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The Ruy Lopez restrained center System is basically a battle of pawn breaks. If you prepare and advance the correct pawns, while the opponent prepares and carries out the wrong pawn advances, or fails to advance any pawns at all, you will win the positional struggle. That is the bedrock on which all the positional and tactical subtleties of the Ruy Lopez are built.
It's wise to take measures to prevent the opponent from advancing the right pawns. Even more skill is required to cajole the opponent into advancing the wrong pawns. And it takes sublime talent to wrong foot the opponent by persuading him that you are preparing one pawn advance whilst all the time preparing another.
Here is such a game, which is a model of how to play against the Chirgion Variation. This game features one of white most important strategic ideas the "restrained center" Which means white puts pawns on c3, d3 and e4. In this idea white tries to avoid immediate action in the center and instead opting for complete development. The other major idea behind the deferred center is that white aims to retain the bishop pair. The problem of course that the restrained center often leads to extremely complicated positions. |
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1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5
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main line |
 
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3... a6
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most common reply. However, Nf6 is also common |
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4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O b5
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driving the bishop to b3 also playable is Nxe4 leading into the Berlin defense |
2 comments
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6. Bb3 Be7
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Black can play the sharp 6. ...Bc5 archangel defense or transpose into the Berlin defense |
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7. Re1 d6 8. c3
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First world champion Wilhem Stienitiz developed this way of playing the white pieces. He would first construct an unbreakable center with pawns on d3 and c3 in order to keep his opponent at arms length. Then he would gradually build up a direct attack on the king side, often by advancing g2-g4 and bring his knight all the way over from b1 to g3. |
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8... O-O 9. h3
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Question: Why does white move his h-pawn? Isn't he neglecting the center? The answer: Nimzowitish once said that chess mastery was revealed by making a pawn move on the wing with your mind on the center. With the prophylactic 9. h3 white prevents the pin that would otherwise undermine the defense of the d4-pawn after 9. d4 Bg4! |
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9... Na5
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By threatening to exchange the knight for the bishop black gains time to bring his c-pawn into the fight |
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10. Bc2 c5
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This is the main line of chirgion defense a very powerful defense for black. Black gives up control of d5 in order to gain a lions share of the c -file especially c5 and c4. If white is not careful a black knight on c4 is the barer of doom and gloom. Therefore, white must play to prevent that from happening. |
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11. d4
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White completes his center, but the D4-point is already under pressure from the two black pawns. |
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11... Qc7
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The main idea of 11. ...Qc7 is that black can now maintain the pawn on e5. From here it can get quite mind boggling the options that are available to black. For example, a popular alternative to ...Qc7 is 11. ...Nd7 12. Nbd2 and now a) 12. ...cxd4 13. cxd4 Nc6 14. Nb3 a5 15. Be3 a4 16. Nbd2 is similar to the game structure. b) 12. ...exd4 13. cxd4 Nc6 14. d5 Nce5 15. a4! Rb8 16. Nxe5 Nxe5 17. axb5 axb5 18. f4 Ng6 19. Nf3+/- |
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12. Nbd2
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Now black has a critical decision to make. Should he open the c-file by exchanging pawns with 12. ...cxd4 or maintain the tension between the d4 and c5 pawns, which allows white if he wishes to play d4-d5, closing the queen side? |
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12... Re8
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Black opts for the closed Chirgion. Black wants to quietly develop his remaining pieces, this allows white to block the center, after which a familiar pawn chain is set up on the queen side |
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13. b3
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This rules out a strategic idea for black. Black intends to answer the famous knight retreat 13. Nf1 with cxd4 14. cxd4 exd4 15. Nxd4 d5 16. e5 Ne4 17. f3 Bc5 18. fxe4 dxe4 with complications that seem to favor black. But what about 13. ...c4? the answer is 13. ...c4 14. b4! Nc6 15. d5 Nb8 16. a4 black's queen side pawns are under stress. The other main reason why white plays b3 is to play Bb2 in the event that black does play 13. ...cxd4 14. cxd4 Nc6 15. Bb2 supporting the d4-pawn |
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13... Bf8
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not a good move for black This idea behind 13. ...Bf8 comes from the idea to stop the white knight manoeuvre Nbd2, Nf1 and Ng3. This passive move allows white to build up a dominating position on both sides of the board. The right idea is to maneuver this bishop via d8 to b6 and focus on his development on the queen side. |
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14. d5
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This seals the center and ensure White a enduring advantage. On the queen side white has established a characteristic "attacking" pawn structure. The black knight on a5 has no single good safe square. It is therefore easy to conclude that white is better. But by how much? The blocked lines in the center and on the queen side are also impeding the white pieces. So I would assess the position as objectively only slightly better for white, but the kind that is horrible to defend against. |
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14... g6
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This unprovoked weakness will cost black later in the game. Yet even at this stage it is not a game changer. All I am saying is it is almost always wise to keep the pawns in front of the king close to the chest. |
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15. Nf1
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Completing the knight maneuver to g3 |
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15... Nh5
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discouraging Ng3 and preparing to attack e4 with ...f5 at some point in the future. |
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16. Be3
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The bishop sits on a dangerous diagonal if black tries to open things up with c5-c4 |
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16... Nb7
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supporting the c5 point in the event of c5-c4 but clearly if black could he would have preferred Nc6. |
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