Chess lessons › Chess openings
The Closed Ruy Lopez
Learn why White plays h3 before d4, and how Black regroups in the Breyer and the Zaitsev.
The idea
White builds slowly with h3 and d4; Black regroups to hold e5.
- h3 came first, so Black’s bishop cannot pin the knight from g4.
- Black’s knight went back to b8 and out again to d7, guarding e5.
- Now Nf1 and Ng3 bring the knight over and free the bishop on c1.
In a game: In the Closed Ruy Lopez, play h3 before d4 so that ...Bg4 cannot pin your knight.
How the lesson begins
The Closed Ruy Lopez starts 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 O-O. Both kings are safe, and Black still has a pawn on e5. The bishop on b3 looks along the diagonal at f7.
White’s plan is d4, with the pawn on c3 ready to support it. Black’s task is to hold e5 and to find good squares for the knight on c6 and the bishop on c8.
White wants d4 soon, but first comes 9.h3, the engine’s top choice. The pawn on h3 covers g4, so Black’s bishop on c8 cannot come there and pin your knight on f3 to the queen. The next step shows what h3 prevents.
- 9. h3
If White plays 9.d4 at once, Black can answer 9...Bg4, the Bogoljubow Variation. The bishop on g4 pins your knight on f3 to the queen on d1: if the knight moves, the bishop takes the queen.
The knight on f3 is one of the pieces that protect d4. If Black gives up the bishop for it, White must take back, and d4 has lost a defender.
- 9. d4 Bg4
After 9.h3 Black has several good plans. The most surprising is 9...Nb8, the Breyer Defence. The knight goes back home to come out again on d7, where it protects e5. On c6 it blocked the c-pawn and the long diagonal for the bishop.
Boris Spassky used the Breyer to beat Mikhail Tal in the final match of the 1965 Candidates.
- 9... Nb8 The knight goes back to b8.
- 10. d4 White takes the centre.
- 10... Nbd7 The knight is back in play on d7, protecting e5, and the c-pawn is free to move again.
Find the move
Another plan for Black is 9...Bb7 10.d4 Re8, which players know as the Zaitsev. The rook leaves f8 so that the bishop can come back there later. For now, though, only the king protects f7. Attack it a second time.
A hint
Which knight move hits f7?
Show the answer
11. Ng5
11.Ng5 is the engine’s top choice. The knight and the bishop on b3 both attack f7, so Black must protect it again. The engine’s answer is 11...Rf8, and then 12.Nf3 Re8 would repeat the position. White can repeat, or choose another plan.