411 REFERENCE · Wikibooks
Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...e5/2. Nf3/2...Nc6/3. Bb5/3...f5/4. Nc3/4...fxe4/5. Nxe4/5...Nf6/6. Nxf6/6...Qxf6/7. Qe2/7...Be7/8. Bxc6/8...dxc6/9. Nxe5
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tright Ruy Lopez, Schliemann Defence rd bd kd rd pd pd pd bd pd pd pd qd nl pl pl pl pl ql pl pl pl rl bl kl rl Common moves: 9...Bf5 - the slightly less committal move 9...O-O - the slightly more committal move
9...Bf5 is a useful developing move. 9...O-O is also a useful developing move.
Why is ...Bf5 more popular than ...O-O? It comes down to a general principle of opening theory: postpone the hard decisions for as long as you can. Black in this position no longer has to decide where to put the c8-bishop. The White knight is hitting d7 and g4, and on e6 the bishop will be vulnerable to tactics like Nxc6 as soon as White gets a rook to the e-file. So it has to go to f5. That's an easy decision. Whether Black wants to castle queenside or kingside is a hard decision. Make the easy decision first!Ruy Lopez