Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...e5/2. Nf3/2...Nc6/3. Bb5/3...a6/4. Ba4/4...Nf6/5. O-O/5...Nxe4/6. d4/6...b5/7. Bb3/7...d5/8. dxe5/8...Be6

Open Spanish C80 Spanish game → Open Spanish → 8. dxe5 8. Be6 Now that White's light-squared bishop can no longer move to d5, it is immobilised and liable to be exchanged off by a sneaky ...Na5 or ...Nc5. In the Ruy Lopez, White will typically go to some length to avoid this exchange, hence the classical move 9. c3. The modern alternative move order begins 9. Nbd2. 9. c3 is the traditional move. In the Ruy Lopez, White will typically go to some lengths to avoid trading this bishop for a knight. This prepares to answer 9...Nc5 with 10. Bc2. Since 9...Nc5 doesn't get Black anywhere now, the main moves are 9...Be7 and 9...Bc5. After 9...Be7, as White's knight can't make it to c3, they usually play Nbd2 intending Bc2 and Nb3. 9...Be7 10. Nbd2 O-O 11. Bc2 f5 12. Nb3 and the two move orders, 9. c3 and 9. Nbd2, have converged. After 9...Bc5, this increases pressure on f2: 10. Nbd2, the St. Petersburg variation, 10...O-O 11. Bc2 Nxf2 12. Rxf2 f6. 10. Qd3, the Motzko attack, supports 11. Bd3 to relieve pressure on f2. 9. Nbd2, the Bernstein variation, has taken over in popularity in recent years. White can live without the light-square bishop in this particular line, as they have a kingside pawn majority to work with, so long as they can recapture on b3 with the knight and avoid doubling their pawns. In fact, 9...Nc5 10. c3 Nxb3 11. Nxb3 would free White's position enormously. The knight on b3 has better prospects than either a bishop on b3 or a knight on d2. In addition, the 9. Nbd2 move order avoids the complications following 9...Bc5, as 10. Nxe4 ends the double attack on f2. After some exchanges, White's other knight can capture on e4 or e6, hitting the loose bishop. Sidelines 9. Be3 also discourages ...Bc5, but no more effectively than Nbd2, and unlike Nbd2 it does not develop a piece to what is clearly its best square. The appeal of this order is that White gets to answer 9...Nc5 with 10. Nbd2 without impeding the development of their bishop. However, 10...d4 and the bishop must move again. 9. Qe2 is the Howell attack. First, this vacates d1 for the rook, where it will pin black's d-pawn. 9...Be7 10. Rd1 O-O 11. c4! bxc4 12. Bxc4 and the d-pawn is pinned. Secondly, it allows White to answer ...Bc5 with Be3 and trade the bishops, recapturing without doubling pawns. 12...Bc5 13. Be3 Bxe3 14. Qxe3. This rearrangement is on the slow side given that Black is only a couple of moves away from completing their development, and too often White's play on the d-file consists of trying to stop Black's passed d-pawn from charging down it. 9. a4 is apparently played. Compared to the Worrall attack, 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Qe2, where the idea of a4 is to provoke b4 (6...b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. a4 b4? where 9. Qc4! is ruinous, a double attack on c6 and f7), here eliciting ...b4 does not create a weakness on c4 so in that sense 9. a4 is erring a little on the pointless side. Save it for later, maybe. Theory table 9. c3 Bc5 10. Nbd2 O-O 11. Bc2 Nxf2 12. Rxf2 f6 + St. Petersburg variation 9. ... Be7 10. Nbd2 O-O 11. Bc2 f5 12. Nb3 Qd7 + (transposition to Bernstein variation) 9. Nbd2 Nc5 10. c3 Be7 11. Bc2 d4 12. Nb3 dxc3 13. Nxc5 Bxc5 14. Be4 Qd7 + Bernstein variation 9. ... ... 10. ... d4 11. Bxe6 Nxe6 12. cxd4 Ncxd4 9. ... ... 10. ... ... 11. Ng5!? O-O-O 13. Bxe6+ fxe6 14. Qxc6 Qxe5 Karpov gambit 9. ... Be7 10. c3 O-O 11. Bc2 f5 12. Nb3 Qd7 + 9. ... Bc5 10. Nxe4 dxe4 11. Ng5 Qxd1 12. Rxd1 Bxb3 13. axb3 + 9. Be3 Be7 10. c3 O-O 11. Nbd2 Qd7 + 9. Qe2 Be7 10. Rd1 O-O 11. c4 bxc4 12. Bxc4 Bc5 13. Be3 Bxe3 14. Qxe3 Qb8 References See also Ruy Lopez