Annotated chess game

Ruy Lopez is after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5! This is so far the Kings Pawn Opening. No further classification can be made until blacks move.

Well... fairly standard, but it is rather an unusual line, even in this Nimzovitch-Rossolimo Attack. There's plenty of room for variety in the Sicilian, but probably the Open Sicilian is the most frequently encountered: 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 or ...Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 ...

A good move, though indeed, Bxc6 bxc6 would be no hardship for Black at all.

Well, I have already watched some games in which Black player used the Sicillian defence. I noticed that Sicillian defence can turn into agressive, as the black queen is focusing at White's pawn on h2.

And what about 7... dxc3??? After that move, White would have to move his bishop from c6, but Black could capture White's pawn on b2.

Possibly 11.Nb3 was more thematic, especially as it keeps Black's dark squared B off c4, a move that might yet prove useful to him. For the moment, White has a certain dark-square weakness that a timely Bc1-e3 will mitigate if he gets time to play it. But Black probably feels he is committed to playing the B to g7...

I also see two knights next to each other on b3 and c3 because of the same reason, attacking the e4, e5, d5 and c5 squares (Did you mean it, ionadowman? c4 is a white square ) But Black was planning to play Bg7, and not Bc5, White might play Nde2 because of this.

It must have been tempting to castle queen's side hereabouts!

Well, if Black had played O-O-O, then his rook and White's queen would have been on the same d file. Furthermore, Black could have played Bc5+ or Bb4.

The N is a real nuisance on e2, even though it would support an advance (f4) as it interferes with the White queen's movements. One approach might have been 12.Be3 Rd8 13.Qc1 possibly with the idea Bh6...