Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...e5/2. Nf3/2...Nc6/3. Bb5/3...Nce7

Ruy Lopez C60 Ruy Lopez 3...Nce7? Black undefends their e-pawn and blocks their kingside bishop. Perhaps they are thinking of transposing into a Mortimer trap, but this is simply bad for Black. 4. Nxe5 is easily the best move in this position. White snatches the free pawn as soon as it was available, and challenges Black to prove if they really have compensation. Unlike other knight moves that leave the e-pawn hanging, since the queen is blocked, 4...Qg5 is not possible. Black's best try is 4...Nf6, where a careless but popular 5. d3? transposes into the more well-known Mortimer trap after 5...c6!, where White is losing a piece. References See also