Annotated chess game

4.Bxf6 is perfectly playable. However, in my experience I've mainly seen it played by weaker players trying to avoid theory. It may seem counter-intuitive but simplifying here complicates matters. So now, instead of dealing with voluminous opening theory, White is forced to be exceptional at his endgame theory. I gladly accept the challenge from such unprepared players.

Bxf6 is just another normal opening move...

Do all of you guys mean 4. Bxc6 instead of 4. Bxf6?

The problem with the Ruy Lopez is the terrabyte of theory that has accumulated in this special opening. You would have to study this opening a lot in other cases. To me, it means that you can make a lot of mistakes in the opening. After 3...a6, White should not play 4.Bxc6 because of 4...dxc6! and White will never win a pawn for free: 5.Nxe5? Qd4.

Funny thing is White does not win a pawn if 4 ...bxc6 either due to 5.Nxe5 Qg5!

None of these are as good 3...a6. This is the most aggressive option.

yeah no offense but kinda all of kingdom's options were bad. i'd say a6 is the best option but black may also consider Nf6 as well

3...Nge7, g6, or d6 are just as good as 3...a6. 3..Neg7 helps to bring out another piece, which is an important step, but it blocks the bishop. 3...g6 is a slower option to bring out the Bishop before it gets blocked. 3...d6 is a serious defence move.

A look on the 'World' game database shows that your responses are 6th, 5th and 8th most popular, respectively. Firstly, 3... Nge7 - Black is playing symmetrically and opens up his bishop and queen diagonals with 1... e5, so it seems illogical to then block them up with 3... Nge7. Black is only going to have to follow with either g6, d6, or a6 because White knows that Black is probably trying to avoid double pawns with the move and you've also then tied your knight. Secondly, 3... g6 - as you said, it is sort of slow but I suppose on the whole, it isn't too bad. Lastly, 3... d6 - I completely disagree with this move being as good. It defends the hanging pawn on e5 but gives up a pin on the knight. White can quickly attack the centre with 4. d4 and Black is under a lot of pressure quickly. I honestly think it's just terminology that is the problem here... the moves kingdom recommended are playable but I definitely do not think they are "just as good as 3... a6".

The only alternative remotely legitimate is 3 ...Nf6 (Berlin Defense), know your theory!! I dont even play 1.e4.

The exchange variation is played by endgame specialists. If you remove all the pieces, and just play with pawns White can force a passed pawn with his kingside majority; but Black cannot force a passed pawn because of doubled c pawns. The last thing Black should do is trade down to an endgame.

Agreed. Black should seek to accumulate minor advantages in the middle-game and ease into the endgame.

As for Gavin's comment of only lower ranked players playing this... this was a favorite weapon of Bobby Fischer at one time in his career.

If 5.d4 exd4 6.Qxd4, Black is actually losing!

not really,but i think its another main line

After 4.bxc6?! White can take the e5 pawn.. Well, 5...Qg5 will win it back, but the queen can be chased away easily from g2 so it slows down your development.

Chesskingdon64, how is Black losing? ... exactly?

no its just another main line in the exchange variation

No offence here, but I believe this is, without a doubt, the Ruy Lopez (C68) exchange, Alekhine variation. I found my three moves for Black other than 3...a6 after 3.Bb5 out of two opening books put together by Grandmasters. 3...Nge7 is the Cozio defence. Also, 3...Nd4 is the same thing basically; They're both old lines. Even though White is winning, those lines lead to an offbeat and bewildering play. 3..g6 and 3...d6 weren't recommended, but are still playable.

Chesskingdom, remember that there is a big difference between 'winning' and 'better'. White would just be better in those lines.

No, White want plays a endgame with 4 pawns vs 3 in the kingside. And Black have not that adventage in the queenside (double pawns)

I'd agree if White doesn't offer me a draw on moves 14 and 16. A look at the World database on here shows that 44% of Grandmaster games ended in a draw from this position.

this is not negative from white seeing as it's the continuation for the 5.d4 main line

Emanuel Lasker played these six moves against Jose Raul Capablanca as White and ended the game soon after. White can enjoy his pawn structure with Black having no threats on White as of now. He can potentially create a passed pawn.

this is still book but John Nunn suggest that black can also play 7. ... Nf6,c5 and Bd6 as well

Be3 is book and the main line but Nc3 is one of these side variations to the book so it works.

In this position (no black pawn on the d file), I think the knight is better placed on c4 so, Nd2 is to be preferred. Everyone has heard the old "Knights befor bishops"? Well, here is a good example showing that you dont have to follow those principles all the time. Since our knight is going Nb1-d2-c4, it would be good to play 8.Be3 first. So, why the knight to c4? Well, generally you want the knight on a good central square that he can't be chased away from. Normally, a pawn advance like ...d5 would take the c4 square away. Thanks to Black's doubled pawns... that is not possible. Now, lets see if someone asks how about ...b5 (instaed of ...d5), chasing the knight away? Anyway, with such a nice central square like c4, why would anyone want to play the knight to c3?

okay so white played Be3 anyways. The problem here is that in the main line,white doesnt play Nc3,he plays Nd2 instead but this position has been played in a game between Smyslov(white) vs Ivanchuk(black) in 1994, Tillburg, where black proceeded 9. ... Bb4 10. Nde2 f5 hoping to get some play here, but after 9. Nc3(in this game 9.Be3) John Nunn once again suggests 9. ... Ne7 10. 0-0-0 Ng6 where the position is equal.

Do you know why these moves (like Nd2 by White & ...Nge7-g6) are being played rather than just blindly following them?

well if you look on my previous comment you will see that Bb4 leads to an equal position. However i wouldn't say no to Bd6 either. It's a question of taste

Doubling and isolating pawns, even at the cost of a semi-open column just near the king...

once again this is just as the smyslov-ivanchuk variation so its nothing wrong with this move.

I honestly think that queenside castling is okay in this position. But white may have to play f3 at some point.

opposite castlings tend to bring life to the game, so I would had given a thought to o-o followed by a3-b4, but it is not easy to see how white can attack the pawn's fortress in front of the black king...

This goes to show how the GK computer does not comprehend strategy too well. I believe that 10 ...Nf6 is not accurate because White's e pawn cannot be attacked by pieces so, it must be undermined with ...f5. One plan is 10 ...f5 11.0-0-0 Re8. If one is not ready to commit to such an early pawn move then 10 ...Ne7-g6 is better since it leaves the f pawn free to advance. Another idea is a strategy of restraint i.e. 10 ...f6 followed by ...Bd6 dominating the e5 square. The point is: 10 ...Nf6 takes away Black's ability to undermine Whites strongpoint on e4. As for 11.0-0-0; it may be a tad too early due to the vulnerability of f2-e3. 11.f3 (preventing ...Ng4) first is more solid.

which shows that like i previously said,f3 would be a good idea.

Black really should take advantage of White's omission of f3 & try 11 ...Ng4 i.e.12.Rd3 Nxe3 13.Rxe3 Be6 would take advantage of the premature 0-0-0 by White. Black's pieces are already all better placed than White's.

& here is why Black cannot attack the e pawn directly in this variation & why I stated that 10 ...Nf6 is inaccurate. e4 is simply too solid. But, imagine if Black were able to play ...f5 here! Especially with the undefended Be3.

i dont like it as it looses one tempo. After 13. Rxd8+ Rxd8 the only battle of the files are going on the d-file so white has to play Rd1 which is almost the same as the last position only that its black's move

13.Rxd8 is not bad but, since White has a bit more space I would have chosen to start unravelling my minor pieces first with 13.Bd4 & 14.Nf4. Then again, White often chooses the Exchange Variation so that he can play into an endgame where he can try to prove that his kingside pawn majority will prove to be decisive so, I guess I can understand White's desire to exchange all the heavy pieces.

You shouldn't trade your rooks when you have no queen. It just makes the game harder and longer to finish.

No.About this rook exchange: The downside is that white has a strong kingside-pawn-majority BUT black has a dangerous weapon called the bishop pair,now that white has surrendered his light squared bishop in the opening,black can try to get some kind of an advantage here,still because of whites kingside pawn majority,i would guess that this position looks like a draw.

darcy1234, if you are going to try for any type of advantage in this drawish endgame, you difinitely want the rooks gone! They just increase Black's chances of drumming up counterplay. Besides, to keep your rook(s), means to surrender the only open file to Black &... that cannot be allowed.

I would say regardless of whether or not the position is objectively drawn, at our level it is likely that both sides will make enough mistakes that either side could win.