him. Nbd2, limits Black's options. Be7 is an old move that remains popular Karpov introduced the surprising If Black takes the knight with Qxg5 White regains the material with This variation played a decisive role in a later World Championship match, Kasparov — Anand , when Anand was unable to successfully defend as Black.

In the main line, White normally retreats his bishop with 4. Ba4, when the usual continuation is Black now threatens to win a pawn with 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. Black most commonly averts this threat by driving away the white bishop with Bb3, although it is also possible to defend the pawn with Examined in this section are the alternatives to the main line:. Also quite fashionable is 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 Black can hold the balance, but it is easy to make a misstep.

Good...Good...Good...Disastrous

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 is not always time for this. Play normally continues Bb3 followed by Paul Keres played the line several times.

More recently, Sergei Tiviakov has played it, as has Nigel Short , who essayed it twice in his match against Anatoly Karpov and won both games. This defence shares some similarities with the Modern Steinitz and Russian Defences as Black avoids the White can reply with either 7. 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. An alternative to Black may sacrifice a pawn with 8. Bb3, Black often plays Here White can play 8. White can also play 8. Nc3 with the idea of playing 9. In the case White does play 8. But he can also play One of Black's more aggressive alternatives is the Marshall Attack: The main line begins with 9. Rxe5 c6 Marshall's original moves, Bb7 are considered inferior, but have also yielded good results at top levels of play for Black.

Slay The Spanish

GM Joel Benjamin suggests that Bb7 is inferior due to The resulting position is shown in the diagram. To the casual observer it might seem that Black has been careless and lost a pawn; however the sacrifice has also stripped White's kingside of its defenders, given Black a lead in development, and rendered White's 8. Since Black's compensation is based on positional rather than tactical considerations, it is difficult or perhaps impossible to find a refutation. Black generally goes all-in with a massive kingside attack, which has been analyzed to great depth sometimes beyond move 30 with no definite conclusion as to the Marshall's soundness.

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. Improvements to Black's play were found Marshall played The main lines of the Closed Ruy Lopez continue 6.

White can now play 9. 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 counter this knight manoeuver by expanding on the queenside, taking action in the centre, or putting pressure on e4.

GoodGoodGoodDisastrous | The Week in Chess

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 White usually plays 9. The variation takes its name from the game Capablanca — Bogoljubow , London The Chigorin Variation was refined by Mikhail Chigorin around the turn of the 20th century and became the primary Black defence to the Ruy Lopez for more than fifty years. Na5 Black chases the white bishop from the a2—g8 diagonal and frees the c-pawn for queenside expansion.

Qc7, reinforcing e5 and placing the queen on the c-file which may later become open after Other Black moves in this position are Nd7; the latter was adopted by Keres a few times in the s. 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 Bc2, and do not reach the classical main line position In C97, White proceeds from the diagram with Nbd2 when Black responds with The C98 classification covers Nbd2 Nc6, while C99 covers The Breyer Variation was recommended by Gyula Breyer as early as , [18] but there are no known game records in which Breyer employed this line.

The Breyer Variation did not become popular until the s when it was adopted by Boris Spassky and others. In particular, Spassky's back to back wins over Mikhail Tal at Tbilisi in did much to enhance its reputation, and Spassky has a career-plus score with the Breyer. The variation is the choice of many top level players today as White has had trouble proving an advantage against it. Nb8 Black frees the c-pawn and intends to route the knight to d7 where it supports e5. If White fortifies the centre with The more common continuation, The main line continues Black is threatening to win the e4-pawn via Black generally plays White then usually tries to attack the Black queenside via Black seeks counterplay in the centre via White can attack either the kingside or the queenside.

This forces resolution of the centre via Black can exploit the weak squares on the queenside via White will try to attack on the kingside via Bg5, moving his forces to the kingside.


  • Search Chess Skills.
  • The Ruy Lopez Chess Opening Explained - leondumoulin.nl.
  • Siesta Variation (2 part series).
  • Karas Kapers With Katy Pillar - Volume Two;

Black will kick the bishop with The logical retreat is Be3, which is met by The point of this manoeuver was to weaken Black's kingside. A Karpov favourite, the Zaitsev remains one of the most important variations of the Ruy Lopez. Bb7 Black prepares to put more pressure on e4 after 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 Nd7 several times in the World Championship match , but Kasparov achieved a significant advantage against it in the 18th game. It is solid but slightly passive. Nd7 is also called the Chigorin Variation so there are two variations of the Ruy Lopez with that name, but Na5 is the move more commonly associated with Chigorin. This defense is also known as the Keres Variation, after Paul Keres.

The Kholmov Variation , Be6, was popular in the s but is now rarely played. The main line runs Qxb3 is another option exd4 Rg4, when it has been shown that White's extra pawn is more valuable than Black's more active and harmonised pieces. Bf8 without fear of The loss of a tempo with The Zaitsev can be considered to be an improved Smyslov in which Black tries to save a tempo by omitting Kasparov played the Smyslov Variation in a loss to the Deep Blue chess computer in Game 2 of their match. Qd7 is another variation by Smyslov.

Navigation menu

Of the variations in this section, the Berlin and Schliemann Defences are the most popular today, followed by the Classical Defence. Nge7, is distinctly old-fashioned and the least popular of the defences at Black's third move. Although Bent Larsen used it occasionally with success, it remains one of the least explored variations of the Ruy Lopez. It was later discovered that 4. Bg5 gives White the advantage, and as such the variation is rarely played today. An interesting gambit line 4. Nd4, is an uncommon variation in modern praxis. With careful play White is held to gain an advantage.

This defence was published in in Paul Rudolf von Bilguer 's Handbuch des Schachspiels and explored by Henry Bird in the late 19th century. Although it is still sometimes seen as a surprise weapon, no strong master since Bird has adopted it regularly. White can force Black to concede the strongpoint at e5 see Tarrasch Trap , a significant but not fatal concession. Nc3 Be7 finishes Development for black. The modern variant of this defence 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 and is sometimes named after him. Although later named for German lawyer Adolf Karl Wilhelm Schliemann — , the line Schliemann actually played in the s was a gambit variation of the Cordel Defence The most common responses for White to Nc3, with play after 4. Nf6, which generally leads to quieter play.