Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...e5/2. Nf3/2...Nc6/3. Bb5/3...a6/4. Ba4/4...Nf6/5. O-O/5...Nxe4

Open Spanish C80 Spanish game → Morphy defence → 5. O-O 5...Nxe4 · Open Spanish Black takes the free pawn. However, while Black's king remains in the centre, they must navigate the danger of an open e-file carefully, and White can eventually recover the e-pawn. How is White to recover the pawn? 6. d4 is the main line. White controls c5 (preventing ...Nc5) and threatens Black's e5 pawn. If Black takes it 6...exd4?!, the Riga variation, they run into complications from Re1 due to opening their e-file with their knight and king still on it. Therefore the continuation is usually 6...b5 7. Bb3 d5, and White gets the pawn back 8. dxe5. The natural 6. Re1?!, intending 6...Nf6 7. Nxe5, is in fact a very minor sideline. Black's knight can retreat to c5 instead, hitting the bishop and forcing White to trade it for the c6 knight. After 6...Nc5 7. Bxc6 dxc6, Black is doing well compared to the exchange variation (with 4. Bxc6): White lost a tempo moving the bishop to a4 then back to c6, and the disappearance of the centre pawns favours Black's bishop pair. Likewise, now that Black's rejoinder ...Qd4 wouldn't come with a fork, White may want to try 6. Bxc6?! first. 6...dxc6 7. Re1 (to expel Black's knight, or 7. d3) Nd6 8. Nxe5-. White avoids the more theoretical main lines, but Black is equal or a little better and is afforded easy development. It's not necessary for White to give up the bishop pair to recover the pawn if they follow the main line instead. History The open defence is one of the most direct and combative ways for Black to meet the Spanish game. It is employed at all levels of the game. The earliest recorded game in the open defence was played by Robert Brien and Robert Wormald (in consultation, with the black pieces) against Johann Löwenthal (1810―1876) in 1854. Löwenthal played a line beginning 6. Re1 and triumphed after a flashy queen sacrifice. His play was described by chess wit William Napier as "like a man enraged, [he] smites his enemies hip and thigh."Löwenthal v Allies, 1854. Chessgames.comPaul Morphy and the golden age of chess Napier William David McKay Co. 1957 New York 17 https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.32106012423189 Horowitz I. A. w:William Ewart Napier 1934 w:Israel Albert Horowitz Among its highest level appearances, it was the defence chosen by Viktor Korchnoi to meet Karpov's 1. e4 in the 1978 and 1981 World Championship matches. Theory table all 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 8. dxe5 Be6 9. c3 Bc5 10. Nbd2 O-O 11. Bc2 Open Spanish→ St. Petersburg variation + 6. ... ... 7. ... ... 8. ... ... 9. Nbd2 Nc5 10. c3 Be7 11. Bc2 d4 Bernstein variation + 6. ... exd4 7. Re1 d5 8. Nxd4 Bd6 9. Nxc6 Bxh2+ 10. Kh1 Qh4 11. Rxe4+ dxe4 12. Qd8+ Qxd8 13. Nxd8+ Kxd8 14. Kxh2 Be6 Riga variation ++ 6. Re1?! Nc5 7. Bxc6 dxc6 8. Nxe5 Be7 9. d4 Ne6 6. Bxc6?! dxc6 7. Re1 Nd6 8. Nxe5 Be7 9. d4 O-O - References See also The Open Spanish Mikhalevski Victor Quality Chess 2013 9781907982446 Glasgow w:Victor Mikhalevski Open Ruy Lopez Flear Glenn Everyman Publishers 2000 185744261X London w:Glenn Flear Ruy Lopez