Newsgroups: rec.games.chess.analysis Path: info!dregis From: dregis@exeter.ac.uk (D.Regis) Subject: Re: Ruy Lopez Exchange... like it? Message-ID: Organization: University of Exeter, UK. References: <01bc027c$7251e060$669ececd@ArtLane> <32DE11C5.2D92@tu-harburg.de> Date: Tue, 21 Jan 1997 13:49:26 GMT In article <32DE11C5.2D92@tu-harburg.de> Rasmus Althoff writes: >Art Lane wrote: > >> Here is the line I usually play... >> >> 1 P-K4 ...P-K4 >> 2 N-KB3 ...N-QB3 >> 3 B-N5 ...P-QR3 >> 4 BxN ...QPxB >> >> Now... is it better to castle here or play 5 P-Q4? Or, is there a better >> move yet? >> >> What would be the best reply to 4 ...QNPxB? > >The idea of the Ruy Lopez exchange is that you have the better pawn >structure. >If you exchange all pieces except the pawns, you have a won endgame (if >the >white queen pawn has been exchanged for the black king pawn!) because >black cannot create a passed pawn. So you have given up the pair of >bishops. If you play 5. 0-0, then black can prevent exchanging your >queen pawn for his king pawn by 5. ... c5 (e.g.). So the best line is >5. d4 ed Qd4: Qd4: Nd4: Bc5 Whoa! The point of 5. O-O as played by Fischer (pioneered by Barendregt) is to reinforce the threat to the e-Pawn. Every schoolchild knows that 5. Nxe5 Qd4!, but if White has castled, taking the e-Pawn is a real threat (5.O-O c5? 6.Nxe5 Qd4 7.Nf3 Qxe4?? 8.Re1), and not convenient to defend: e.g. 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. O-O f6 6. d4 exd4 7. Nxd4 c5 8. Nb3 Qxd1 9. Rxd1 and compared to Lasker's line 5.d4, you are ahead in development. Black can try other defences e.g. 5...Bg4, and even the line 5...f6 illustrated is by no means prospectless for Black, but the point is 5. O-O is played as a refinement on the old 5. d4. If you really insist on playing the ending, then 5.d4 is right, and keeps things simple, but keeping an option on the middlegame is OK too. A good place to start looking at 5. O-O, if you don't have a book on the Ruy Lopez, is probably Fischer's "My 60 Memorable Games", although the recommended lines have moved on a bit since then. I think it's also covered in Mednis "From the Opening to the Endgame". -- Dave Regis &8^D* a dry, fruity red From info!dregis Tue Jan 21 14:03:43 GMT 1997 Article: 5200 of rec.games.chess.analysis Xref: info rec.games.chess.analysis:5200 rec.games.chess.misc:15847