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published in 2018 by Gloucester Publishers Limited, London

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About the Author
John Emms is a Grandmaster. He played for England at two Chess Olympiads and captained the team at the 2002 Bled
Olympiad. Emms is an experienced chess coach and has trained many students who have gone on to win national junior
championships. He has coached England teams at numerous international events, including the World and European
Youth Chess Championships. He is a coach at the Kent Junior Chess Association, whose Under-9 team won the national
championship in 2016 and 2017. He has written many books on chess openings, endgames, strategy and tactics.

Also by the Author:

Attacking with 1 e4
Simple Chess
Sicilian Kan
Play the Najdorf: Scheveningen Style
Concise Chess
More Simple Chess
Starting Out: Minor Piece Endgames
Starting Out: The Queen’s Indian
The Scandinavian (2nd edition)
Starting Out: The Scotch Game
Starting Out: King’s Indian Attack
Discovering Chess Openings
The Survival Guide to Competitive Chess
Starting Out: The c3 Sicilian
Starting Out: The Sicilian (2nd edition)
Beating 1 e4 e5
The Nimzo-Indian: Move by Move
The Sicilian Taimanov: Move by Move
 Contents
About the Author
Preface
Introduction

1 Introducing the Italian Game

2 Italian Game for Both Sides
3 The Evans Gambit
4 The Two Knights Defence
5 The Ruy Lopez
6 The Four Knights Game
7 The Scotch Game
8 Other Openings
9 Summary of Recommendations

Index of Complete Games

 Preface
I’ve always wished to write a follow-up to Discovering Chess Openings and I’m delighted that this book has given me
an opportunity to do so. In Discovering Chess Openings I concentrated mainly on basic opening principles. In this new
book, the focus changes to studying a range of openings and making choices about which ones to play in your games.
I’ve chosen 1 e4 e5 openings (Open Games) because these are the first we learn, so it
seemed like a very suitable subject for a First Steps book. For any young chess player (or
indeed anyone ‘young’ in chess experience), there’s no better choice than to play 1 e4 e5
openings with White, with Black, or even with both colours. Playing Open Games gives
you a wonderful opportunity to improve your skills and knowledge of key tactical ideas
you need to master in your development as a chess player. Throughout the book you will
find many examples (and exercises, to keep you busy!) involving forks, pins, skewers,
discovered attacks, discovered checks, double checks, removing defenders and so on.
The contents of this book are largely based on studying thousands of young players’ games over many years. The
emphasis is on openings which have appeared most often. Recommendations are made on opening choices that have
been successful in developing key chess skills. I’ve recommended playing some openings with both White and Black,
including the Italian Game, Evans Gambit, Two Knights Defence, Ruy Lopez and Scotch Gambit, so these openings are
covered in greater detail. If you are taking your very first steps in chess openings, please focus initially on Chapters 1-2,
whereas readers with a little more experience may wish to dive in elsewhere. As it’s a First Steps book, I’ve tried to
avoid encyclopaedic coverage. In any case, you certainly don’t need to remember every single variation and all the notes
before playing the opening. Take in the first few moves and the key ideas, and then try it out in your games!

Acknowledgements

I’d like to warmly thank all students I’ve had the opportunity to work with over many
years, in schools, clubs, teams and one-to-one. They have helped enormously by forcing
me to continually reassess and refine the learning processes. Thanks also go to all chess
coaches who have been kind enough to share their thoughts. Special thanks to everyone
involved with the Kent Junior Chess Association. Finally, special thanks also to
Grandmaster Chris Ward, who is always willing to listen and advise whenever I’m talking
about chess!
John Emms, Kent, January 2018
Introduction
Let’s start at the very beginning; the first ‘opening’ we all learn: the four-move checkmate!
1 e4 e5 2 Qh5 Nc6 3 Bc4 Nf6 4 Qxf7

Checkmate! The advantage is that White develops the pieces with a plan – a very basic
plan to attack Black’s weak spot as quickly as possible, but a plan nevertheless, and a plan
which could end with a spectacular result!

Note: The f7-pawn is the known as Black’s weak spot because it’s defended only
by the king whereas all other pawns are defended by at least one other piece.
Likewise, f2 is White’s weak spot.

The drawback of White’s plan is that it only has a chance of working against absolute beginners, albeit quite a good
chance! The threat of checkmate is easy to defend against, and furthermore White has ignored an important guideline:
don’t move your queen out early in the game unless there’s a good reason to do so. The problem with developing the
queen early is that it becomes vulnerable to attacks by enemy pieces. If you have to keep moving your queen to escape
attacks, you lose precious time you’d rather spend getting other pieces into the game.

How to Beat the Four-Move Checkmate

I expect (hope!) that all of you, by now, have learned a way to stop the four-move checkmate, but don’t skip to Chapter
One just yet. What we are really interested in here is the best way to stop it, and this is because it teaches us something
vital about good opening play. Let’s have a closer look at the moves:
1 e4 e5 2 Qh5
 The queen attacks three pawns, but for the moment it only threatens the unguarded
pawn on e5.
2 … Nc6!
Black defends the e5-pawn and develops a knight at the same time.
3 Bc4

Now both the queen and the bishop attack the f7-pawn, so White threatens to give
checkmate with Qxf7. Black has a few ways to defend against the threat. For example, we
could defend the f-pawn a second time with 3 … Qe7, 3 … Qf6 or even 3 … Nh6.
However, the ideal choice is:
3 … g6!
Not only does this move prevent the checkmate by blocking the queen’s path to f7, it
attacks the queen too!

Tip: Be alert to moves which achieve more than one task. Here 4 … g6 defends against a threat and also creates a
threat.

4 Qf3
The queen retreats but still attacks the pawn on f7, so Black is faced with the threat of
Qxf7 mate for a second time. Again, there are a few ways to defend, but the best option is:
4 … Nf6!

Black blocks the threat of checkmate and develops the other knight to its best square –
another dual-purpose move.
At this stage White should abandon any ideas of checkmate and begin developing some
new pieces. A good start would be 5 Ne2, getting ready to castle kingside. Let’s see what
could happen if White fails to do this and instead continues to attack:
5 g4?
White’s idea is to threaten the knight by moving the pawn to g5. If the knight then
moves, Qxf7 is checkmate. Unfortunately for White, this isn’t going to happen!
5 … Nd4!

Suddenly Black is the one who is creating the threats. The knight attacks the white
queen, but there’s also a threat of … Nxc2+, forking the king and rook. So White’s queen
has to move and defend the c2-pawn.
6 Qd1
Things have gone horribly wrong for White. The queen has already moved three times
and yet she is now back on her starting square! Black could simply capture the pawn on e4
with the knight on f6, but let’s continue the theme of developing with threats:
6 … d5!
 Black threatens the bishop on c4, the pawn on e4, and something else too. Can you see
what it is?
7 exd5 Bxg4!
This was Black’s third threat. Moving the d-pawn freed the bishop on c8 and created a
discovered attack on the g4-pawn. Now there’s a yet another attack on the poor queen. The
queen can’t move to a safe square so the only option is to block the attack. White’s
position is already very bad, but if White chooses to block with the knight it gets even
worse:
8 Ne2?

Exercise: Black can now force checkmate in two moves. Can you see how we do this?

Answer: 8 … Nf3+!
White’s king has only one square to go to.
9 Kf1 Bh3 mate!

An amazing end to the game, with the bishop and knight combining beautifully as a
team to checkmate the white king. It’s difficult to believe that just a few moves ago it was
White threatening checkmate!
What Black did so well in this example was to stop White’s primitive plan by playing
natural and active developing moves, and by doing so Black was able to create his own
threats and force White to retreat.
In summary, when we learn the best way to deal with the four-move checkmate, and
how to beat White’s crude attack afterwards with 5 g4?, we also learn some key guidelines
which help us to choose moves in all openings:
1) Develop your pieces as quickly as possible.
2) Defend against threats by playing natural developing moves.
3) Search for developing moves which achieve more than one goal. Dual-purpose
moves are good, and triple-purpose moves are even better!
4) Search for developing moves which create threats. Single threats gain time, and
double threats may gain pieces!
Keeping those guidelines in mind, let’s move on to our first opening …
Chapter One
Introducing the Italian Game
In this first chapter we’ll introduce ourselves to a very popular chess opening, and one that’s an ideal choice when you
are taking your first steps. It’s incredibly popular among young players – I’ve seen it played in thousands of games! – so
we’ll be covering it in some detail throughout the book.
Let’s begin with the first few moves:
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3
The best move! White develops the knight to its favourite square and threatens the e5-
pawn.
2 … Nc6!
A good response! Black defends the pawn by developing the knight, also to its best
square.
3 Bc4

This opening is called the Italian Game. Just like with the four-move checkmate, the
bishop moves to an active position, where it attacks Black’s weak point, the pawn on f7.
Unlike the four-move mate, White’s other move, Nf3, is much better than Qh5. In the first
three moves White has followed opening guidelines perfectly and is even ready to castle.

Did you know? Many openings are named after places where they were invented and first studied. The Italian Game
was studied in Italy in the 16th Century, which makes it one of the oldest openings in chess.

It’s crucial for us to realize that in the Italian Game White may go for a quick attack
against the f7-pawn, using the bishop and the knight. If Black plays the very natural move
3 … Nf6, White can reply 4 Ng5.

By attacking the pawn on f7 with two pieces, White has created two threats. The first is simply Bxf7+, winning the
pawn and forcing the black king to move. The second threat is even bigger: Nxf7 would fork Black’s queen on d8 and
rook on h8! For young, inexperienced players, this attack on f7 is scary, and it’s not easy to defend. I’ve seen this
position appear hundreds of times in junior games, and Black often goes astray immediately. I’ve lost count of the
number of times I’ve seen the player with the black pieces losing a rook, or even worse! There is a way for Black to
defend against White’s threat, by playing 4 … d5!. However, even after this move Black has to be very careful. We’ll
take a look at that line a bit later on in the book, but for now I’m going to recommend a simpler way for Black to deal
with White’s Ng5 attack.

How to deal with the Ng5 Attack

Let’s return to the starting position:
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Bc5!
Black’s bishop does the same as White’s and moves an active square. Black wants to
develop the kingside pieces as quickly as possible, to get ready to castle, but it’s much
safer to move the bishop first. If White now tries 4 Ng5?, Black simply takes the knight
with the queen!


Did you know? The opening after 3 … Bc5 is sometimes called the Giuoco Piano, which is Italian for ‘Quiet Game’.
As we shall see, though, often this opening is anything but quiet!

White has a few options in this position, but the first one we’ll consider is:
4 d3
This pawn move frees the bishop on c1 and it also allows White to safely move the
knight to g5.
4 … Nf6!
Now that the bishop has moved, Black gets the knight out too. Let’s see what happens
if White goes for the attack on f7:
5 Ng5?!
 How does Black deal with the threat to the f7-pawn?
5 … 0-0!
Black protects the f7-pawn in the most natural way – by castling! The attack hasn’t
worked, White should admit that 5 Ng5?! was a waste of time and be ready to retreat it
after … h6. Let’s check out what happens if White goes ahead and captures the pawn
anyway:
6 Nxf7?! Rxf7 7 Bxf7+ Kxf7
 Points-wise, bishop and knight for rook and pawn is a fair exchange, but Black enjoys
the advantage in this position, for two reasons.
1) Black has many more pieces developed than White.
2) In the early stages of a game, two pieces are definitely worth more than a rook and
pawn. Rooks normally take a long time to get into the game, and they only show their full
power once the position opens up after some pawn exchanges.
As Black, you may feel that your king has become a little exposed, but the fact that
White has swapped off all his attacking pieces makes the black king perfectly safe. If you
are really concerned, you could always move it back to g8 at some moment.
Here’s an example, taken from a student’s training game, where Black’s army of pieces
quickly overwhelms White:
8 0-0 d6 9 Nc3 Bg4!
 An excellent move. Black develops the bishop and threatens the white queen.
10 Qe1
White is unable to block the attack with 10 f3, as that would be an illegal move!
10 … Nd4!
There’s no let-up - Black continues with forcing moves. The knight hops into a strong
central square and creates a new threat of … Nxc2, which would fork the queen and rook.

Note: The concept of a ‘forcing move’ is a very important one in chess tactics. It’s a move which gives the opponent
very few choices in their reply. A forcing move is nearly always a check, a capture or a threat. Forcing moves should
always be considered in your calculations.

11 Qd2
White has to move the queen again and block the bishop, which isn’t ideal.
11 … Qd7 12 Re1
Black has a fantastic position, with many promising ideas here. One option is to play
simply 12 … Rf8, followed by … Kg8, when the rook comes to life along the half-open f-
file and all of Black’s pieces attack on the kingside. In the game Black went for a quicker
win, and got it!
12 … Bh3!?
 Very creative! If the bishop is captured by the pawn, Black’s knight hops into f3 and
forks White’s king and queen. Black’s bishop move also creates a big threat, which White
fails to spot.
13 b3?
White’s only good defence was 13 Re3!, after which Black should play 13 … Be6.
13 … Bxg2!
 Black sacrifices the bishop in order to blow open White’s king. This time it’s much
more difficult for White to ignore the bishop, given that Black is threatening … Nf3+.
13 … Qg4! is another very strong move, and soon leads to checkmate.
14 Kxg2 Qg4+ 15 Kf1
15 Kh1 puts up a better defence, but Black wins anyway after 15 … Nf3! 16 Qe2 Qh3!.
There’s no safe way for White to stop the threat of checkmate with … Qxh2.
15 … Qh3+ 16 Kg1 Nf3+ 17 Kh1

17 … Qxh2 mate
Black could have taken the queen on d2, but checkmate is stronger!

Points to Remember
1) Bishop to c5, then knight to f6 – bishop first, then knight! This way of developing the kingside pieces prevents White
from playing 4 Ng5.
2) Be prepared to meet the knight coming to g5 by castling kingside, which defends the f7-pawn in the most natural way.
3) The Ng5 attack is normally only a good idea if your opponent can’t defend the f7-pawn by castling.

A Powerful Pin
Let’s consider what could happen if White doesn’t play Ng5 and instead carries on developing.
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Bc5 4 d3 Nf6 5 Nc3
This is a much better move than 5 Ng5.
5 … d6!
With this pawn move, Black gets ready to develop the light-squared bishop. You’ll
notice that the position is now completely symmetrical, with both sides having played
exactly the same moves.
6 0-0
Castling as soon as possible is nearly always a good idea, but there are some exceptions
– and this is one of them!
6 … Bg4!

Note: This pin on the knight is often a powerful weapon in the Italian Game.

The problem for White is that it’s impossible to break the pin without weakening the
king. If the queen moves to either e1 or d2, to escape the pin, Black simply takes the
knight and forces White to recapture with the g-pawn, leaving the king exposed. White
could also break the pin by attacking the bishop with pawns, with 7 h3 Bh5 8 g4, but
moving the g-pawn up to g4 also exposes the king.
There’s no simple solution to this problem, and furthermore Black has another strong
move coming up. Let’s see how the game progresses if White is unaware of Black’s
intentions.
7 Bg5?!
This is a very natural reply by White, who creates his own pin.


Exercise: Find a good move for Black here.

Answer: 7 … Nd4!

Tip: Put pressure on the pinned piece! (A catchy phrase I became aware of after
students discovered it on the website Chesskid.com.)

Black attacks the pinned knight for a second time. Now when the knight is captured,
White will be forced to take back with the pawn, leaving the king on g1 open and
vulnerable to attack. On the previous move, White should have chosen 7 Be3! instead of 7
Bg5, to take the knight if it jumps into d4.
Black is already doing well in this position. Let’s go through some moves from a
student’s training game:
8 Nd5
White copies Black and attacks the pinned knight on f6.
8 … c6 9 Nxf6+ gxf6 10 Bh4
The bishop retreats and keeps the pin on the f6-pawn.
10 … Nxf3+ 11 gxf3 Bh3!
The bishop threatens the rook on f1.
 12 Re1 Rg8+!
Following the knight exchanges on the f6- and f3-squares, the g-file is now completely
open. Only White’s king is in danger, though, because earlier on White castled kingside
whereas Black didn’t!

Exercise: Find a strong idea for Black if White gets out of check by playing 13 Kh1.

Answer: If 13 Kh1, Black plays 13 … Bg2+! 14 Kg1 and now 14 … Bxf3+!. It’s a discovered check and Black wins
the queen.
13 Bg3!
Blocking the check is definitely the best choice, but the bishop on g3 is now pinned to
its king by Black’s rook. How can Black take advantage of this?

Note: When a piece is pinned to its king, it’s often called an absolute pin.

13 … h5!
 Remember, put pressure on the pinned piece! Black’s threat is to play … h4, winning
the pinned bishop.
14 Kh1
White defends against the threat of … h4, by moving the king to break the pin.
14 … h4!
Black plays the move anyway!

Note: This time Black is using a different tactic, called deflection. Black uses the pawn to force the bishop off the g-
file.

15 Bxh4 Bg2+!
And this is why! With the bishop removed from g3, it’s now safe to play this powerful
check we saw earlier.
16 Kg1 Bxf3+


Discovered check! Black again wins the queen.

Points to Remember
1) If White doesn’t play Ng5, don’t castle straightaway.
2) Play … d6 and, if possible, pin the knight with … Bg4. This is a good idea for Black,
especially if White has castled.
3) Aim to put more pressure on White’s pinned knight by playing … Nd4.

Let’s go back and consider a better option for White than castling:
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Bc5 4 d3 Nf6 5 Nc3 d6 6 Bg5!
 This is a wise choice. This time it’s White who is first to create a pin.

Exercise: If Black now castles, how should White respond?

Answer: 6 … 0-0 is met by 7 Nd5!, attacking the pinned knight. When White takes the knight on f6, Black will have
to recapture with the pawn which will leave the king on g8 badly exposed. I’ve seen this idea carried out so many times
in junior games, and it’s worth repeating just how strong it is!
Let’s go through what Black should play instead:
6 … h6!
Black threatens the bishop, and White has a decision to make: either retreat the bishop
or trade it for the knight.
7 Bh4
Pins are powerful tactical weapons so it’s natural to want to maintain a pin, and that’s
what White does with 7 Bh4.
The alternative is 7 Bxf6 Qxf6. In this position White can play 8 Nd5! which forks the
queen and the pawn on c7. Fortunately for Black, 8 … Qd8! defends against both threats.
White’s has a strong knight in the centre of the board, but later on Black could aim to
exchange it with … Ne7.
7 … g5!

This isn’t the only option for Black (7 … Bg4! is another move), but it’s a good choice.
By moving the g-pawn forward, Black manages to break the awkward pin.
But isn’t it risky to move this pawn? Won’t Black’s king become exposed when it
castles kingside? The answer: Black no longer has any intention of castling kingside!
Notice that the central files are blocked by pawns, so the black king is quite safe in the
centre for the moment, and soon Black will be able to castle safely on the queenside.
8 Bg3 Bg4!
After breaking White’s pin, we create one of our own!
9 h3 Bh5

White can’t break the pin with g2-g4 because the bishop is in the way. As mentioned above, Black may soon move
the queen from d8 and castle on the queenside, and … Nd4 is coming too.

Points to Remember
1) If White plays Bg5 to pin the knight, it’s usually a good idea to attack it with … h6.
2) If after … h6 the bishop retreats to h4, it’s often safe to break the pin with … g5 if the black king hasn’t castled yet
kingside and can still castle queenside.

A Sacrifice to Remember
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Bc5 4 d3 Nf6 5 Nc3 d6 6 Bg5 h6 7 Bh4 g5
Let’s return to the position after 7 … g5, because there’s another possibility we need to
consider. Instead of retreating the bishop, White could decide to take the pawn:
8 Nxg5!? hxg5 9 Bxg5
 White has sacrificed a knight for two pawns, in order to keep the pin on the knight. The
pin is more powerful than before, because the knight is no longer protected by a pawn.
White’s huge threat here it is to attack the knight for a second time with Nd5. Fortunately
for Black, there’s a way to escape White’s threat:
9 … Rg8!
The rook attacks the bishop, which must be defended.
10 h4 Bb4!
Another pin! This one prevents Nd5.
11 Qf3
White uses the queen to make a second attack on the pinned knight.
11 … Rg6!
Black defends the knight with the rook and keeps an advantage. The sacrifice didn’t
turn out to be successful here, but it’s definitely worth remembering the idea because the
possibility arises in many similar positions.

Before moving on, let’s play through a game which illustrates some points we’ve already talked about. This game
was played over 140 years ago and it lasted only 14 moves, but it was truly memorable!

Game 1
V.Knorre-M.Chigorin
St. Petersburg 1874

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Bc5 4 0-0 Nf6 5 d3 d6 6 Bg5 h6 7 Bh4 g5!

Mikhail Chigorin understood the importance of breaking the pin. He realized it was
safe to move the g-pawn forward because he hadn’t castled kingside.
8 Bg3

Here I would recommend playing 8 … Bg4!, pinning the white knight to the queen.
Black will move the queen, castle queenside and then try to attack White’s king.
Despite the fact that that 8 … Bg4! is a good move, Chigorin chose to play something
else. It’s lucky for us that he did so, because it means we can all witness a game
containing some amazing ideas!
8 … h5!?
With this move Black threatens to trap the bishop by playing … h4. However, there’s
definitely some risk involved – the pawn on g5 is no longer defended, so White can take
it.
9 Nxg5
White’s knight takes a free pawn and also targets Black’s weak spot. White’s threat is
Nxf7, forking Black’s king and queen.
8 … h5 had originally been played by Wilhelm Steinitz in an earlier game. His
opponent played 9 h4 (instead of 9 Nxg5), denying Steinitz the chance to try out the
incredible idea seen in this game.

Did you know? Wilhelm Steinitz was the first official and undisputed World Chess Champion. Mikhail Chigorin
was one of his greatest rivals, and they twice fought for the World title with Steinitz victorious on both occasions.

9 … h4!
 10 Nxf7
White executes his threat to fork the queen and the rook. Both sides are attacking each
other at the same time.
10 … hxg3!
 Another surprise! This is an incredible move. Black is willing to sacrifice his queen so
that he can carry on with his attack!
11 Nxd8 Bg4! 12 Qd2 Nd4!

Black chases White’s king and ignores everything else. He threatens … Ne2+ followed
by … Rxh2 mate, and White prevents this with his next move.
There are some wonderful possibilities and checkmating patterns here. One of these is
13 h3 Ne2+ 14 Kh1? (White should sacrifice his queen with 14 Qxe2! Bxe2 when there’s
still everything to play for) and now Black forces checkmate with the help of a rook
sacrifice: 14 … Rxh3+ 15 gxh3 Bf3 mate!
13 Nc3?

Exercise (difficult): Chigorin’s next move is yet another sacrifice, and it leads to a forced checkmate. See if you can
work out what he played.

Answer: 13 … Nf3+!!
White has no choice but to capture the knight, as 14 Kh1 would be answered by 14 …
Rxh2 checkmate.
14 gxf3 Bxf3! 0-1
 The final position deserves another diagram. Despite being a queen (and a pawn!) ahead, Chigorin’s opponent
resigned the game! Black threatens to checkmate with … gxh2, and there’s no escape. 15 fxg3 is illegal (the f-pawn is
pinned), 15 hxg3 allows 15 … Rh1 mate, 15 h3 is met by … Rxh3 followed by … Rh1 mate and, finally, moving the
rook from f1 to give the king an escape square is met by … gxh2+ followed by … h1Q mate – in this last case Black
even gets his queen back! Counterattacks by White such as 15 Bf7+ Kxd8 only delay the inevitable checkmate.

Opening a File
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Bc5 4 d3 Nf6 5 Nc3 d6
 There’s one major problem both sides are faced with in this line of the Italian Game –
there are no early pawn exchanges. The position is in danger of remaining blocked, and
it’s not easy to get your rooks into the game when there are no open files. For this reason,
I’ll be recommending a more exciting way to play with the white pieces in Chapter Two.
However, there is a possible way to create an open file, even without a pawn exchange,
and here we’ll see how that may be achieved.
From this position we’ve already considered possibilities after 6 0-0 Bg4! and 6 Bg5
h6!. Another common and very sensible move here is:
6 h3
This pawn move prevents Black from playing … Bg4. Black could follow suit with 6
… h6, but another ideas is:
6 … Be6!
 Black offers a trade of bishops. Let’s see what could happen if White decides to capture
on e6.
7 Bxe6 fxe6 8 0-0 0-0

Black has certainly benefitted the most from the bishop exchange on e6. The main
consequence of the trade is that the f-file has opened for Black. The rook on f8 is suddenly
alive, and Black may use it to attack on the kingside. White’s rooks, on the other hand,
still have no open files.

Did you know? When a file is open for one side, but not for the other, it is called a half-open file.

Another consequence of the bishop exchange is that Black has got doubled e-pawns.
Doubled pawns are sometimes undesirable because they cannot protect each other and are
easy to attack, but here that isn’t the case. Here they help to form a strong centre of pawns
which control many important squares including d5.
Let’s take a look at how the game could unfold:
9 Bg5
White pins the knight to the queen.
9 … Qe8!
This is an excellent move. The queen escapes the pin and is ready to go to h5 or g6. If
White captures the knight on f6, Black will recapture with the rook.
10 Re1 Nh5!

The rook is unleashed! Next up, the queen will go to g6 and Black’s pieces will team up
in a kingside attack. Black could even consider … Rf7 and … Raf8, doubling rooks on the
f-file. If White plays 11 Qd2?, Black can even sacrifice a rook for an knight, in order to
blow open White’s king:
11 … Rxf3! 12 gxf3 Nd4!

Black threatens a family fork with … Nxf3!.
13 Qd1 Qg6!
Pinning the bishop to the king.
14 h4 Rf8 15 Re3 h6
Black’s wins the bishop on g5 and the attack on White’s king continues. It’s certainly
true that White could have played better in this example. However, after the exchange on
e6 Black is the one with the attacking possibilities and his position is much easier to play
than White’s.

That last example worked out very well for Black, so let’s return to the position after 6 …
Be6 and look for better moves by White:
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Bc5 4 d3 Nf6 5 Nc3 d6 6 h3 Be6
Exchanging bishops on e6 only seemed to help Black, so generally White should try to
avoid this. The bishop on c4 is protected, so there’s no threat and White could simply
castle here. Another common move is:
7 Bb3!

The idea is that if Black captures on b3, White recaptures with the a2-pawn and it’s
White who gets an open file for the rook on a1. We may get a situation where neither side
wants to be the one to trade bishops, so they remain opposing each other for a while!
Here’s a possible line:
7 … h6 8 Be3
White offers the exchange of bishops. If Black captures on e3, White will be the one
who gets an open f-file for the rooks.
8 … Bb6!
So the bishop retreats, just like White did with 7 Bb3. If White takes on b6, Black
recaptures with the a-pawn and activates the rook on a8. The position is again completely
symmetrical!
9 0-0
If you are playing with the black pieces here, you could follow suit and castle kingside,
after which either side may look to eventually open up the centre by moving the d-pawn
(d4 by White or … d5 by Black). You could also choose to break the symmetry and liven
up the game by playing:
9 … Qd7!?
Black intends to castle queenside and then attack the white king. You could try to open
lines on the kingside with … g5-g4, and in some positions you could also consider
exposing White’s king with the sacrifice … Bxh3. Similarly, White will aim to attack
Black’s king on the queenside.
Points to Remember
1) Black can try to gain some activity by playing … Be6. If White captures on e6, Black
gets an open f-file for the rooks to use. White can do the same, by playing Be3.
2) There’s no obligation to exchange bishops and open up a file for your opponent. White
can meet … Be6 with Bb3, and if Black takes on b3 it is White who gets the open file.
 Chapter Two
The Italian Game for Both Sides
In the previous chapter we looked at the Italian Game mainly from Black’s viewpoint, and in particular how Black
should play after 3 … Bc5 4 d3. In this chapter I’m going to recommend a more exciting way to play when we have the
white pieces, but we’ll also consider how to play against it when we are Black!

Aim for d4!

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Bc5 4 c3!

4 c3 is a good move and a much more ambitious choice than 4 d3. One of the key
principles of opening play is to control the centre, and with 4 c3 White is following this
principle. White’s idea is to build a pawn centre by playing d2-d4. Advancing the pawn to
d4 will also gain time by attacking the black bishop on c5, thus forcing it to move again.
4 … Nf6!
The best reply. Black follows the principle, ‘Develop with a threat’. The knight attacks
the pawn on e4, which can no longer be protected by Nc3.
4 … d6 is met by 5 d4!. Black should exchange pawns on d4 here, because after 5 …
Bb6? 6 dxe5! dxe5 7 Qxd8+ White wins a pawn after either 7 … Kxd8 8 Bxf7 or 7 …
Nxd8 8 Nxe5. Alternatively, 6 … Nxe5 7 Nxe5 dxe5 allows the deflection tactic 8 Bxf7+!,
again winning a pawn, because 8 … Kxf7?? loses the queen to 9 Qxd8.

Note: There are many tactical possibilities after 4 c3, as the position opens up quickly.

5 d4

White carries out the intended plan. Black doesn’t have time to capture the pawn on e4
because the bishop is threatened.
5 … exd4!

Tip: In 1 e4 e5 openings, if White plays d2-d4 very early on, Black should nearly always reply … exd4.

Other choices are bad. 5 … Bd6? defends the pawn on e5 but the bishop is very poorly
placed on d6 because it blocks the d-pawn and makes it difficult for Black to develop the
bishop on c8.

Exercise: Find a tactical idea for White after 5 … Bb6 6 dxe5 Nxe4.

Answer: 7 Qd5! is a fork: White threatens both checkmate with Qxf7 and the knight on e4. After 7 … Bxf2+ 8 Ke2
0-0 9 Qxe4 White has won a knight. Another tactical idea is 7 Bxf7+ Kxf7 8 Qd5+! Kf8 9 Qxe4 and White has won a
pawn, but 7 Qd5! wins more.
6 cxd4
 White recaptures with the pawn so that the bishop is again attacked. There are other
options here for White, and we will look at those later on.
6 … Bb4+!
This is a wise choice. By checking White’s king, Black makes sure not to lose precious
time.
After 6 … Bb6 White could defend the e4-pawn with 7 Nc3 or, even better, attack the
knight with 7 e5!.
7 Bd2
 White blocks the check and attacks the bishop. 7 Nc3 is another option here – we’ll
look at this later.
7 … Bxd2+
There’s an important tactical idea to remember here. Black could capture the
undefended pawn with 7 … Nxe4!?, but White wins back the pawn by playing 8 Bxb4
Nxb4 9 Bxf7+! Kxf7 10 Qb3+. The queen forks the king on f7 and the knight on b4, so
White regains the piece.

Note: In the Italian Game, positions are alive with tactical ideas involving the weak point on f7.

8 Nbxd2!
By recapturing with the knight, White protects the e4-pawn.
8 … d5!
Another good move. With 8 … d5, Black strikes back in the centre – one of White’s
centre pawns will be exchanged. In addition, the bishop on c8 is freed.
9 exd5 Nxd5

Both sides are developing their pieces and are ready to castle. Notice that the two pawn
exchanges have opened up the position and this allows both sides to move their pieces
freely.

Tip: Young players should aim to play open positions as much as possible. In open positions, the pieces are not
blocked by pawns, they become active and many tactical ideas arise. Gaining experience in open positions helps you to
develop and improve your tactical skills.

Let’s take a look at a game which reached the position after 9 … Nxd5. This game was played at the 2016 World
Youth Chess Championship.

Game 2
V.Gazikova-Wu Min
World Girls’ Under-18, Khanty-Mansiysk 2016

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Bc5 4 c3 Nf6 5 d4 exd4 6 cxd4 Bb4+ 7 Bd2 Bxd2+ 8 Nbxd2 d5 9 exd5 Nxd5 10 Qb3!
 Castling kingside is obviously a good move too, but 10 Qb3 keeps up the pressure by
creating new threats. White threatens the knight on d5, and the knight cannot move
because that would allow Bxf7+. Again we see ideas involving Black’s weak point on f7.

Note: Another benefit of playing 4 c3 is that it allows the queen to move to b3, where it teams up with the bishop on
c4.

10 … Na5
Black meets the threat with a counterattack on White’s queen.
10 … Be6 defends the knight but now the b7-pawn is unprotected and White could
grab it with 11 Qxb7. Black could react with 11 … Ndb4!, which threatens to trap White’s
queen with … Rb8 and also a fork with … Nc2+. White responds with 12 Bb5! reaching a
very complicated position where both sides are making threats.
10 … Nce7, supporting one knight with the other, is another good choice for Black.
Both sides will castle and the chances are equal.
11 Qa4+!
White’s queen forks the king and the knight, but Black can escape the threats.
11 … Nc6!
 12 Bb5
The bishop attacks the knight on c6 for a second time and creates another threat.

Note: 12 Qb3 would reach the same position as we had after 10 Qb3. If the game continued 12 … Na5 13 Qa4+ Nc6
14 Qb3, the same position would arise for the third time and it could result in the game being drawn by the threefold
repetition rule. When playing with the black pieces, you can avoid the repetition of moves by choosing to protect the
knight with 10 … Nce7 or 10 … Be6.

12 … Bd7!
Black calmly defends and unpins the knight. In the next few moves both sides continue
to activate their pieces while creating some threats.
13 0-0 0-0 14 Qb3 Nb6 15 Ne4 Ne7 16 Bd3 Be6 17 Qc2
 Once again, White lines up the queen and the bishop on the same diagonal. When the
knight moves from e4, the bishop will be threatening to take the pawn on h7. Black
defends against this idea by moving the pawn forward.

Note: When two or more pieces combine to attack along the same file or diagonal, it’s sometimes called a battery.
This is an example of a queen and bishop battery.

17 … h6 18 Nc5!
The knight is well placed on this square. It’s situated on an advanced central position, is
protected by one of its own pawns and threatens to take the pawn on b7.
18 … Bd5!
 Black’s bishop is also
strongly placed. It defends the b7-pawn and attacks White’s knight on f3.

19 Be4
Getting rid of your opponent’s most active pieces is usually a good idea, and here
White decides to offer an exchange of bishops. Nxb7 is again threatened, so Black defends
the pawn.
19 … Rb8 20 Rfe1! Nd7 21 Rac1!
White’s last two moves were both smart choices. Rooks love open files, so putting the
rooks on e1 and c1 is a very natural thing to do. All of White’s pieces are active and
working well as a team.
21 … c6 22 Bxd5 Nxd5?
22 … cxd5! would have prevented White’s next move.


Exercise: Here Gazikova played a small combination which won a pawn. Can you work out what she did?

Answer: 23 Nxb7!
After 23 … Rxb7 24 Qxc6! the queen threatens the rook on b7 and the knight on d5.
Following 24 … Rxb2 25 Qxd5, White regains the piece and is a pawn ahead. In the game
Black chooses not to take the knight but still ends up a pawn down.

Note: A combination is a sequence of moves which involves at least one tactical idea. A combination may lead to a
gain of material or even checkmate.

23 … Nb4 24 Nxd8 Nxc2 25 Rxc2 Rfxd8 26 Rxc6 Rxb2 27 Rd6!
The tactical themes continue. This pin on the knight is awkward for Black.
27 … Rbb8 28 g3!
This pawn move gives the king an escape square on g2 and so prevents any future
back-rank mate problems.
28 … Kf8 29 Rc1 Ke7 30 Rd5 Ke6 31 Ra5 Rb7 32 Re1+ Kf6 33 Rd5! Rbb8?
Black fails to spot White’s idea. The best option was 33 … g6, to give the king a safe
escape square on g7.
34 Rd6+!
 Black’s king is forced up the board, where it will be exposed to all sorts of checks and
has little chance of surviving.

34 … Kf5 35 Nh4+! Kg4
One possible finish is 35 … Kg5 36 Rd5+ Kf6 37 Rf5 mate!
36 Kg2 Rb5 37 Re7!
Excellent play to the end. White continues to combine threats against Black’s pieces
with threats to surround and checkmate the black king.
37 … g5 38 h3+ Kh5 39 g4+! 1-0
 Black resigned. The only move is 39 … Kxh4, but then 40 Rxh6 is checkmate. Gazikova played skilfully in this
game. She activated and coordinated her pieces, put her opponent under pressure by creating many threats and took her
chances when they arose.

Points to Remember
1) 4 c3! followed by d2-d4 is a more exciting way for White to play the Italian Game.
2) As Black, you should play 4 … Nf6! to attack the e4-pawn, exchange on d4, and then check with the bishop on b4.
By doing this, you don’t lose time and can strike in the centre with 8 … d5!.
3) The positions after 8 … d5 are quite open, with both sides able to move their pieces freely.

Møller Attack
Let’s return to the position after 6 … Bb4+, and consider another option for White:
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Bc5 4 c3 Nf6 5 d4 exd4 6 cxd4 Bb4+ 7 Nc3!?
 This is a gambit for White called the Møller Attack, and it’s an alternative to the safer 7
Bd2.

Note: A gambit is an opening where a player gives up material (usually a pawn), in return for something else. This
could be a lead in development, control of the centre, chances for a quick attack, or a mixture of these things.

By playing 7 Nc3, White is willing to give up a pawn, and sometimes more, to get
ahead in development and aim for a quick attack. The Møller Attack is quite a popular
choice among young players and it can lead to some fascinating positions.
7 … Nxe4!
The knight on c3 is pinned, so Black is able to take the e4-pawn.
8 0-0!
White continues to develop and offers Black the chance to win a second pawn, as the knight on c3 is attacked twice. Let’s see what happens if Black
takes the bait:

8 … Nxc3 9 bxc3 Bxc3?

Warning: This gambit is dangerous – it’s very easy for Black to go wrong.

Black is now two pawns ahead, the bishop is attacking the rook on a1, and yet Black is
in big danger! The key points here are:
1) White’s pieces are becoming very active; and
2) Black’s king is still in the centre and vulnerable to checks because the e-file is
completely open.
One good option for White here is 10 Ba3! which prevents Black from castling.

Exercise: What should White play if Black takes the rook on a1 here?

Answer: 10 … Bxa1? is met by 11 Re1+! and White wins the queen after 11 … Ne7 12 Bxe7. Black isn’t forced to
take the rook on a1, but White’s attack is strong in any case. For example, 10 … d6 may be met by 11 Rc1 Ba5 12 Qa4!
and White threatens to win a piece by playing d4-d5.
As well as 10 Ba3!, White can also play 10 Qb3!.
This queen move threatens both the bishop on c3 and the pawn on f7. Again Black
could take the rook, but 10 … Bxa1 11 Bxf7+! leaves Black’s king in big trouble. 11 …
Ke7? would allow 12 Bg5+!, skewering the king to the queen, but even after 11 … Kf8 12
Bg5! is still very strong. Black can only block the attack with 12 … Ne7 but after 13 Re1!
White’s threats are too strong.
 In summary, when you are playing with the black pieces, this is something you definitely need to avoid!

How to meet the Møller Attack

Let’s go back and investigate what Black should do when faced with the Møller Attack:
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Bc5 4 c3 Nf6 5 d4 exd4 6 cxd4 Bb4+ 7 Nc3 Nxe4 8 0-0

Tip: When facing a gambit like this, you should:

1) Catch up on development;
2) Castle as soon as possible;
3) Avoid being greedy and grabbing more pawns.

8 … Bxc3!
This is definitely the best choice here. The key point is that after White recaptures on
c3, you won’t be faced with any immediate threat and this gives you time to catch up with
development and get castled.
9 bxc3 d5!

Note: … d5 is a key move. Black gains time by threatening the bishop on c4, protects the knight on e4 and frees the
bishop on c8 – a triple-purpose move!

9 … Nxc3? is an example of a greedy pawn grab that Black must avoid. White could
immediately punish this gluttony for pawns by playing 10 Qe1+!, which forks the king
and the knight.
10 Bd3 0-0!
 Black has managed to castle and will continue with moves such as … Re8 and … Bf5
(or … Bg4). Both sides can develop freely but Black is a safe pawn ahead and so has an
advantage.
That all looked fairly straightforward: take the pawn on e4, take the knight with the
bishop and then play … d5 and … 0-0!. However, it’s not quite that simple, because White
has another option. Let’s take a look:
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Bc5 4 c3 Nf6 5 d4 exd4 6 cxd4 Bb4+ 7 Nc3 Nxe4 8 0-0 Bxc3
So far, so good. But now for something unexpected!
9 d5!
 White doesn’t recapture on c3! This amazing move is actually the main line of the
Møller Attack. White is temporarily a piece and a pawn down but is threatening the bishop
and the knight. Let’s find a way for Black to navigate through the complications.
9 … Ne5!
The knight escapes the attack and also threatens the bishop on c4 – another dual-
purpose move.
Another solid option for Black is 9 … Bf6! 10 Re1 Ne7 11 Rxe4 d6. One line from here
continues 12 Bg5 Bxg5 13 Nxg5 h6 14 Qe2! hxg5 15 Re1 Be6 16 dxe6 f6. In this strange-
looking position, it is Black who has the advantage – it’s not easy for White to attack the
king because of the blocked files, and Black is still a pawn ahead. However, in my view 9
… Ne5 is less complicated and a little bit easier to learn.
10 bxc3
10 Qe2 0-0 11 bxc3 Nxc4 12 Qxe4 reaches the same position.
10 … Nxc4 11 Qd4!
 White’s queen forks both knights and also the pawn on g7. By playing 11 … Ncd6
Black could defend both knights, but then 12 Qxg7 gives White a strong attack, and Black
should avoid this. Check out this incredible line: 12 … Qf6 13 Qxf6 Nxf6 14 Re1+ Kf8 15
Bh6+ Kg8 16 Re5! (White threatens checkmate with Rg5) 16 … Nde4 17 Nd2! d6 18
Nxe4! dxe5 19 Nxf6 mate! This amazing checkmate is worthy of a diagram:
 This beautiful finish is what White dreams about when playing the Møller Attack. Now
let’s get back to reality!
11 … 0-0!
The safest and the best move. You give back the piece so that you can castle safely.
Don’t forget, Black is still a pawn ahead!
12 Qxe4 Nd6

Black has safely castled and can solve the problem of how to develop the bishop by
playing … b6 followed by … Ba6 or … Bb7. White’s pieces are a bit more active than
Black’s at the moment, but Black’s position is solid and he remains a pawn ahead.

Finally, it’s worth mentioning one further idea for White:
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Bc5 4 c3 Nf6 5 d4 exd4 6 cxd4 Bb4+ 7 Nbd2!?

This is similar to the Møller Attack, but with the knight moving to d2 instead of c3.
7 … Nxe4
Black can also decline the gambit: 7 … d5 8 exd5 Nxd5 9 0-0 0-0 with equal chances.
8 d5 Ne7 9 0-0 Nxd2 10 Bxd2 Bxd2 11 d6!
This is an important zwischenzug, sacrificing another pawn to disrupt Black’s
development.
After the obvious 11 Qxd2 d6! 12 Rfe1 0-0 Black has no problems completing
development and is a safe pawn ahead.

Note: ‘Zwischenzug’ is a chess term from the German language. It means an ‘in-between move’ which appears in the
middle of a sequence of apparently forced moves such as captures and recaptures. A zwischenzug is usually an
immediate threat that must be answered by the opponent.

11 … cxd6 12 Qxd2 d5! 13 Bxd5 0-0
 12 … d5! was clever anti-
gambit strategy. Black returns one pawn in order to help his development. He will now be able to move the pawn from
d7 to free the bishop. White has more active pieces, Black an extra pawn, and chances are about equal.
The Møller Attack leads to some amazing positions, but it’s not an easy line to play with White. You have to
memorize long sequences which contain some unusual moves, and in the main line Black is at least equal, and probably
has the advantage. I wouldn’t recommend playing the Møller Attack with White, as there are more suitable options
available.

Points to Remember
1) The Møller Attack with 7 Nc3 Nxe4 8 0-0 is a dangerous gambit, and Black has to be careful not to fall into traps.
2) 8 … Bxc3! is the best move for Black, intending to meet 9 bxc3 with 9 … d5! followed by castling.
3) White can keep the gambit alive by playing 9 d5!, but Black is fine – as long as you don’t get too greedy!

Attack with e5!

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Bc5 4 c3 Nf6 5 d4 exd4 6 e5!

Recommended! 6 e5 is a good alternative to 6 cxd4, and a move I can wholeheartedly recommend to play as White.

Instead of immediately recapturing on d4, White threatens Black’s knight with the e-
pawn. It’s very easy for Black to go wrong in this position (a good reason to play it as
White!), but if Black is careful we reach an interesting position with level chances. Unlike
the Møller Attack, many grandmasters have played this line with 6 e5, which vouches for
its soundness.

Note: The pawn push e4-e5, attacking the knight on f6, is a key idea for White in 1 e4 e5 openings.

Let’s look at possible knight moves:

a) 6 … Ng4?!
I’ve seen this knight move played many times. It’s tempting to threaten the pawn on e5,
but it’s not a good choice because on g4 the knight is exposed to attack.
7 cxd4
White takes back on d4, which is a natural choice, but there are other options.
In the opening, we should always look out for tactical possibilities based on the
opponent’s weak point, and there’s an opportunity here for White. 7 Ng5 unleashes a
discovered attack on the knight on g4, and also threatens Nxf7 or Bxf7+. This looks like a
powerful idea, until we see that Black can defend against both threats with 7 … Ngxe5!.
However, if we look more closely we find that we can carry out a combination with a
similar idea: 7 Bxf7+! Kxf7 8 Ng5+ Ke8 9 Qxg4. White has regained the piece and
Black’s king is no longer able to castle.

Tip: If a tactical idea doesn’t quite work, try to adjust it – for example by reversing the order of the moves.
Sometimes some fine-tuning is all you need!

7 … Bb4+ 8 Nc3!

This is a great position for White, who has certainly benefitted from chasing Black’s knight away from its favourite
f6-square. On g4 the knight is vulnerable to attack. For example, after 8 … 0-0 White could threaten the knight again
with 9 h3!, forcing it to the edge of the board. After 9 … Nh6 White could even play 10 Bxh6 gxh6 to smash open the
defence around Black’s king.

b) 6 … Ne4?!
This is a more central square than g4, but the knight is still vulnerable to attack and White has a very strong move here:
7 Bd5!
 The bishop not only threatens the vulnerable knight but also prevents Black from
defending it with … d5. The knight has no safe square to go to, and Black has only one
way to defend it:
7 … f5
This saves the knight, but there are terrible consequences. Black is no longer able to castle kingside as White’s
dominant bishop on d5 attacks the g8-square, and Black’s king is permanently exposed. To demonstrate how promising
this position is for White, and how difficult it is for Black, take a look at the following game:

Game 3
A.Ashton-G.Keeling
British League 2002

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 exd4 4 Bc4 Bc5 5 c3 Nf6 6 e5 Ne4?! 7 Bd5! f5

Black’s best chance after 7 Bd5 may well be to sacrifice the knight with 7 … Nxf2!? 8
Kxf2. Black can follow up with the discovered check 8 … dxc3+ and after 9 Kf1 cxb2 10
Bxb2 0-0 11 Nc3 he has three pawns in exchange for the knight and White can no longer
castle. White definitely still has some advantage, though, as his pieces are so active.
 8 0-0
White could simply recapture on d4 here, and after 8 cxd4 Bb4+ 9 Nbd2 Black still has
a major problem of what to do with the king on e8. In the game, Ashton chooses instead to
gambit a pawn in order to start his attack more quickly, a decision that proves to be fully
justified.
8 … dxc3 9 Nxc3 Nxc3 10 bxc3
The threats are already starting to mount. White wants to play Ng5, so Black prevents
this with his next move.
10 … h6 11 Nd4!
Now there’s an even bigger threat: Qh5+ followed by Qf7 mate. This is like a much
scarier version of the four-move mate!
11 … Ne7
Black defends with the knight. By protecting g6, Black is ready to meet Qh5+ with …
g6.

Exercise: Ashton now played a combination to win a vital pawn and leave him with a decisive advantage. Can you
see what it is?

Answer: 12 Nxf5!
Black cannot capture the knight because this would allow the queen and bishop
checkmate: 12 … Nxf5 13 Qh5+! Ke7 14 Qf7 mate.

Note: The knight on e7 protected the pawn on f5 and also the g6-square in case of Qh5+, but it can’t carry out both
defensive jobs. This type of piece is called an overloaded piece.

12 … Nxd5 13 Qxd5
Now White has two threats: taking the bishop on c5 and the pawn on g7. There’s only
one way for Black to meet both threats, but it’s not pretty!
13 … Bf8
 Both sides have played 13 moves, but it feels like Black has hardly played any!
14 Re1
This sets up another tactical idea. Can you see what White is planning?
14 … g6 15 Nd6+!
This is the idea! When Black captures the knight, White will recapture with the pawn
and it’s discovered check by the rook on e1.
15 … Bxd6 16 exd6+ Kf8 17 Re7! 1-0
 White is threatening checkmate with Qf7, and the only way Black can avoid it is by giving up his queen. Black was
never able to solve the huge problem with his king safety caused by 7 … f5.

How to meet the e5 Attack

If Black is struggling to reach a playable position after 6 … Ng4 and 6 … Ne4, where should we move the knight if
White plays 6 e5 - ? The answer, for the moment, is … nowhere! Let’s see what Black should do:
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Bc5 4 c3 Nf6 5 d4 exd4 6 e5 d5!
 Black ignores the threat against the knight and instead creates a counterattack against
White’s bishop. This is definitely the best way to play as Black.

Tip: Meeting e4-e5 with the counterattack … d5 is a key idea for Black in the Italian Game, so it’s well worth
remembering.

White has two choices: take the knight or move the bishop.
7 Bb5!
Moving the bishop is the best option, and on b5 the bishop pins the other knight to the
king.
It’s true that 7 exf6 dxc4 8 fxg7 Rg8 9 0-0 looks quite tempting for White at first. After
all, the e-file is open, Black’s king is still in the centre and Black certainly can’t castle
kingside anymore! However, after 9 … Rxg7 10 Re1+ Black can safely block the check
with 10 … Be6!.
 Black can then move the queen and make the king safe by castling on the queenside. If
anything, White’s king may be more exposed, as Black’s rook can attack it down the half-
open g-file, and once Black gets castled all his pieces will be active.
7 … Ne4!
With a pawn on d5 protecting the square, the knight’s position on e4 becomes more
secure.
8 cxd4
 White mustn’t forget to recapture this pawn!
8 … Bb6
By retreating to b6, the bishop remains attacking the d4-pawn. This pawn may become
vulnerable as it can’t be defended by another pawn.
The alternative is 8 … Bb4+ 9 Bd2 (9 Nbd2 is also possible) 9 … Nxd2 10 Nbxd2 0-0
11 0-0 with equal chances.
9 Nc3
White may also play 9 h3 here, to prevent … Bg4.
9 … 0-0 10 Be3
Both sides have developed well, and the chances are level. Let’s take a look at a recent game in this line, from an
international tournament:

Game 4
D.Forcen Estebano-I.Akash Pc
Escaldes 2017

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Bc5 4 c3 Nf6 5 d4 exd4 6 e5 d5 7 Bb5 Ne4 8 cxd4 Bb6 9 Nc3
As mentioned earlier, if you want to prevent … Bg4 you can play 9 h3 here.
9 … 0-0 10 Be3 Bg4!
As we’ve already seen on numerous occasions, this pin can be a powerful weapon.
11 h3!
 White’s idea is to meet 11 … Bxf3 with 12 gxf3! (so that the queen remains defending
the d4-pawn) 12 … Nxc3 13 bxc3 with a very interesting position. White’s kingside
pawns would be broken and the g-file half-open. This is why White delayed castling
kingside and played other developing moves first, such as 9 Nc3 and 10 Be3. White’s king
would be fairly safe behind the wall of centre pawns, and White could try to use the open
g-file himself to attack the black king.
11 … Bh5 12 Qc2 Bg6
Black threatens a discovered attack, so the queen moves again.
13 Qb3 Ne7 14 0-0 c6 15 Bd3 Nf5
 The tension is building. White could grab a pawn here with 16 Nxe4 dxe4 17 Bxe4, but
Black would win it back straightaway with 17 … Nxd4 18 Bxd4 Bxe4!. Instead White
brings a rook into action, and then finally we have a sequence of captures.
16 Rfe1 Nxe3 17 Rxe3 Nxc3 18 Bxg6 hxg6
18 … Nb5 is perhaps wiser, when the chances are equal. 19 Bc2! then sets a trap. Black
shouldn’t take the d-pawn because he gets forked at the end. For example, 19 … Nxd4 20
Nxd4 Bxd4 21 Qd3!, when the queen threatens both the bishop and the pawn on h7 with
checkmate!
19 bxc3!
A good move – now the pawn on d4 is far more secure.
19 … Qe7 20 Rae1 Rfe8
 At some moment White will want to advance the e5-pawn, to try to open the e-file for
his rooks. In the game White prepares the advance so that it comes with maximum effect.
Meanwhile, Black prepares the pawn move … c5, to open lines for his bishop.
21 h4 Rad8 22 g3 c5 23 Kg2 Qd7 24 Qb1!
The queen goes to an effective square, where she points towards Black’s kingside.

24 … Qg4
24 … Qf5, offering the exchange of queens, was wiser.
25 e6!
 White has manoeuvred his pieces skilfully, and now this pawn advance comes with
some force.
25 … Rxe6 26 Rxe6 fxe6 27 Re5!! 1-0
After this brilliant move, the game came to a sudden end, with Black deciding to
resign! He did so because the black queen has no safe squares to go to, and White is going
to trap it next move with Nh2!.
 The only possible way to avoid the queen being trapped is by playing 27 … g5, so that the queen could escape to h5,
but then White can win in a number of ways. The most decisive is 28 Qg6!; for example, 28 … Rf8 29 Nxg5
(threatening Qh7 mate) 29 … Rf6 30 Qh7+ Kf8 31 Qh8+ Ke7 32 Qxg7+ Kd6 33 Qxf6 and Black, a rook down, will
soon be checkmated.

Points to Remember
1) The pawn push 6 e5 is a recommended alternative to 6 cxd4, and a tricky move for Black to meet.
2) White should answer 6 … Ne4?! with 7 Bd5!, which traps the knight in the middle of the board. Black can defend the
knight with 7 … f5, but only at the cost of exposing the king.
3) Black’s best response to 6 e5 is the counterattack 6 … d5!, which leads to a position with equal chances.

Two More Gambits

Before finishing this section, I’d like to mention two other interesting gambit options for White:

Gambit A: 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Bc5 4 c3 Nf6 5 d4 exd4 6 0-0!?

 We’ve previously considered both 6 cxd4 and 6 e5, but White has a third option and
that is simply to castle. With the king safely tucked away, White is ready to play either
cxd4 and/or e4-e5 with greater force, so Black needs to respond accurately.
6 … Nxe4!
Capturing the pawn on e4 initially looks like a highly risky thing to do, because the
knight can be pinned against the king. However, 6 … Nxe4 is actually Black’s best move!
The key point is that 7 Re1 may be answered by the star move 7 … d5!, which not only
protects the knight but also attacks the bishop on c4.
Another option for Black, 6 … dxc3, is met strongly by 7 e5!.
 Black can easily end up falling for a tactical trick here:
a) 7 … Ne4? 8 Qd5! threatens mate on f7 and the knight on e4.
b) 7 … Ng4 8 Bxf7+! Kxf7 9 Qd5+ regains the piece with a fork and exposes Black’s
king.
c) Black’s best option is 7 … d5! (again we see this counterattack) 8 exf6 dxc4 9 fxg7
Rg8.
Let’s return to the position after 6 … Nxe4:
7 cxd4 d5!
 It’s amazing how many times the counterattack with … d5 is Black’s best option in the
Italian Game. If 7 … Bb6 there follows 8 d5! Ne7 9 Qe2, when White’s active pieces
make it a promising gambit.
8 dxc5!
White needs to open things up. After 8 Bb5 Bd6! Black will castle and be a safe pawn
ahead.
8 … dxc4 9 Qe2!
9 Qxd8+ is answered by 9 … Kxd8!, so that Re1 won’t pin the knight to the king. It’s
true that Black is no longer able to castle, but the exchange of queens diminishes White’s
attacking chances. After 10 Rd1+ Bd7 11 Be3 Ke7 12 Na3 Be6 Black has a small
advantage.
9 … Qd3!
 This queen move is a clever way to deal with the threat. White can still use the pin to regain the gambit pawn with 10
Re1, but after 10 … f5! 11 Nc3 0-0 12 Nxe4 fxe4 13 Qxe4 Bf5 Black’s development is completed and chances are equal.

Gambit B: 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Bc5 4 0-0 Nf6 5 d4!?

This is known as the Max Lange Gambit, and it’s another dangerous line for Black to
face. Let’s take a brief look at some possibilities:
 5 … Bxd4
There’s no completely safe way for Black to take the pawn on offer (if there was, it
would be a bad gambit!), but capturing with the bishop is probably the wisest choice.
5 … Nxd4 6 Nxe5 is risky, as after 6 … 0-0 7 Be3! the pin on the knight causes
problems. For example, 7 … Ne6 8 Bxe6! (removing the defender) 8 … Bxe3 9 Bxf7+!
and White wins material.
5 … exd4 is answered, as usual, by 6 e5! which in turn is met by the counterattack 6 …
d5!. The position explodes into life after 7 exf6 dxc4 8 fxg7 Rg8 9 Re1+.

Both sides have chances, although for young players I feel White’s position is easier to
play than Black’s. One continuation is 9 … Be6 10 Bg5 Be7 11 Bxe7 Qxe7 (or 11 …
Kxe7!?) 12 Nxd4 Rd8 13 c3.
6 Nxd4 Nxd4!
6 … exd4 is met by (you’ve guessed it!) 7 e5!. If 7 … Nxe5?, White pins and wins the
knight with 8 Re1! d6 9 f4!.
7 f4!
 The only way for White to justify the gambit is to open some lines, and this move
opens the f-file for the rook to use.
7 … d6!
Black solidly defends the e5-pawn, which holds the position together.
8 fxe5 dxe5 9 Bg5!
White continues to develop actively by pinning the knight to the queen.
9 … Qe7!
 Castling kingside would be risky for Black here, because he will have to meet any future Bxf6 by recapturing with
the g7-pawn. With 9 … Qe7, Black is preparing … Bd7 (or … Be6) and to castle on the queenside. The queen move also
introduces a sneaky idea of … Qc5, which would attack the bishop and threaten discovered checks.

Modern Italian
Some of you may prefer a quieter option, a game where the key battles are delayed until you have developed most or all
of your pieces. If you do, there is a good alternative to the early d2-d4 lines, and this is what we are going to consider
now.
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Bc5 4 c3 Nf6 5 d3
 Instead of advancing to d4, White settles for defending the e4-pawn with d3. At first
sight it may appear a little strange to choose d2-d3, when the plan behind 4 c3 seemed to
be to push the d-pawn two squares. However, White’s idea is to first develop the pieces
and only then carry out intended plans, and any future plan may well still involve pushing
the pawn to d4. In recent times this approach has been popular in games between
grandmasters, and it is often referred to as the Modern Italian.
Notice that there are many similarities between this line and the one we studied in
Chapter One. The only difference, in fact, is that White has a pawn on c3 rather than a
knight. It may seem strange to think that this change favours White, but it does! Let’s see
how by continuing with some natural moves:
5 … d6 6 0-0 Bg4
 Black pins the knight to the queen. This is such a natural move, and we’ve seen on
numerous occasions how powerful this pin can be. Yet here the pin isn’t dangerous at all.
In fact, it’s possibly unwise for Black to play … Bg4 here! How can this be? What’s so
different here to the positions we looked at in Chapter One? Well, firstly White’s c3-pawn
ensures that Black’s knight cannot go to d4 and increase the pressure on the pin – the
pawn on c3 does an effective job of restricting both the knight on c6 and the bishop on
c5.Secondly, after …
7 Nbd2!
… White’s knight on d2 protects its partner. This is convenient because now the queen
could safely escape the pin and let the knight on d2 recapture should Black’s bishop take
the f3-knight. However, White actually has something even more desirable in mind. Let’s
play a few more typical moves:
7 … 0-0 8 h3 Bh5 9 Re1!
 It’s true that the rook isn’t doing much on e1 at the moment, but it will come to life as
soon as some action happens in the centre. Also, 9 Re1 allows White to play his 11th
move (see below).
9 … a6 10 a4!
White creates a haven for the light-squared bishop, so that if Black plays … Na5 the
bishop can retreat to a2 and stay on the active a2-g8 diagonal.
10 … Qd7 11 Nf1!
This is a key move. The idea is to follow up with Ng3.
11 … h6
Black prevents Bg5.
12 Ng3!
 The g3-square is an excellent place for the knight. It attacks the bishop on h5, which
allows White to break the pin without creating any weaknesses. The knight also eyes f5,
which is a strong square for the knight close to the black king.

Note: The manoeuvre Nb1-d2-f1-g3 is a natural plan for White in the Modern Italian.

12 … Bg6
After 12 … Bxf3 13 Qxf3, the knight is ready to hop into the f5-square.
13 Nh4!
The other knight joins the action and supports an invasion on the f5-square.

Exercise: White has a huge threat here. What is it?

Answer: The threat is to take the bishop on g6 – Black can’t recapture as the f-pawn is pinned!
13 … Ne7
Black defends the bishop and also the f5-square.
14 Qf3!
 The queen joins the action. White’s pieces combine effectively and an attack against
Black’s king is on the cards. Instead of causing White problems, Black’s … Bg4 has just
encouraged White to attack on the kingside and gain time attacking the bishop while doing
so.

Exercise: White has created another threat. Can you see what it is?

Answer: White threatens the deflection tactic 15 Bxh6! gxh6 16 Qxf6, winning a key pawn in front of Black’s king.
Black could defend against the threat by playing 14 … Kh7 or 14 … Nh7.

In the Modern Italian, play is typically slower than in lines with an early d4. Both sides patiently build up and
manoeuvre their pieces into ideal positions, and only then do they attack. The following game, between two
grandmasters, illustrates a few typical ideas.

Game 5
P.Harikrishna-E.Bacrot
Biel 2017

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Bc5 4 c3

Tip: If you want to play the Modern Italian, there are a number of possible move orders. You can also castle here and
then follow up with d2-d3 and c2-c3.

4 … Nf6 5 d3 a6
This is a normal move, which creates a safe haven for the bishop on a7.
 6 0-0 d6 7 a4
White does the same thing for his bishop. If attacked by … Na5, the bishop can safely
retreat to the a2-square.
7 … Ba7

Black certainly doesn’t have to play this move (he could castle, for example), but by
doing so he ensures that the bishop won’t be threatened if White later plays d3-d4 or b2-
b4.

Note: The closed centre and the quiet nature of the position allow both players the time to make moves such as a2-
a4, … a7-a6 and … Ba7. If the position was open, it would be much more important to develop as quickly as possible,
but that isn’t the case here.

8 Re1 0-0 9 h3
Another typical move. White prevents the possibility of either … Ng4 or … Bg4.
9 … Ne7!
Black intends to move this knight to the g6-square. We already know that g3 is a strong
square for a white knight, and for the same reasons g6 is ideal for a black knight.
10 Nbd2
White’s knight begins its journey to g3.
10 … Ng6
Both sides will be looking to make a pawn break in the centre at the right moment. For
White, the pawn break is d3-d4, and for Black it’s … d6-d5. White could certainly play 11
d4 here, but instead Harikrishna carries on with the knight manoeuvre and it’s Bacrot who
advances in the centre first.
11 Nf1 c6 12 Bb3 d5 13 Ng3 Be6 14 exd5 Nxd5!

We’ve finally seen a pawn exchange, the position opens up a little, and so tactical
possibilities arise. Initially it appears that White can win a pawn here, by 15 Nxe5 Nxe5
16 Rxe5. However, Black then has the combination 16 … Bxf2+! 17 Kxf2 Qf6+!, forking
the king and the rook and winning material. This is why Bacrot recaptured on d5 with the
knight – he wanted to have the f6-square available for the queen to make the tactic work.
15 d4
White also makes a pawn break, and the position opens up even further. In open
positions, the player with the advantage is normally the one with the more active pieces,
and over the next few moves both sides aim to activate their pieces as much as possible.
15 … exd4 16 Nxd4 Qc7!
 17 Bxd5
If 17 Nxe6 Black has another tactic based on White’s weak point, the f2-pawn: 17 …
Bxf2+! 18 Kxf2 fxe6+ (discovered check!) 19 Kg1 Qxg3. Black has won a pawn, and if
White plays 20 Rxe6 then 20 … Nh4! creates many threats, the biggest one being … Qxg2
checkmate.
17 … Bxd5 18 Ndf5 Rad8
Rooks love open files, and this natural move also creates a threat to make a discovered
attack against the queen on d1. White responds by moving the queen to a good square.
19 Qg4 Be6 20 Be3 Bb8
Black could have exchanged the bishops on e3 but Bacrot chooses instead to keep his
bishop, a decision which soon proves to be justified. If White now plays 21 Rad1, both
sides’ pieces are well placed and the chances are equal. White’s next move, however,
proves to be a decisive mistake.
21 Bc5?

Exercise: Find a strong move for Black.

Answer: 21 … Bxf5! 22 Nxf5
White had to recapture with the knight, as 22 Qxf5 runs into 22 … Rd5!, forking the
queen and the bishop, but now Black’s queen, supported by the bishop on b8, is able to
give a huge check.
22 … Qh2+ 23 Kf1

Exercise: Find another strong move for Black.

Answer: 23 … Rd2!
The rook covers the e2-square, so now Black threatens to give checkmate with … Qh1.

Note: Rooks are often ideally placed on your seventh rank (your opponent’s second rank).

24 f4
Moving the f-pawn, allowing White to block with Bg1, was the only defence against
the mate threat of … Qh1. However, in the long run Black’s threats will be too much for
White to cope with.
24 … h5!
Bacrot attacks the queen, which has to remain defending the g2-pawn otherwise Black
checkmates with … Qxg2.
25 Qf3 Qh1+ 26 Bg1 Ba7!
White is getting attacked from all angles. The new threat is … Qxg1 mate, and White
has to give up material to stop it.

 27 Re3
An alternative line is 27 Ne3 Nh4! 28 Qg3 Bxe3 29 Rxe3 Rxg2! and White has to give
up the queen to avoid checkmate.
27 … Bxe3 28 Nxe3 Re8!
Another piece joins the attack!
29 Nc4 Rc2 0-1
 White resigned. There’s no safe defence to … Nh4 followed by … Rxg2 and a very quick mate.

Points to Remember
1) The Modern Italian is a good choice if, as White, you prefer to build up gradually and take action only once all the
pieces are developed.
2) The knight manoeuvre Nb1-d2-f1-g3 is a typical idea for White.
3) Once the pieces have been developed, often one or both sides will aim to advance in the centre, White with d4 and
Black with … d5.

Other Lines
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4
 Let’s take a brief look at what White should do if Black avoids 3 … Bc5 and 3 … Nf6.

a) 3 … h6?!
I’ve seen many young players choose 3 … h6. They are afraid of Ng5 and want to rule
it out completely. However, 3 … h6 doesn’t help Black’s development and ignores the key
principle, ‘Defend against threats with natural moves!’ White can meet 3 … h6 in a
number of ways, but the plan should be a very quick d2-d4, to exploit your lead in
development and put pressure on your opponent. For example, 4 0-0 Nf6 5 d4!, or 4 d4!
exd4 5 0-0! (5 Nxd4 is also good) 5 … Bc5 6 c3!.

Tip: When you are well ahead in development, opening up the position is the best way to exploit this advantage.

b) 3 … d6
 3 … d6 blocks in the bishop on f8, so it will have to choose a more defensive square
than c5, but it does at least help Black’s development by freeing the bishop on c8, so it’s a
much better choice than 3 … h6. Again I would suggest 4 d4 for White. A typical
continuation is 4 … exd4 (if 4 … Bg4 White plays 5 c3 and Qb3 becomes an idea) 5 Nxd4
Nf6 6 Nc3 Be7 7 0-0 and White’s pieces are actively developed.

c) 3 … Be7
3 … Be7, the Hungarian Defence, is similar to 3 … d6. Once again, 4 d4! is a good move.
 As well as 4 … exd4, Black can also protect the e5-pawn with 4 … d6. After 5 dxe5
dxe5 (5 … Nxe5? 6 Nxe5 dxe5 7 Qh5! attacks f7 and e5) 6 Qxd8+ Bxd8! 7 Nc3 again it’s
White who has the more active pieces.

Points to Remember
1) Don’t forget to follow the guideline, ‘Defend against threats by playing natural
developing moves’. 3 … h6?! is a poor choice as it fails to do this.
2) As White, the best way to meet 3 … h6, 3 … d6 and 3 … Be7 is with an early d2-d4.
 Chapter Three
The Evans Gambit
In this chapter, we’re going to look at one of the most exciting openings in chess, the Evans Gambit!

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Bc5 4 b4!?

Did you know? This gambit is named after the Welsh sea captain and chess player William Davies Evans.

4 b4 is an amazing concept. At first sight the pawn move looks strange, and it’s not
obvious what White gets in return if Black takes it, but White’s ideas soon become clear.
4 … Bxb4
Of course, it’s not obligatory for anyone to accept a gambit. Black could decline to take
the pawn and simply retreat the bishop instead. We’ll take a look at 4 … Bb6 later on.
5 c3!
 Now it’s a bit easier to see what White is up to. We already know that setting up a pawn
centre with c2-c3 followed by d2-d4 is a strong plan for White in the Italian Game, and
here White gains time while carrying out the plan by attacking the bishop. As mentioned
before, moving the pawn to c3 also allows White to develop the queen, in particular to the
b3-square where she teams up with the bishop to attack Black’s weak point at f7. Finally,
sacrificing the b-pawn also gives White’s dark-squared bishop another option. In many
lines it may be developed quickly and effectively on either a3 or b2.

Recommended! The Evans Gambit is like a super-charged version of the Italian Game with 4 c3. White can attack
quickly, it’s fun to play and is an excellent choice for those who enjoy gambits.

To start with, let’s go through a game in the Evans Gambit which involved arguably the most famous player in the
history of chess.

Game 6
R.Fischer-R.Fine
New York 1963

Did you know? Bobby Fischer won the World Chess Championship in 1972 and is
considered to be one of the greatest chess players of all time.

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Bc5 4 b4 Bxb4 5 c3! Ba5
Black’s bishop retreats to a safe square. Other bishop moves are possible but 5 … Ba5
is the most popular choice.
6 d4!
 The strongest move. White advances in the centre and continues to put pressure on
Black by attacking the e5-pawn.
6 … exd4
White would like to recapture on d4 with c3-pawn, to maintain the powerful pawn
centre, but the c3-pawn is pinned by the bishop – this is one reason why 5 … Ba5 is a
good choice for Black. So what did Fischer do?
7 0-0!

Tip: When playing a gambit, it’s vital to develop quickly and to create threats.

7 0-0 is a much better move than 7 Nxd4?, which would regain one pawn but allow
Black the time to catch up with development. In any case, White wants to take on d4 with
the pawn, and he’s ready to do so now that the c3-pawn is no longer pinned.
7 … dxc3?!

Warning: Too much pawn grabbing will get punished. There’s no need for greed!

Reuben Fine was a seven-time US Open Champion, and at his peak he was one of the
best players in the world. By the time he played this friendly game against Fischer, he had
retired from tournament chess for a number of years, so it’s perhaps unsurprising he was
caught out by Fischer’s aggressive opening choice.
Taking a third pawn here is much too greedy. When facing a gambit, it’s vital not to get
too far behind in development. Black’s best move here is 7 … Nge7!, returning one of the
pawns and getting ready to castle.
8 Qb3!

Here comes the first threat. The queen combines with the bishop to threaten the f7-
pawn.

Note: Qb3 is a key attacking idea for White in the Evans Gambit.

8 … Qe7
Black must use the queen to defend the f7-pawn, as 8 … Nh6 is answered by 9 Bxh6.
With a big lead in development and open lines for his pieces, it’s vital for White to
attack quickly,. For example, 8 … Qf6 can be answered by 9 e5!. It’s unwise for Black to
take the pawn, as this opens up even more lines for White: 9 … Nxe5? 10 Re1 puts the
knight in an absolute pin. Black can defend the knight only with 10 … d6, but then White
can play 11 Nxe5 dxe5 12 Qb5+, forking the king and the bishop. Instead of 9 … Nxe5,
Black should move the queen out of the attack. After, for example, 9 … Qg6 10 Nxc3
Nge7 11 Ba3! 0-0 12 Rad1! Black has managed to survive the opening moves, but White’s
pieces are tremendously active and he has a very promising position.
9 Nxc3
Fischer gets another piece into the game. White’s plan is to play Nd5 to force the queen
to move again.
9 … Nf6
 Now Black can exchange knights after Nd5, instead of having to move the queen.
10 Nd5!
White goes ahead anyway.
10 … Nxd5

Exercise: Should White recapture on d5 with the bishop or the pawn?

Answer: 11 exd5!
Taking with the pawn creates another threat, so it doesn’t give Black time to
consolidate. It also opens the e-file, and this could prove to be very useful for White with
Black’s king stuck in the middle.
In contrast, after 11 Bxd5 Black would have a precious move without having to deal
with a threat, and he could use this move to castle.
11 … Ne5 12 Nxe5 Qxe5
 13 Bb2!
There’s no let-up for Black. The queen is threatened again, and behind the queen the
bishop also attacks the pawn on g7. Black moves the queen so that it defends the pawn.
13 … Qg5
 14 h4!
Another excellent move from Fischer. Taking the g7-pawn would create more attacking
possibilities, so he chases the queen away with the deflection tactic.
14 … Qxh4 15 Bxg7 Rg8 16 Rfe1+!
This is why Fischer opened up the e-file with e4xd5! a few moves ago. The black king
is in check and has only one safe square to go to. Notice that Fine could have captured the
rook on e1 with his bishop, but this would have made no difference. White simply
recaptures with the other rook and the game would end in a similar way.
16 … Kd8

Exercise: Fischer’s next move caused his opponent to resign the game immediately. What did he play?

Answer: 17 Qg3! 1-0
A brilliant finish to a wonderful game. Black’s queen was the only thing stopping White from giving checkmate with
Bf6, so Fischer uses his own queen to deflect it away. After 17 … Qxg3 White checkmates with 18 Bf6, and Black has
no other good defence. 17 Qb2!, threatening Bf6+, was another way to win the game.

Ideas in the Evans Gambit

Let’s study some of the main lines and tactical ideas in the Evans Gambit:
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Bc5 4 b4 Bxb4 5 c3 Ba5 6 d4!
This is the best move as it immediately puts Black under pressure.
6 0-0 gives Black a chance to organize with 6 … d6! 7 d4 and now 7 … Bb6!, guarding
against Qa4 and d4-d5 ideas. White could regain the pawn with 8 dxe5 dxe5 9 Qxd8+
Nxd8 10 Nxe5 Be6 but Black is fine here, and you don’t play gambits just to exchange
queens and reach a boring endgame!
6 … exd4 7 0-0
This is White’s main choice here, but 7 Qb3 is an interesting alternative.

7 … Nge7!
This is a much better move than 7 … dxc3, which we saw in the Fischer game above.
We know that when we face a gambit, it’s vital to try to catch up in development and not
to be greedy. With 7 … Nge7, Black is willing to give back one of the extra pawns to do
just that.

Tip: It’s better to be one pawn ahead with a safe position than to be three pawns ahead but in checkmate!

If Black chooses to develop the knight on its favourite square with 7 … Nf6, White can
chase it away with 8 e5!. This pawn push is an attacking idea we’ve seen before, and it
will keep cropping up. One continuation is 8 … d5 (again we see this … d5
counterattack!) 9 exf6 dxc4 10 fxg7 Rg8 11 Re1+ Be6 12 Bg5 Qd5 13 Nbd2 with a very
exciting position.
Returning to 7 … Nge7, White has two promising options: 8 cxd4 and 8 Ng5.
 Let’s take a look at both of them.

a) 8 cxd4
This is a very natural move. White recaptures one of the sacrificed pawns and creates a
strong pawn centre. There’s no immediate threat, so Black has time to castle. However,
White can still continue to attack. One possibility is 8 … 0-0 9 d5!.
 This forces Black’s knight away from its favourite square. In fact, the knight struggles to find a good place to go to.
If 9 … Nb4, the knight remains vulnerable and White can keep up the pressure with 10 Qa4!.

Note: One advantage of having a strong and mobile pawn centre is that the pawns are able to move forward and
attack the enemy knights.

It’s natural to want to castle as soon as possible, but probably a better option for Black
is:
8 … d5! 9 exd5 Nxd5
 Black has broken up White’s central pawns and is now ready to castle with a safe
position. Notice that the bishop on a5 prevents White from giving a check with Re1.
However, White can keep setting problems for Black by playing:
10 Ba3!
This prevents castling for the moment, and Black must remain careful. One possibility
is 10 … Be6 11 Bb5 Bb4! 12 Bxc6+ bxc6 13 Bxb4 Nxb4 14 Qa4 with equal chances.

b) 8 Ng5!?
 This knight move is a key attacking idea that must never be forgotten. White threatens
the f7-pawn. Indeed, Nxf7 would actually trap and win the black queen!

Exercise: We already know from Chapter One that the ideal way to meet the threat to the f7-pawn is by castling
kingside, but here White has an incredibly strong reply if Black castles. Can you work out what it is?

Answer: 8 … 0-0? runs into 9 Qh5!
 White’s attack is already close to decisive. The biggest threat is mate by Qxh7, but
there’s also a triple attack on the f7-pawn. Black has to stop the checkmate by playing 9
… h6 but then comes 10 Nxf7!, threatening not only to take the queen but also some
devastating discovered checks. Black has to give up the rook for the knight. Let’s see what
happens if Black moves the queen:
10 … Qe8?

Exercise: White has one good move and one even better move! See if you can find both of them.

Answer: 11 Nd6+! is a discovered check tactic that wins Black’s queen. 11 Nxh6+! (double check!) is even stronger.
After 11 … Kh7 White can force checkmate with 12 Nf7+! Kg8 13 Qh8 mate.

The combination of the bishop on c4, knight on g5, and queen on h5 is such an
important attacking idea, and both players need to be constantly aware of this possibility.
It’s worth noting that on this occasion White was able to play Qh5 only because Black’s
knight was on e7 rather than its favoured f6-square.
Let’s return to the position after 8 Ng5, and look for another way for Black to defend
the threatened f7-pawn. Black can do so by playing:
8 … Ne5
 This knight move is an important defensive idea to remember. Not only does the knight
protect the pawn on f7, it also attacks the bishop on c4. However, White again has a strong
reply!

Exercise: White has a tactical possibility in this position. Can you spot it?

Answer: Even though Black protected the f7-pawn, White can still take it! After 9 Nxf7! (9 Bxf7+! will come to the
same thing) 9 … Nxf7 10 Bxf7+ Kxf7 there’s the key move 11 Qh5+!, forking the king and the undefended bishop on
a5. White wins back the sacrificed piece and Black’s king has become exposed.

Tip: Always be on the lookout for tactics involving Black’s vulnerable bishop on a5, as there are many of them in
the Evans Gambit.

So, we have to go back yet again to the position after 8 Ng5. If the natural defences 8
… 0-0 and 8 … Ne5 both run into trouble, what should Black do here? The only other way
to deal with the problem is by playing …
8 … d5!
 9 exd5
However, Black should not take back on d5. Let’s see why:
9 … Nxd5?
Black’s king is exposed and White has many strong attacking options here. One of
these is:
10 Nxf7! Kxf7 11 Qf3+
The queen forks the king and the knight. If Black’s king wanders out into the open, in
order to defend the knight, things only get worse:
11 … Ke6 12 Re1+ Ne5 13 Bf4!
 This position, with both of Black’s knights in absolute pins, deserves a diagram.
White’s threat is to take the knight on e5 with the rook, and there’s nothing that Black can
do to prevent it!
Instead of taking the pawn on d5, Black’s best move is 9 … Ne5!. With this move, we
see Black using effective anti-gambit strategy – giving back a pawn and using threats to
catch up in development. The position remains very complicated after 10 Qxd4 f6 11 Re1
Bb6 12 Qh4 with both sides having chances.
Finally, the possibilities don’t even stop there. Instead of 9 exd5, White could sacrifice
the knight in order to uncover Black’s king, with 9 Nxf7!? Kxf7 10 exd5.
 White threatens to take the knight on c6 with the pawn, and also a discovered check with d5-d6. If 10 … Nxd5?
White replies 11 Qf3+!, forking the king and knight, so the only good defence is 10 … Ne5!. After the bishop retreats
with 11 Bb3!, Black is a piece ahead but White has got many attacking possibilities.

How to meet the Evans Gambit

The previous few pages have demonstrated how difficult it can be for Black to defend against the Evans Gambit, and
how easy it is for Black to go wrong even with natural moves. For those playing with the black pieces, I’m now going to
show a safer, more solid approach. I should point out that even here you will have to play carefully, which just goes to
show how dangerous the Evans Gambit can be.
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Bc5 4 b4 Bxb4 5 c3 Ba5 6 d4 d6!

Recommended! Instead of capturing the pawn on d4, we defend the threatened e5-pawn and free the bishop on c8.
This is sensible anti-gambit strategy: taking the first pawn but refusing the second.

White could choose to regain the gambit pawn here with 7 dxe5 dxe5 8 Qxd8+ Nxd8! 9
Nxe5 Be6!, but this position, with the queens off, is fine for Black.
Notice that White can attack the knight at any time with d4-d5. After 7 d5 Nce7, White
can fork the king and bishop with 8 Qa4+, but Black defends against both threats with 8
… c6! as the queen defends the bishop on a5.
The most challenging move for Black to face is one we should be getting used to:
7 Qb3!
White creates a quick attack on the f7-pawn.

Tip: It’s usually wise to play Qb3 before Black moves the knight from g8, so that Black cannot meet the threat of
Bxf7+ by simply castling.

Black can defend the f7-pawn with his queen, but you have to be careful to choose the
right queen move – and the best option is the most surprising one! Let’s go through them
one by one:

a) 7 … Qf6?

Exercise: Can you find a strong idea for White here?

Answer: 8 d5!
The pawn threatens the knight, and when the knight moves 9 Qa4+ (or 9 Qb5+) will
fork the king and bishop, winning the bishop. Notice that with the black queen no longer
on d8, there’s no defence with … c6 as we saw above.
b) 7 … Qe7
If 7 … Qe7 there’s the same tactic with 8 d5!, although here it’s not quite so bad for
Black who gets some play after 8 … Nd4! 9 Nxd4 exd4 10 Qa4+ (10 0-0! might be
stronger) 10 … Bd7 11 Qxa5 Qxe4+.

So, returning to the position after 7 Qb3, the best move for Black is:

c) 7 … Qd7!
 The d7-square certainly isn’t the most natural place for the queen, as she blocks the development of the bishop on c8.
However, it’s vital to stop the tactic with d4-d5 followed by Qa4+ or Qb5+, and on d7 the queen does just that. Black’s
next move will most likely be … Bb6!, to put the bishop on a much safer square, and then Black will aim to develop the
g8-knight and get castled. Armed with a lead in development and more active pieces, White will continue to put Black
under pressure. Let’s take a look at a game played between two grandmasters.

Game 7
S.Ganguly-A.Aleksandrov
World Blitz Championship, Dubai 2014

Note: Blitz chess is played with a very fast time limit. Both sides typically have
five minutes each on the chess clock to complete the game.

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Bc5 4 b4 Bxb4 5 c3 Ba5 6 d4 d6 7 Qb3 Qd7 8 0-0
8 dxe5 is also met by 8 … Bb6!.
8 … Bb6!
 This move not only safeguards the bishop, it also introduces the idea of … Na5 to fork
the queen and bishop. White’s bishop on c4 is a powerful piece, so trading it for the knight
eases some of the pressure on Black.
9 Nbd2 Na5
Black could have grabbed another pawn here with 9 … exd4 10 cxd4 Nxd4 11 Nxd4
Bxd4 12 Rb1, but this is yet another example of gluttony when facing a gambit. Lines
have opened up and after, for example, 12 … Nf6 13 Nf3 Bc5 14 e5! Black is facing a
dangerous attack.
10 Qc2 Nxc4
Another option for Black here is 10 … Ne7 11 dxe5 0-0! 12 exd6 cxd6. Black has
returned the gambit pawn in order to catch up with development, and the chances look
fairly level. This may be a better choice than what happens in the game.
11 Nxc4 exd4 12 cxd4 Ne7 13 a4!
 White continues to set problems for Black. The threat is a4-a5 which would trap the
bishop.
13 … c6 14 e5!
14 Ba3! is perhaps even stronger. In either case Black isn’t allowed to settle and
consolidate with his extra pawn.
14 … dxe5 15 Nfxe5 Qd8!
Taking the pawn with 15 … Qxd4? would only open more lines for White. After 16
Bb2 Qd8 17 Rad1 Nd5 18 Ba3! White is ready to play Nd6+ and Black’s king is in
danger.
16 Ba3! 0-0 17 Rfe1 Be6 18 Rad1 Bc7
White has assembled his army, and now he strikes with a combination:
19 Nxf7!
 This sacrifice exploits Black’s vulnerable pieces on the e-file. The knight may be
captured in three different ways, but White has an answer to all of them.
19 … Rxf7
19 … Bxf7? is met by 20 Bxe7, but 19 … Kxf7 would defend the bishop. I’m sure
Ganguly’s idea was to meet this with 20 Rxe6! Kxe6 21 Re1+ Kf7 22 Bxe7. The bishop
forks the queen and rook so White regains the sacrificed material, although Black could
have gone for this as the chances are roughly equal. Of course, calculating and making
assessments in complicated positions is never easy, and it’s a whole lot trickier in a blitz
game!
20 Rxe6 Nf5 21 Qe4 Qd7 22 d5!
White continues to play as actively as possible. This move opens yet another line, the
d-file, and brings the rook on d1 into life.
22 … cxd5 23 Rxd5 Qxa4! 24 g3!
24 Rxf5? would be a blunder: 24 … Rxf5 25 Qxf5 Qd1+! and Black wins with a back-
rank checkmate. 24 g3 prevents back-rank mates, and taking the knight on f5 is now a
genuine threat.
24 … g6 25 Bb2!
The bishop moves to an even better diagonal. It’s not possible at the moment, but White
will be aiming to get the queen on the same diagonal and then play Qh8 mate!
25 … Ng7 26 Re7 Re8?
Aleksandrov’s defence under pressure and with little time to think has been admirable, but finally he cracks and
makes a decisive mistake. He should have connected his rooks with 26 … Raf8!, when there’s everything still to play
for.
 27 Rxf7!

Ganguly sacrifices his queen, although we can’t really call it a sacrifice because White
gets many pieces in return.
27 … Rxe4
If 27 … Kxf7 White plays 28 Nd6+! with a discovered attack on Black’s queen.
28 Rxg7+ Kf8 29 Rxc7
Not only does White have a rook, bishop and knight for the queen, Black’s king is also
in grave danger of being checkmated. It’s no longer possible to suggest any good moves
for Black. For example, 29 … Rxc4 allows 30 Rd8+ Qe8 31 Bg7+! Kg8 32 Rxe8 mate.
29 … Re7 30 Ba3!
 The bishop pins the rook and wins yet more material.
30 … Qxa3
Black gets desperate and sacrifices the queen, hoping for 31 Nxa3? Rxc7.
31 Rc8+! 1-0
Ganguly finishes the game with a zwischenzug. After 31 … Kf7 32 Nxa3, White is a rook and a knight ahead.

Other Lines
So far we’ve only considered the most popular bishop retreat, 5 … Ba5, so let’s now take a look at other options: 5 …
Bc5 and 5 … Be7.
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Bc5 4 b4 Bxb4 5 c3
 a) 5 … Bc5

Note: 4 … Nxb4 5 c3 Nc6 would reach the same position.

6 d4!
The obvious follow-up to 5 c3. White gets another pawn in the centre and gains further
time by attacking the bishop.
6 … exd4 7 0-0!
 Recapturing the pawn with 7 cxd4 is also fine, but 7 0-0! is more dangerous for Black
to meet.

Exercise: Find a good move by White if Black now takes the pawn on c3.

Answer: 7 … dxc3 is met by 8 Bxf7+! Kxf7 9 Qd5+! followed by Qxc5. Using this fork tactic, White regains the
sacrificed bishop and forces Black’s king out into the open. Note that against the fork 8 Qd5, Black has the resource 8 …
Qe7!, defending against both threats. This is why 8 Bxf7+! is stronger.
Let’s return to the position after 7 0-0:
7 … d6!
Black makes a useful move to aid his development and gives back one of the gambit
pawns.
8 cxd4 Bb6 9 Nc3
 A typical Evans Gambit position. White’s lead in development, active pieces and pawn
centre compensate for the gambitted pawn.
As usual, Black has to be careful how to proceed. 9 … Nf6 is met, almost inevitably, by
10 e5!. After 10 … dxe5, White doesn’t recapture but instead plays 11 Ba3! to stop Black
from castling.
 It’s a familiar story: the position is opening up and Black’s king is stuck in the middle!
White’s attack is looking highly dangerous here. One possible line is 11 … exd4 12 Re1+
Be6 13 Ng5! dxc3 14 Bxe6 Qxd1 15 Raxd1 fxe6 16 Rxe6+ Ne7 17 Rxe7+ Kf8 18 Ne6+
Kg8 19 Rxg7 mate. Instead of 9 … Nf6, Black should play 9 … Bg4! pinning White’s
knight to the queen. White can respond with a pin of his own, 10 Bb5!. This pin is
awkward for Black, as White threatens to win the knight by playing d4-d5. Black can
defend against the threat either by moving the king to f8, which is not ideal, or by
retreating the bishop to d7.

b) 5 … Be7

5 … Be7 is a sensible move. The bishop is not so active on this square, but it’s also less
vulnerable to tactical ideas than on a5 or c5.
I should also mention 5 … Bd6, which defends the e5-pawn so that after 6 d4 Black
isn’t forced to exchange pawns and give White an unopposed centre. The downside, of
course, is that on d6 the bishop blocks the d7-pawn which makes it harder for Black to
develop properly. A typical sequence is 6 … Nf6 7 0-0 0-0 8 Re1! h6 9 Nbd2 Re8 10 Bb3
with the idea of Nc4.
6 d4
A problem with … Be7 is that it blocks the queen, so the queen can no longer defend
the f7-pawn. This means Qb3 ideas must be taken very seriously. After the immediate 6
Qb3, Black can defend the f7-pawn only by playing 6 … Nh6!. White should follow up
with 7 d4! threatening Bxh6, but Black has the resource 7 … Na5!. A complicated position
arises after the further 8 Qb5 Nxc4 9 Bxh6! Nd6 (9 … gxh6 10 Qxc4) 10 Qxe5 f6! 11
Qh5+ Kf8.
 6 … Na5!

At first sight this looks very strange. Not only does the knight move again when it’s
already developed, but it seems to be moving to a worse square! Is Black forgetting the
saying ‘Knight on the rim is dim’?
In fact, Black chooses to play 6 … Na5! out of necessity. It’s absolutely vital to chase
White’s bishop off the a2-g8 diagonal. If Black fails to do this, the dreaded Qb3 is
looming. For example, 6 … d6 7 Qb3! and Black has no safe way to defend against the
threat of Bxf7+, since … Nh6 can now be answered by Bxh6. The best try is 7 … Na5! 8
Bxf7+ Kf8. White’s queen cannot remain defending the bishop but can attack the knight
with 9 Qa4!. Similarly, 6 … exd4 7 Qb3! Na5! 8 Bxf7+ Kf8 9 Qa4 Kxf7 10 Qxa5 leaves
Black’s king weak and no longer able to castle.
There are other tactical ideas to watch out for too. If 6 … Nf6? 7 dxe5! Nxe4, White
plays 8 Qd5! threatening checkmate on f7 and to take the knight on e4.
7 Bd3
White can also retreat the bishop to e2, which is similar to 7 Bd3, or protect the bishop
by playing 7 Nxe5. After 7 … Nxc4 8 Nxc4 d5 9 exd5 Qxd5 10 Ne3 Qa5 11 0-0 Nf6 the
chances are equal. This is another example of anti-gambit strategy where Black returns the
pawn to catch up with development.
7 … d6!
 Here’s yet another example of Black giving back the pawn to relieve the pressure.
The alternative was 7 … exd4 8 cxd4, when White has typical compensation for the
pawn.
8 dxe5 dxe5 9 Nxe5 Nf6 10 0-0 0-0 11 Qc2
Black has organized his development, both sides can move freely and chances are equal.

Declining the Evans Gambit: The Safe Choice

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Bc5 4 b4 Bb6

Recommended! If as Black you prefer a solid approach against gambits, I can certainly recommend 4 … Bb6.

There’s no obligation to accept a gambit, and in most cases it’s perfectly reasonable to decline it. By declining a
gambit, you don’t win a pawn, but you’re also less likely to fall behind in development and come under early pressure.
Here the bishop retreats to a secure square on its favourite diagonal.

A Trap to Remember
The first question is, can White win a pawn by playing 5 b5, chasing away the knight which defends the e5-pawn? Well,
White does win the pawn, but it’s all part of a nasty trap that Black has set! 5 … Nd4 6 Nxe5? initially looks promising
for White. As well as being a pawn ahead, White is threatening Black’s f7-pawn. However, 6 … Qg5! attacks both the
knight on e5 and the pawn on g2, and completely turns the tables.
 If White plays the tempting 7 Nxf7, forking the queen and the rook, there follows 7 …
Qxg2! and Black’s threats are much more powerful than White’s. If White saves the rook
with 8 Rf1, Black plays 8 … Qxe4+ 9 Be2 and now a beautiful finish to the game: 9 …
Nf3 with a smothered mate!

This final position deserves a diagram, to remind us about this sneaky trap.

Note: Returning to the sixth move, instead of 6 Nxe5?, White should play 6 Nxd4! Bxd4 7 c3 followed by d2-d4.

Going back a move further, Black could also play 5 … Na5!? (instead of 5 … Nd4) when it’s still risky for White to
grab the e5-pawn. After 6 Nxe5 there’s 6 … Qg5 again, as well as 6 … Nh6, defending the f-pawn and threatening both
… d6 and the fork … Bd4.

Let’s return to the beginning:
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Bc5 4 b4 Bb6
White’s most popular choice after 4 … Bb6 is not 5 b5, it’s …
5 a4!

One opening guideline is to avoid unnecessary pawn moves, but this one is perfectly
justified. White has created a threat to win the bishop with a4-a5 – the bishop cannot
escape to d4 because c2-c3 would trap it – so Black is forced to also make a pawn move,
to give the bishop an escape square.
5 … a6!
A good choice, creating a safe haven for the bishop on a7. The alternative is 5 … a5,
which White can meet with 6 b5! Nd4 7 Nxd4 Bxd4 8 c3! Bb6 9 d4.
6 Nc3
White could also play 6 c3 here, and after 6 … Nf6 7 d3 d6 we’ve reached a Modern
Italian set-up (see page 63).
6 … Nf6 7 Nd5!?
 This tricky move is White’s most popular choice here. The knight jumps into the centre
where it attacks Black’s bishop and knight, and also defends the pawn on b4. There’s no
need for Black to panic, though. I suggest trading knights on d5. For example, 7 … Nxd5!
8 exd5 Nd4! (8 … Nxb4 9 a5! Ba7 10 Ba3 gives White good play) 9 a5 (if White takes the
pawn with 9 Nxe5, it’s Black who gets active with 9 … d6 10 Nf3 Bg4!) 9 … Ba7, when
both sides will castle and the chances are equal.
After 7 Nd5, Black could also grab the e4-pawn. However, 7 … Nxe4 is a risky move, as a young player destined to
become World Champion found out. Take a look at the following game:

Game 8
I.Kan-M.Botvinnik
Soviet Championship, Odessa 1929

Did you know? Mikhail Botvinnik is one of the most famous figures in chess history. He first became World Champion
in 1948 and regained his title twice before finally relinquishing his crown in 1963.

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Bc5 4 b4 Bb6 5 a4 a6 6 Nc3 Nf6 7 Nd5 Nxe4 8 0-0 0-0 9 d3
 At first sight, grabbing the e4-pawn doesn’t look dangerous for Black. His king has
castled and he’s close to completing his development. However, it soon becomes clear that
Black is in trouble.
9 … Nf6?
Botvinnik retreats the knight to its most natural square, but White has a powerful reply.
9 … Nd6? is even worse: 10 Bg5! Qe8 11 a5! and if the bishop moves, Nxc7 traps the
queen!
Black’s best option is probably 9 … Nxf2 10 Rxf2 Bxf2+ 11 Kxf2.
10 Bg5!
Once again we feel the power of the pin. With White’s knight already on d5, the knight
on f6 is under pressure and Black’s kingside is bound to be opened up.
10 … d6 11 Nd2!
Kan is aiming to attack the pinned knight yet again, with Ne4. Under immense
pressure, Botvinnik makes a mistake.
11 … Bg4?

Exercise: What did Kan play here?

Answer: 12 Bxf6!
By using the tactical themes ‘remove the defender’ (the knight on f6) and counterattack
(meeting a threat to the queen with a threat to Black’s queen), White wins a piece. For
example, 12 … gxf6 is answered by 13 Qxg4+, and 12 … Bxd1 by 13 Bxd8 Raxd8 14
Rfxd1. Botvinnik chooses a third option, moving the queen, but careful play by Kan
enables him to keep the extra piece.
12 … Qc8 13 Nxb6 cxb6 14 f3!
 A key dual-purpose move – blocking the attack on the queen and creating a new threat
allows White to remain a piece ahead.
14 … Be6 15 Bh4 Nxb4 16 Be7 Qc5+ 17 Kh1 Rfe8 18 Ne4! Qc6 19 Bxd6 1-0
A clear piece down and with no compensation, Botvinnik resigned.

Points to Remember
1) The Evans Gambit is a great choice for White if you enjoy gambit play.
2) White develops quickly and has many attacking options with moves such as Qb3, Ba3,
e4-e5 and Ng5.
3) There are many tactical ideas for White. Look out for tactics against Black’s f7 weak
spot and the dark-squared bishop, which is often vulnerable.
4) As Black, avoid grabbing too many pawns. Look for ways to return a pawn to catch up
in development.
5) The gambit doesn’t have to be accepted. 4 … Bb6 is recommended as a solid option for
those who prefer to decline gambits.
 Chapter Four
The Two Knights Defence
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Nf6

So far we’ve studied the Italian Game with 3 … Bc5, which I recommended in Chapter
One as the wisest choice for those starting out with 1 e4 e5 openings. The other kingside
piece Black can develop here is the knight on g8, and 3 … Nf6 is the move we’ll consider
in this chapter. This opening is known as the Two Knights Defence.

Note: Some opening names simply describe the position, and the Two Knights Defence is one of those.

Fried Liver Attack

3 … Nf6 is just as natural as 3 … Bc5. It’s obvious that the f6-square is the best place for the knight to develop. As I
mentioned in Chapter One, the reason there’s some danger in choosing the knight move first is that White can reply with
…
4 Ng5
 White creates an immediate attack on Black’s weak point, and because the bishop is
still on f8, Black is unable to defend the f7-pawn by castling. No other piece can safely
protect the pawn, so the only way to defend is by blocking the attack:
4 … d5 5 exd5 Nxd5
Black recaptures the pawn and the queen attacks the knight on g5. Now for a shock …
6 Nxf7!
 White sacrifices the knight! The point behind this amazing move is to force the black
king out into the open, where it will be exposed to checks and threats. This opening has a
memorable name, the Fried Liver Attack, and it is a big favourite among young players.

Did you know? This opening is also called the Fegatello Attack and, according to Wikipedia, is named after an
Italian way of cooking liver in a net. The metaphor is that Black’s king often ends up as ‘dead as a piece of liver’!

6 … Kxf7
Given that White’s knight was forking the queen and the rook, Black really has no other
option but to capture it.
7 Qf3+!
 This check is a vital follow-up to the knight sacrifice. The queen threatens not only the
king but also the knight on d5. Black has to be extremely careful here. For example, trying
to hide the king with 7 … Kg8?? leads to disaster: 8 Bxd5+! and it’s checkmate in two
moves! 7 … Ke8? isn’t as bad as 7 … Kg8, but after 8 Bxd5 White has regained the piece,
is a pawn ahead and Black’s king is still vulnerable (mate with Qf7 is the immediate
threat).
After 7 Qf3+, Black’s best option is actually to move the king further into the middle of
the board!
7 … Ke6!
This is the only move to save the knight.

Tip: When two of your pieces are threatened, look for ways to move one threatened piece to defend the other. This is
a typical way to escape a fork.


Exercise: Find a good move for White here.

Answer: 8 Nc3!
Remember, put pressure on the pinned piece! 8 Nc3 attacks the knight a third time,
making it a threat to capture it, and Black can only save the knight by using the other
knight to defend it.

Tip: The knight on d5 is in an absolute pin. This pin is a powerful weapon which shouldn’t be released until you can
gain something from it.

Because the king is so exposed, White’s position is much easier to play than Black’s. In my experience, White wins
the vast majority of games in the Fried Liver Attack, and this is definitely a line that you should avoid when playing with
the black pieces. Let’s take a look at an example:

Game 9
A.Fomin-S.Tsukanov
Tula 2005

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Nf6 4 Ng5 d5 5 exd5 Nxd5 6 Nxf7 Kxf7 7 Qf3+ Ke6 8 Nc3 Ncb4
Black defends the knight and also attacks the pawn on c2.
8 … Nce7 is the other way to protect the knight. After 9 d4! exd4? there’s 10 Qe4+
Kd7 11 Nxd5 and White wins the knight, so instead Black should play 9 … c6.
9 0-0 c6!
 It’s vital for Black to protect the knight again, as White was threatening to chase away
its defender with a2-a3. For example, 9 … Be7? 10 a3! and White wins at least one of the
knights.
10 d4!

Note: With Black’s king stuck in the middle of the board, White must aim to open
up the centre as quickly as possible.

If Black takes the pawn on d4, the e-file becomes open and White can play Re1+ to
bring another piece into the attack.
10 … Nxc2?
Black is tempted by a pawn and an attack on the a1-rook, but defence should be the
main priority! 10 … Qf6! was a better choice. An exchange of queens would suddenly
make Black’s king much safer, so White would keep the queens on with 11 Qe2! and then
continue to develop and attack.
11 dxe5!
A fantastic idea – White sacrifices the rook in the corner and simply carries on
attacking the black king.
11 … Nxa1 12 Rd1!

Note: An absolute pin is an absolute pain!

With four pieces attacking it, Black can no longer adequately defend the knight and
White’s attack comes crashing through.
12 … b5 13 Nxd5 bxc4 14 Nf4+!
Unleashing a discovered attack on the queen.
14 … Ke7 15 Ng6+!
Taking the queen with the rook was good, but this is even better. The knight is
sacrificed to allow Bg5+ next move.
15 … hxg6 16 Bg5+
 16 … Ke8?
16 … Ke6 avoids checkmate next move, although after 17 Rxd8 it’s unlikely that the
black king will survive for long.
17 Rxd8 mate (1-0)

Points to Remember
1) After 4 Ng5, Black can defend the f7-pawn only by playing 4 … d5!.
2) After 4 Ng5 d5 5 exd5, recapturing with 5 … exd5?! is not recommended for Black, as White can unleash the Fried
Liver Attack with 6 Nxf7!.
3) When you play the Fried Liver Attack as White, develop quickly, put pressure on the pinned knight and open the
position to attack Black’s weak king.

Two Knights Defence: How to play as Black

4 Ng5 is a frightening move to face, which is why I recommend 3 … Bc5 instead of 3 … Nf6 to young players who have
just started to learn chess openings. However, the Two Knights Defence is a sound opening, with many exciting lines,
and it becomes a good choice once you have gained more experience in chess. Let’s take a look at how Black can avoid
the dreaded Fried Liver Attack:
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Nf6 4 Ng5 d5 5 exd5 Na5!

Recommended! Instead of recapturing the pawn on d5, which allows the Fried Liver Attack, Black gambits the
pawn, moves the knight and attacks the bishop. This is my recommended response to 4 Ng5.

Let’s take a look at some lines:
6 Bb5+!
If White protects the bishop with 6 d3, Black chases the knight away: 6 … h6 7 Nf3 e4!
8 Qe2 (if 8 dxe4 Nxc4) 8 … Nxc4 9 dxc4 Bc5 followed by castling.
6 … c6 7 dxc6 bxc6!
 Black recaptures with the pawn rather than the knight, in order to gain time by
attacking the bishop.

Tip: Gaining time by creating threats is vital in the opening, especially when you gambit a pawn.

The most natural-looking retreat here is 8 Ba4, to keep the pin on the c6-pawn. However, 8 Ba4 is actually not a
good idea, and the following game demonstrates Black’s chances if White isn’t careful.

Game 10
C.Aryan-B.Imsrud
World Schools Under-13 Championship, Iasi 2012

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Nf6 4 Ng5 d5 5 exd5 Na5 6 Bb5+ c6 7 dxc6 bxc6 8 Ba4? h6! 9 Nf3 e4!
Black gains time by attacking the knight, first with … h6 and, after Nf3, with … e4.
The knight has very few safe moves here. If 10 Nh4?, Black could trap and win the knight
with 10 … g5!, so White should either retreat it all the way back to g1 or pin the pawn
with 10 Qe2. The obvious choice, the one selected in the game, is to move the knight to
e5, but this allows a strong tactical idea by Black.
10 Ne5?

Exercise: Find a tactical idea for Black.

Answer: 10 … Qd4!
The queen forks the knight and the bishop. Now we see the problem with retreating the
bishop to a4 – it’s unprotected and vulnerable on that square. White cannot defend both
pieces, but he does have one resource:
11 Bxc6+
There’s no time to take the knight as Black is in check, and the bishop also attacks the
rook.
11 … Nxc6 12 Nxc6
Has White managed to escape without losing a piece?
12 … Qd5!
 No! There’s a sting in the tail. Black’s queen traps the knight lurking behind enemy
lines. This whole sequence is a trap that has been sprung in many games.
13 Nxa7
The knight was lost anyway, so White chooses to grab one more pawn with it before it
dies. Black could simply capture the knight with 13 … Rxa7. It’s true that material would
be approximately level, with White having three pawns for the extra bishop, but Black
would have a substantial advantage due to a big lead in development and very active
pieces. In the game, Black chooses an even stronger move:
13 … Bg4!
The attack on the queen is difficult to meet.
14 c4
White creates a counterattack to give his queen an escape route.
14 … Qxc4!
 Unfortunately for White, the escape route plan doesn’t work – if 15 Qb3 Black can
checkmate with 15 … Qe2. Instead, White blocks the attack, but this opens up his king.
15 f3 exf3 16 gxf3 Rxa7! 17 fxg4 Bc5
Black could have played 17 … Re7+, which was also convincing, but first he covers
the f2-escape square with the bishop to make … Re7+ an even bigger threat.
18 Qe2+
18 Nc3 Re7+ 19 Ne2 is more resilient. Black’s best option in this case is 19 … 0-0!,
followed by … Rfe8, to bring the final piece into the attack. White’s king would be very
unlikely to survive for long.

Tip: When attacking, remember the saying ‘Invite all your pieces to the party!’

18 … Re7!
 Pinning and winning the queen. White’s position is hopeless and he soon resigns.
19 Nc3 Rxe2+ 20 Nxe2 Qxg4 0-1

The Main Line

Let’s return to the start and consider better options for White than 8 Ba4.
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Nf6 4 Ng5 d5 5 exd5 Na5 6 Bb5+ c6 7 dxc6 bxc6 8 Be2!
This retreat has been White’s most popular move. The bishop is certainly much safer on
e2 than on a4, although of course it’s also less active.
White has two other options here:
a) 8 Bd3 has become more popular in recent years. We’ll look at this move later on in the game Kurmann-Naiditsch.
b) 8 Qf3!? guards against the attack on the bishop by skewering the pawn to the rook. In the spirit of gambit play,
Black can continue with 8 … Be7!, offering a second pawn to get even further ahead in development. After 9 Bxc6+
Nxc6 10 Qxc6+ Bd7 11 Qf3 0-0 Black has a big development lead and active pieces.
8 … h6!
 This is a vital move. Black forces the knight to retreat.
9 Nf3
White can also choose 9 Nh3, which avoids Black’s next move but does put the knight
out of play on the edge of the board. Black typically continues with 9 … Bc5 or 9 … Bd6,
followed by castling.
9 … e4!
This is another key move. Black attacks the knight again and forces it away from its
favourite square.

Tip: It’s vital to play … e4 straightaway, before White has the chance to secure the knight’s position on f3 by
moving the pawn to d3.

10 Ne5 Bd6!
 Black continues logically, developing the bishop and threatening the knight yet again.
10 … Bc5 is a promising alternative.
11 d4!
This is the good reply. By pushing the pawn to d4, White protects the knight and also
helps his own development, whereas moving the knight again would lose even more time.
11 f4 also saves the knight. After 11 … exf3! 12 Nxf3 0-0 13 0-0 c5 Black can continue
to develop with moves such as … Bb7 and … Qc7.
11 … exd3!
The best response.

Tip: When you are ahead in development, look for ways to open up the position
to make use of your more active pieces.

12 Nxd3 0-0
Black can also play 12 … Qc7.
13 0-0 Qc7!
 Black develops the queen and threatens … Bxh2+. White will defend by playing either 14 g3 or 14 h3. It’s a typical
gambit position: White has an extra pawn but Black’s pieces are more active. White will try to complete his development
and consolidate, while Black will increase the pressure by developing the light-squared bishop and moving the rooks to
the open files.

Greek Gift
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Nf6 4 Ng5 d5 5 exd5 Na5 6 Bb5+ c6 7 dxc6 bxc6 8 Be2 h6 9 Nf3 e4 10 Ne5 Bd6
 Let’s return to the position after 10 … Bd6 and consider what could happen if, instead
of 11 d4, White chooses to retreat the knight:
11 Nc4 Nxc4!
The knight on the edge of the board was Black’s worst-placed piece, so it’s a wise
move to exchange it for White’s knight.

Tip: Aim to keep your most effective pieces and exchange your least effective ones!

12 Bxc4 0-0
Black is ahead in development and his pieces are full of life. Normally White would be advised to get the king safe by castling as soon as possible, but
that would be bad advice here! Let’s see why:

13 0-0?

Black’s pieces are pointing in the direction of White’s king, which lacks protection from its own pieces on the other side of the board. Black’s queen,
knight, two bishops and even the pawn on e4 all play a part in the following attack. All the ingredients are in place for a well-known piece sacrifice:

13 … Bxh2+!
Black gives up the dark-squared bishop in order to expose White’s king to a deadly
attack.

Did you know? This type of sacrifice, with the bishop capturing the h-pawn, is called the Greek Gift.

14 Kxh2 Ng4+
 This knight check is the natural follow-up to the bishop sacrifice.
15 Kg1
The alternative for White’s king is to wander up the board, but its chances for survival
are slim:
a) If 15 Kh3?, Black’s bishop and knight team up to create a deadly double check with
15 … Nxf2+!, which wins the white queen.
b) 15 Kg3 is more resilient, but Black has quite a few ways to continue the attack. The
most direct is 15 … Qd6+!, intending to answer 16 Kh4 or 16 Kh3 with 16 … Qh2 mate.
White’s only way to avoid an immediate checkmate is by blocking the check with 16 f4,
but now the pawn on e4 joins the action with a crucial en passant capture. After 16 …
exf3+ 17 Kxf3 Nh2+ 18 Kf2 Bg4! 19 Be2 Bxe2 20 Qxe2 Rfe8 Black’s attack will be
decisive. For example, 21 Qc4 Nxf1 22 Qxf1 Qf4+ 23 Kg1 Qd4+ 24 Kh2 Qh4+ 25 Kg1
Re1, pinning and winning the white queen.
15 … Qh4!
This queen move is the logical follow-up to … Ng4+. Black threatens checkmate with
… Qh2.
16 Re1

Exercise: 16 Re1, offering the king an escape square on f1, was the only way to stop the threat of checkmate without
giving up the queen. Nevertheless, Black can still force checkmate in five moves. Can you see how?

Answer: Black forces checkmate with:

16 … Qxf2+ 17 Kh1 Qh4+ 18 Kg1 Qh2+ 19 Kf1 Qh1+ 20 Ke2 Qxg2 mate
 This final position warrants another diagram. Black’s queen, knight and pawn combine to give checkmate, with
White’s queen and rook blocking the king’s potential escape squares.

Game 11
O.Kurmann-A.Naiditsch
Zurich 2014

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Nf6 4 Ng5 d5 5 exd5 Na5 6 Bb5+ c6 7 dxc6 bxc6 8 Bd3
 Retreating the bishop to d3 blocks the pawn on d2, thus making it difficult for White to
develop the other bishop. This is exactly the type of move we are told to avoid when
developing our pieces. However, very occasionally, breaking opening rules can be
justified if it’s for a concrete reason. We’ve already seen that after 8 Be2 Black gains time
by repeatedly attacking the knight, with 8 … h6! 9 Nf3 e4! 10 Ne5 Bd6!. By playing 8
Bd3 instead, White can safely answer … h6 with Ne4.
8 … Nd5!
Black threatens White’s knight in a different way, with a discovered attack. 9 Ne4 can
be met by … f5, and later on the black knight might hop into the f4-square.
9 Nf3
For the moment the knight is secure on its favourite square, as White’s bishop prevents
Black from playing … e4.
9 … Bd6 10 0-0 0-0
10 … Nf4, attacking the bishop on d3, is a good alternative for Black.
11 Re1 Bg4
Black continues actively by pinning the knight to the queen. Given another move or
two, Black will continue attacking with … f5 which would threaten to fork the bishop and
knight with … e4.
12 h3! Bxf3 13 Qxf3 f5!
 Naiditsch understands that it’s vital for Black to attack as quickly as possible, before
White can finish developing his pieces, and he’s willing to sacrifice a second pawn to
open more lines. Black threatens to fork the queen and bishop with … e4. The most
natural way to deal with the threat is to take the pawn on f5 with the bishop, but this opens
the f-file and temporarily leaves the bishop pinned to the queen.
14 Bxf5 Qe7!
If Black attacked the pinned bishop with 14 … g6, White could escape with 15 Be6+!,
followed by moving the queen. After 14 … Qe7, however, Black is definitely threatening
… g6, so with his next move White escapes the pin.
15 Qe4 g6 16 Bg4 Rf4!
Naiditsch gains more time by attacking the white queen. On the next move he will
bring his other rook to f8, so that the two rooks combine to attack the pawn on f2.
17 Qe2 Raf8 18 Bf3?
So far, White has defended resolutely, but blocking the attack on the f2-pawn with the
bishop turns out to be a fatal mistake. It would have been wiser to defend the pawn with
18 Rf1!, when White, at least for the moment, is defending successfully.

Exercise: What did Naiditsch do here?

Answer: 18 … Rxf3!
This sacrifice rips apart White’s pawn defence around the king. Giving up a rook for a
bishop is a small price to pay, as Black’s remaining pieces will be able to create dangerous
threats against White’s open king.
19 gxf3 Nf4
There are two threats: taking the queen and also … Qg5+ followed by … Qg2 mate.
White has only one defence.
20 Qf1 Qg5+

Exercise: Find a strong move for Black if White escapes check with 21 Kh2.

Answer: Black meets 21 Kh2 with 21 … e4!. This pawn move opens the bishop’s diagonal towards White’s king,
and Black threatens deadly discovered checks. For example, 22 Rxe4 Nxh3+! 23 Kxh3 Rxf3 mate.

21 Kh1 Qh5!
The queen attacks the pawns on f3 and h3, and 22 Kh2 would again be met by 22 …
e4!.
22 Re3 Nxh3 23 Nc3 e4!
The bishop on d6 joins the fun. White’s king has no chance of surviving the assault by
Black’s queen, rook, bishop and knight.
24 f4 Nxf4+ 25 Kg1

Exercise: How does Black force checkmate in a maximum of three moves?

Answer: 25 … Ne2+!
Black sacrifices the knight to clear the diagonal and allow the bishop to protect the
queen when it reaches h2.

Note: This tactical theme is often called ‘clearance’.

26 Qxe2 Qh2+ 27 Kf1 Qh1 mate (0-1)

Points to Remember
1) The recommended way to meet the 4 Ng5 attack is by 4 … d5 5 exd5 Na5!, gambitting a pawn.
2) Following 6 Bb5+ c6 7 dxc6, Black replies 7 … dxc6! in order to gain time by threatening the bishop.
3) Black aims to gain more time for development by threatening White’s insecure knight: first with … h6, then (after
Nf3) with … e4, and finally (after Ne5) with … Bd6.

The Weird and Wonderful

One of the attractions of 1 e4 e5 openings is that there are some fascinating lines you can study and (if brave enough!)
try out too. The recommended way to meet the 4 Ng5 attack is by 4 … d5 5 exd5 Na5!. However, there are some
intriguing alternatives for Black which, although not necessarily completely sound, are certainly worth investigating,
even if it’s just for fun. In the next few pages we’ll consider some of these.

The Amazing 5 … b5!?

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Nf6 4 Ng5 d5 5 exd5 b5!?
 At first sight, 5 … b5 looks like a crazy idea, but actually it is a recognized line and is
called the Ulvestad Variation. Black ignores the threat to the knight and creates a
counterattack on the white bishop, but can’t the bishop simply capture the pawn and pin
the knight on c6? After 6 Bxb5, however, Black’s idea is revealed:
6 … Qxd5!
A triple-purpose move! The queen defends the knight but also forks the bishop and the
key pawn on g2. To escape the fork, White is more or less obliged to trade the bishop for
the knight:
7 Bxc6+ Qxc6 8 0-0 Bb7
 Black’s position is full of life. There’s an immediate threat of checkmate with … Qxg2,
and the pieces develop quickly and actively. In short, Black’s opening idea with 5 … b5
has been a success!

Let’s return to the position after 5 … b5, to consider other options for White:
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Nf6 4 Ng5 d5 5 exd5 b5!?
White could exchange pieces with 6 dxc6 bxc4, but ideally White would like to keep
the strong bishop. However, after 6 Bb3 Black plays 6 … Nd4!. The knight is certainly
more actively placed on d4 than on a5, and if White attacks it with the c-pawn, Black can
simply exchange it for the bishop. 6 Be2 is also met by 6 … Nd4!.
The move recommended by chess theory is a remarkable one:
6 Bf1!
 Unbelievable! White breaks all opening rules by moving the bishop back to its starting
position! This just happens to be one of the rare occasions where the tactical ideas justify
this decision.
If Black replies with 6 … Qxd5, we can see a key benefit of the bishop being on f1 – it
defends the g2-pawn! White can gain time attacking the queen with 7 Nc3! and will
develop the bishop (again!) with Bxb5.
If Black chooses 6 … Nxd5 White replies with 7 Bxb5!. The clever point here is that
Black no longer has the tactic … Qd5 as the knight is blocking the square!
The most common response by Black, the main line, is to ignore the pawn:
6 … Nd4 7 c3!
 Now we see another benefit of playing 6 Bf1!. The bishop is out of the knight’s range,
so White can threaten the knight without it having the easy option of escaping the attack
by trading. Once the knight retreats, the bishop comes back to life and takes the pawn on
b5.
7 … Nxd5!
Black creates a counterattack by threatening … Qxg5.
8 cxd4
Another option is 8 Ne4, after which Black can either play 8 … Ne6 9 Bxb5+ Bd7 or
go for a sacrificial attack with 8 … Qh4!? 9 Ng3 Bg4 10 f3 e4!.
8 … Qxg5 9 Bxb5+ Kd8 10 0-0 Bb7
 10 … Bb7 creates a huge threat of 11 … Nf4!, which if allowed would lead to
unstoppable checkmate – 12 g3 would prevent … Qxg2 but … Nh3 is still checkmate.
White has a good reply:
11 Qf3!
This prevents the threat of … Nf4 by pinning the knight to the bishop. Black’s pieces are active, as usual, but the
king is exposed on d8. White probably has an advantage, though the position is very complicated with many possibilities
for both sides.

Fritz Variation: 5 … Nd4!?

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Nf6 4 Ng5 d5 5 exd5 Nd4!?
 5 … Nd4 is known as the Fritz Variation and is another interesting option for Black.
White’s best response is to attack the knight with 6 c3!. Black counterattacks with 6 … b5!
and following 7 Bf1! the position transposes directly to 5 … b5 and the line we’ve just
been studying. However, there’s another possibility that is worth knowing. Instead of 6
c3!, it’s very tempting for White to play …
6 d6
This move unleashes a discovered attack against the f7-pawn. However, this is all part
of Black’s plan:
6 … Qxd6!
Black grabs the pawn and ignores the attack!
It’s not too late for White to back down and choose the safe 7 d3, or even 7 Bxf7+ Ke7
8 Bb3, although here Black does gain typical play with 8 … Nxb3 9 axb3 h6! 10 Nf3 e4!.
Let’s see what happens if White carries out the intended plan:
7 Nxf7?
 The knight forks the queen and the rook, but Black is ready with a strong reply:
7 … Qc6!
Black meets fire with fire! The queen escapes the attack and forks the bishop and the g-
pawn – a triple-purpose move.

Note: There are numerous tactical ideas for Black in the Two Knights Defence involving White’s unprotected g2-
pawn.

8 Nxh8 Qxg2!
 This move is even stronger than taking the bishop on c4. White is a rook ahead, but
Black is winning!
9 Rf1
This is the only way to save the rook.
9 … Qe4+ 10 Be2
10 Qe2 is better, but then Black wins a queen.
10 … Nf3 mate!
 Another position which merits a diagram! Black’s knight has delivered a smothered mate. We’ve actually come
across this checkmating pattern before, in the Evans Gambit (see page 97).

Traxler Variation
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Nf6 4 Ng5 Bc5!?

What’s going on? Black develops the bishop and completely ignores the threat against the f7-pawn. What happens if
White carries out the threat?
5 Nxf7 Bxf2+!
An incredible idea – Black starts his own attack, sacrificing the bishop to lure White’s
king out into the open! If White isn’t careful, this attack can prove to be lethal.

Did you know? This variation is named after the Czech player Karel Traxler. It is also often called the Wilkes-Barre
Variation, named after the hometown of several Pennsylvanian chess players who studied the opening.

6 Kxf2
White may also decline the bishop sacrifice with 6 Kf1, and a typical continuation is 6
… Qe7 7 Nxh8 d5! 8 exd5 Nd4. White is a rook ahead, but Black is developing rapidly,
his pieces are very active and White’s king lacks shelter.
6 … Nxe4+
Now White must tread very carefully. If the king chooses the wrong square it may end
up being checkmated!
7 Kg1!
No choice is completely safe, but this is the wisest. Let’s examine alternatives:
a) 7 Ke1? allows 7 … Qh4+! and Black’s attack is decisive; for example, 8 g3 (or 8
Ke2 Qf2+! 9 Kd3 Nb4+ 10 Kxe4 Qf4 mate) 8 … Nxg3! 9 Nxh8 (or 9 hxg3 Qxh1+ 10 Bf1
0-0!).

Exercise: In this position after 9 Nxh8, Black can checkmate in four moves. Can you see how this can be achieved?

Answer: 9 … Ne4+! 10 Ke2 Qf2+ 11 Kd3 Nb4+ 12 Kxe4 Qf4 mate.
b) 7 Kf1? isn’t quite as bad as 7 Ke1, but 7 … Qh4! threatening … Qf2 mate is still a
very strong response. For example, 8 Qe1 Ng3+! (with a discovered attack on the bishop)
9 Qxg3 Qxc4+ 10 Ke1 Qxf7. Black has regained the sacrificed piece and is up a pawn.
c) 7 Ke3 looks highly risky but is actually a better option than both 7 Ke1 and 7 Kf1.
After 7 … Qh4! 8 g3 Nxg3! 9 hxg3 Qd4+ 10 Kf3 0-0! Black’s attack is strong but White
can hope to survive.
7 … Qh4!

Again we see this queen move. It’s the logical follow-up to … Nxe4+ and threatens …
Qf2 mate.
8 g3
If 8 Qe2, Black brings another piece into the attack with 8 … Nd4!, while 8 Qf1 is met
by 8 … Rf8!, to escape the attack and also pin the knight to the queen.
8 … Nxg3!

Tip: If you want to play the Traxler Variation, you must be prepared to sacrifice, sacrifice, sacrifice!

9 Nxh8!
This is the safest capture. The alternative 9 hxg3? Qxg3+ 10 Kf1 Rf8! reaches a
position where Black is two pieces down for three pawns, but White’s king is completely
bare and more black pieces will soon join the attack.
 A possible continuation is 11 Qh5 d5! 12 Bxd5 Nb4! 13 Bc4 b5! 14 Bxb5+ c6! 15 Bc4
Nd5!. Black’s last few moves have crucially allowed him to block the bishop’s defence of
the pinned knight. Now there’s nothing White can do to prevent … Rxf7+ which will be
decisive.
9 … Nd4!
 The knight joins the attack, and given another move Black will play … d5 to develop
the bishop.
10 hxg3!
In order to survive, White has to take the knight. Other moves allow Black’s attack to
be successful. For example:
a) 10 Nf7? is met by 10 … Ne4!, and Black’s queen and two knights combine to give
checkmate: 11 Qf1 Qg4+ 12 Qg2 Qd1+ 13 Qf1 Nf3+ 14 Kg2 Nh4+ 15 Kg1 Qg4+ 16 Qg2
Qxg2 mate.
b) 10 Nc3? d5! 11 Bxd5 Bg4! 12 Qe1 Nge2+ 13 Kf1 Bh3+ 14 Bg2 Bxg2+ 15 Kxg2
Nf4+ 16 Kf1 Qh3+ 17 Kf2 Qg2+ 18 Ke3 Nxc2 is another line ending in checkmate.
10 … Qxg3+ 11 Kf1 Qf4+! 12 Kg2 Qg5+!

13 Kh2
White must still show some care. 13 Kh3? would allow the bishop to join the attack
with the discovered check 13 … d5+!.
13 … Qf4+ 14 Kg2 Qg5+!
Black no longer has enough pieces in play to force checkmate, and there’s not enough
time to bring in reinforcements because White also has some threats including Qh5+.
However, White’s king cannot escape checks from the black queen. The result – a draw by
perpetual check!

The Traxler is a fascinating line to study and try out, but as a regular option to play as
Black, I can’t recommend it for two reasons. Firstly, in order to play it, you have to
memorize many forcing lines, too many in my opinion for a developing player who is
relatively new to opening play. Secondly, White has a better option than taking the f7-
pawn with the knight:
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Nf6 4 Ng5 Bc5 5 Bxf7+!
Taking the pawn with the bishop is a wise choice. White ‘only’ wins a pawn this way,
but crucially Black cannot immediately attack – you can’t when you are in check! 5
Bxf7+! is almost universally accepted as the best way to play for White, and it’s the reason
the Traxler is hardly ever seen in games between grandmasters.
5 … Ke7

Exercise: What is Black’s threat?

Answer: Black threatens to win a piece by playing 6 … h6!, attacking the knight which defends the bishop.
6 Bb3!
6 Bd5 and 6 Bc4 were also possible, but anyway White needed to retreat the bishop to defend against the threat of …
h6. After, for example, 6 … Rf8 7 d3 d6 8 Nf3, Black does have a lead in development and the half-open file for the
rook, but the king on e7 isn’t well placed and of course White has an extra pawn.

Points to Remember
1) 5 … b5!? and 5 … Nd4 are interesting alternatives for Black to the main line with 5 … Na5. Remember that there are
some unusual and unnatural moves in these lines. For example, White’s bishop usually goes back home to f1!
2) The Traxler Variation is one of the craziest opening lines in chess. It’s certainly fun to study and try out as Black, but
as a regular choice it’s not recommended. When playing against the Traxler with White, 5 Bxf7+! is the wisest move.

White versus the Two Knights

So far in this chapter, we’ve focussed only on 4 Ng5. With the possibility of carrying out a deadly fork on f7 or playing
the Fried Liver Attack, young players are naturally attracted by the knight move. I’m happy to suggest playing 4 Ng5 at
the start, when you are first learning about opening play. However, as you begin to face stronger, more experienced
players, you’ll find that they will know the correct way to play against 4 Ng5, with 4 … d5 5 exd5 Na5!. In this case, as
we’ve seen, it’s Black who is able to attack first. It’s usually easier to attack than to defend, and certainly it’s more
natural to attack than to defend when you have the white pieces! So for the remainder of this chapter, we’ll take a look at
options for White which allow you to take the initiative.

White Plays 4 d3: The Modern Italian

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Nf6 4 d3

This is a solid option for White. 4 d3 protects the threatened pawn on e4 and White will
follow up by castling and developing in the same way as the Modern Italian (see page 63).

Recommended! If you like playing the Modern Italian against 3 … Bc5, then it’s a sensible idea to do the same
against 3 … Nf6.

Black’s most natural response to 4 d3 is 4 … Bc5, and after 5 c3 (or 5 0-0 followed by c2-c3) we directly transpose
to the Modern Italian. Black may also develop the bishop to a less active square on e7, although White’s plans are fairly
similar against either bishop move. Let’s take a look at a game between two grandmasters:

Game 12
Zhang Zhong-K.Arkell
Internet Chess Club (blitz) 2007

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Nf6 4 d3 Be7 5 0-0 0-0 6 Re1 d6 7 c3

 A feature of the Modern Italian is the pawn set-up with e4, d3 and c3. White keeps the
option open of creating a pawn centre with d3-d4 under the right circumstances.
7 … Bg4
Black’s bishop pins the knight to the queen. This is a very natural move, but we’ve
already seen that in the Modern Italian set-up with c3, White doesn’t need to fear the pin.
The most popular move here is 7 … Na5!, attacking the bishop. After 8 Bb5 a6 9 Ba4
b5 10 Bc2 c5 11 Nbd2 Nc6 12 Nf1,
 Black has used the attacks on the bishop to gain space on the queenside, while White is
carrying out the typical knight manoeuvre to the kingside. Both sides may prepare to move
their d-pawns forward, to open up the position at an opportune moment, and chances are
equal. 12 … Re8 13 h3 h6 14 Ng3 Bf8 15 d4 is an example of White making the first
pawn break in the centre.
8 Nbd2 d5
Here it’s Black who strikes first in the centre. Zhang Zhong decides to exchange pawns
and open up the position.
9 exd5 Nxd5 10 h3 Bh5 11 Nf1!
 Here’s the key knight manoeuvre again. White plans Ng3 which will attack the bishop
on h5.
White could have won a pawn with 11 g4 (breaking the pin) 11 … Bg6 12 Nxe5 Nxe5
13 Rxe5 c6, but only at the cost of weakening his king by advancing the pawn to g4.
11 … Nb6 12 Bb3 Bd6
It’s safer to play 12 … Bf6!, which would defend the kingside as well as the under-fire
pawn on e5.
13 Ng3 Bg6 14 Bg5! Qd7 15 Nh4!
 14 Bg5 gained time by threatening the queen, and 15 Nh4 attacks the bishop, eyes the
f5-square and allows the queen to come to the f3-square. White’s pieces are becoming
more and more active.
15 … Na5
The bishop on b3 is well placed, pointing towards Black’s king, so the knight chases it
away.
16 Bc2
In order to avoid a knight-for-bishop trade, the bishop retreats to a square where it is
less active. However, the bishop can easily spring to life again – it may even go back to b3
when the knight on a5 moves back to c6, and White could always chase the knight back
with b2-b4.
16 … Rae8 17 Qf3 Qc6!
 Arkell is under pressure on the kingside, so he seeks to relieve some of the pressure by
exchanging queens.
18 Qg4!
Zhang Zhong refuses to do so. With the queens on the board, White’s attack will be
more difficult to resist.
18 … Qd7!
Another offer to exchange queens.
19 Ngf5!
Again White refuses! White’s pieces are getting dangerously close to the black king.
19 … Bxf5?!
It was tempting to remove the strong knight on f5, but one knight is simply replaced by
another. 19 … Nc6! was a better option, keeping the defensive bishop on g6 and bringing
a knight back nearer to the action.
20 Nxf5 Re6?
 In blitz chess, with very little time to think, even experienced grandmasters can make
basic mistakes. Black’s position was already extremely difficult, but now White has a
forced win.

Exercise: White to play and checkmate in two moves.

Answer: 21 Bf6! 1-0
White threatens checkmate with 22 Qxg7. The only way to defend against the threat is by 21 … g6, but this allows
22 Nh6 mate.

Points to Remember
1) 4 d3 is a sound way for White to meet the Two Knights Defence and a wise choice if you prefer to develop all of your
pieces before taking any action.
2) 4 d3 can transpose to the Modern Italian set-up, so it’s an easy option to take if you already play the Modern Italian
against 3 … Bc5.

A Gambit Line for White

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Nf6 4 d4

Recommended! If you like to attack and aren’t afraid to gambit a pawn, 4 d4 is an excellent choice which I can
strongly recommend. White opens up lines, develops rapidly and puts early pressure on Black.

4 … exd4!
This is the best response. As we’ve seen before in other lines, if White plays a very
early d2-d4, Black’s safest option is nearly always … exd4, which obviously prevents
White’s threat of taking on e5!
Black should avoid 4 … Nxe4?! 5 dxe5!, which is good for White. It’s important to
notice that White is threatening Qd5! here, forking the knight and the f7-pawn. This
makes things awkward for Black, who has to lose more time by moving the knight again,
to c5.

Note: The position after 4 … exd4 often arises from 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 exd4 4 Bc4 Nf6. This opening is known
as the Scotch Gambit (see Chapter Seven).

5 e5!
 This is a key idea we’ve already seen in similar positions. The pawn push attacks the knight on f6 and aims to causes
some disruption to Black’s development. Black’s three sensible options here are 5 … Ng4, 5 … Ne4 and 5 … d5, and
we’ll take a look at each move. Firstly, here’s a game featuring 5 … Ng4, played between two grandmasters at a US
Championship.

Game 13
M.Khachiyan-J.Benjamin
US Championship, St. Louis 2010

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Nf6 4 d4 exd4 5 e5 Ng4

Black moves the knight and attacks the e5-pawn.
6 0-0!
White ignores the attack and castles.

Exercise: What White should do if Black takes the e5-pawn with the knight on g4?

Answer: If 6 … Ngxe5?, White plays 7 Nxe5! Nxe5 8 Re1!, creating an absolute pin on the knight. It can be
defended with, for example, 8 … d6 but then 9 f4! wins the knight anyway.

White’s plan after 6 0-0 is to defend the e5-pawn with either Re1 or Bf4 and then to
chase the knight away with h2-h3, forcing it back to a poor square on the edge of the
board. 6 … Bc5 7 Bf4 0-0 8 h3! Nh6 is an example of White’s plan in action. Here White
could take the knight on h6, which would expose Black’s king.
6 … d6
Given that it’s unsafe to take the pawn, Black tries to eliminate it with a trade.
Another line is 6 … Be7 7 Re1 d6! 8 exd6 cxd6 (against 8 … Qxd6 White can play 9
b3 intending Ba3) 9 Nxd4 (White could also try 9 Bg5!? here) 9 … 0-0. Black has
returned the extra pawn to castle safely, and chances are equal.
7 exd6 Bxd6 8 Re1+!

Note: It’s absolutely vital for White to play this check. Failure to do so would allow Black to castle safely and enjoy
the benefits of an extra pawn!

8 … Kf8!?
Moving the king rather than blocking the check ensures that Black remains a pawn ahead, but he can no longer castle and will struggle to get the rook
on h8 into action. This game demonstrates that Black’s position requires accurate defence and isn’t easy to handle, even for the three-time US
Champion Joel Benjamin. Young players will find it much easier to play with the white pieces here.

8 … Be7 9 Bg5! 0-0! (after 9 … f6? 10 Bf4 it’s illegal for Black to castle kingside) 10
Bxe7 Nxe7 11 Qxd4 (or 11 Nxd4) is another example of Black returning the pawn in order
to make the king safe.
9 Nbd2
White’s knight plans to go to e4, to join the action on the kingside, or to b3, to attack
the d4-pawn. There are other attractive options, including 9 Na3, 9 Bb5 and 9 c3.
9 … Nge5!
This attacks the bishop and also plans an awkward pin with … Bg4, an idea which
White’s next move prevents.
10 h3 Bf5 11 Bb3 Qd7
 12 Ne4
12 Ba4 was possible here. It threatens to win a piece with Nxe5, but there’s also the
smaller threat of Nxd4.
12 … Re8 13 Bf4 Bb4
Black could (and probably should) simplify the position with some exchanges. After 13
… Nxf3+! 14 Qxf3 Bxf4 15 Qxf4 Rxe4 16 Rxe4 Bxe4 17 Qxe4 g6!, Black may follow up
with … Kg7 to get the rook into the game. White wins the pawn back with 18 Ba4 Kg7 19
Bxc6 Qxc6 20 Qxd4+ Qf6 and the position is equal.
14 Nxe5 Nxe5 15 Bd2 Bxd2 16 Qxd2
Since playing 8 … Kf8, Benjamin has continued with sensible-looking moves and he is
still a pawn ahead, but this just goes to show how difficult it is to play this position as
Black. Being unable to castle has messed up Black’s piece coordination, and it’s almost as
if he’s playing with one rook instead of two. Ideas for White such as Nc5, Ng3 and Qb4+
are looming, and there’s no easy solution for Black. In the game Benjamin tries to solve
his problem with tactics, but is outgunned by Khachiyan’s more active army.

 16 … Bxh3?
Capturing the bishop would allow a decisive fork with … Nf3, but Khachiyan’s reply is
convincing:
17 f4!
After the knight moves, it will be safe to capture the bishop. White’s king will be
exposed, but Black won’t have enough pieces in play to exploit this.
17 … Ng6 18 gxh3 Qxh3 19 Qb4+!

Exercise: Find a winning tactic for White if Black chooses 19 … Kg8.

19 … Re7
Answer: 19 … Kg8 20 Bxf7+! forces the king to a fatal square: 20 … Kxf7 21 Ng5+ forks the king and queen.
20 Nf2!
The knight is an effective defender. After 20 … Qg3+ 21 Kf1 Black would have no
further safe checks, and meanwhile White will exploit the pin on the black rook.
20 … Qd7 21 Rad1! Qc8 22 Qxd4 1-0
 Black resigned. White’s pieces dominate the board, and one possible continuation is 22
… Qe8 23 Rxe7 Qxe7 24 f5 Ne5 25 Qd8+! Qxd8 26 Rxd8+ Ke7 27 Rxh8. It would be a
fitting end for White to capture the rook that never managed to get into the game.

The next two games feature two-time British Champion Gawain Jones, who enjoys playing the Scotch Gambit with 4
d4.

Game 14
G.Jones-N.Batsiashvili
Isle of Man Open, Douglas 2017

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Nf6 4 d4 exd4 5 e5 Ne4

 On e4 the knight can quickly be attacked again, but it can safely retreat to the c5-
square.
6 Qe2
Jones chooses to attack the knight immediately.
6 0-0 is another option. Black should meet this with 6 … d5 7 exd6 Nxd6!, recapturing
with the knight to avoid an absolute pin on the e-file, or by 6 … Be7, intending 7 Re1 d5!
8 exd6 Nxd6.

Note: Black must leave the c5-square free for the knight. Responding to 6 0-0 with the natural-looking 6 … Bc5?
would be a grave mistake. After 7 Qe2! the knight no longer has a safe retreat, and 7 … d5 is answered by 8 exd6 en
passant!

6 … Nc5!
This is the only good choice for Black. Both 6 … d5? and 6 … f5? are met by an en
passant capture, removing the knight’s support and leaving it pinned to the king.
The tempting counterattack with 6 … Bb4+? is also unwise. Black intends to exchange
pieces if White blocks the check, but 7 Kf1! is surprisingly strong. If Black now plays 7
… Nc5 to save the knight, White continues 8 a3! Ba5 9 b4! which the forks the knight and
the bishop.
7 0-0
 7 … Be7
Black can also play 7 … Ne6. The knight has moved four times in Black’s first seven
moves, but at least e6 is a well-protected square. White may continue in gambit style with
8 c3, or take the knight and win back the pawn on d4: 8 Bxe6 dxe6 9 Rd1 Be7 10 Be3
(using the pin) 10 … 0-0 11 Nxd4.
8 Rd1
White threatens to regain the pawn with Nxd4, which is what he would do if Black
castles.
8 … d6
Black reacts by challenging White’s strong pawn on e5. 8 … Ne6 is possible here too.
9 exd6 Qxd6
 Now the d4-pawn is sufficiently protected. Given a move or two, Black will consolidate
with … 0-0 and … Bg4, and will simply be a pawn ahead. Jones’ dynamic play doesn’t
allow this to happen.
10 b4! Ne6
10 … Nxb4 deflects the knight away from its defence of d4 and allows 11 Rxd4.
11 b5!
Another attack – Black isn’t allowed to settle.
11 … Na5 12 Ba3!
And another!
12 … Qd7 13 Bxe6 Qxe6 14 Qd3!
 Exchanging queens would relieve the pressure on Black, so naturally Jones avoids this.
There’s also a new threat: Re1 skewering the queen to the bishop.
14 … Qg6 15 Qxd4!
Again Jones avoids the queen exchange. Black would love to trade bishops on a3 and
then castle the king to safety, but 15 … Bxa3 is answered by 16 Qd8 mate!
15 … Bh3!
Batsiashvili fights back with a threat of her own, and a big one at that!

Exercise (difficult): Find the best move for White.

Answer: 16 Nh4!
This defends against the mate threat on g2 and also threatens the queen. It only works,
though, because of White’s next move.
No points for 16 g3?, which prevents mate but overlooks Black’s secondary threat: 16
… Rd8! skewers the queen to the rook.
16 … Bxh4
Of course Black captures the knight, removing the defender. If White recaptures, it’s
checkmate with … Qxg2, so what did Jones do?
17 Re1+!
This is the key idea. The zwischenzug check forces the bishop to retreat to e6, after
which White can safely recapture on h4.

Tip: Checks are the most forcing moves in chess and should always be considered in your calculations.

17 … Be6 18 Qxh4
 The threats keep coming. Now it’s White’s turn to threaten a ‘kiss of death’ checkmate
with Qe7.
18 … Qf6 19 Qb4!?
Jones once again avoids a queen exchange, even though the position after 19 Qxf6 gxf6
20 Bb2 is favourable for White.
19 … b6 20 Bb2 Qg6 21 Rd1
Black is still not allowed to castle, either kingside or queenside!
21 … Nb7!
Clever play from Batsiashvili. The knight will re-join the action by moving to the
outpost on c5. It will block the a3-f8 diagonal and finally allow Black to castle.

Note: An outpost is a square which is protected by a pawn and cannot be attacked by enemy pawns. It’s usually a
safe and secure square for a piece to occupy.

22 Nc3 Nc5 23 Nd5 Bxd5 24 Rxd5 0-0 25 h4!
 Jones continues to play energetically. Black has solved her biggest problems, but
threats keep coming – the latest is Rg5.
25 … Qxc2 26 Rc1 Qa4 27 Qxa4 Nxa4 28 Ba3!
Batsiashvili has finally managed to exchange queens, but Jones keeps the advantage
into the endgame.
28 … Rfd8
If 28 … Rfc8, then 29 Rc4! Nc5 30 Bxc5 bxc5 31 Rdxc5 regains the pawn and also
wins the one on c7.
29 Rxd8+ Rxd8 30 Rxc7 h6 31 Rc4! Nc5 32 Bxc5 bxc5 33 Rxc5 Rd1+ 34 Kh2 Rd2
35 a4 Rd4
If 35 … Rxf2 there’s 36 Rc7!, followed by Rxa7, and White’s two passed pawns on the
queenside will win the game.
36 a5 Rxh4+ 37 Kg3 Rb4 38 Rc8+ Kh7 39 Rb8 g5 40 a6!

Exercise: What is White’s threat here?

Answer: White threatens to win with 41 b6! axb6 (or 41 … Rxb6 42 Rxb6 axb6 43 a7) 42 a7 Ra4 43 a8Q Rxa8 44
Rxa8.

Note: This tactic, sacrificing one pawn in order to force another pawn through to promotion, is known as a
breakthrough.

Batsiashvili avoids immediate defeat by putting her rook on the a-file to prevent the
breakthrough, but eventually White’s queenside pawns prove to be decisive.
40 … Rb3+ 41 f3 Ra3 42 Rb7! Ra5 43 Rxf7+ Kg6 44 Rb7! h5 45 Kf2 Ra2+ 46 Ke3
Rb2 47 Rb8 Ra2
If 47 … Rxg2 White has the breakthrough tactic again, with 48 b6!.
48 Ke4 h4 49 Ke5 Re2+ 50 Kd4 Ra2 51 Rg8+ Kf6 52 Ra8 Rd2+ 53 Kc3 Rxg2 54
Rxa7 h3 55 Rh7!
 White’s rook stops Black’s one passed pawn, whereas Black’s rook cannot cope with
White’s two passed pawns.
55 … h2 56 a7 Kg6 57 Rxh2! 1-0
After 57 … Rxh2 58 a8Q White is winning easily.

Game 15
G.Jones-E.L’Ami
Wolvega 2014

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Nf6 4 d4 exd4 5 e5 d5!

 Instead of moving the knight, Black creates a counterattack against White’s bishop. The
… d5 counterattack is a key resource for Black against e4-e5 which we’ve come across
before.

Recommended! 5 … Ng4 and 5 … Ne4 are both reasonable choices, but 5 … d5! is my recommendation for young
players with the black pieces. It’s the move which allows you to develop your pieces as quickly and actively as possible.

6 Bb5!
The bishop escapes the attack and pins the knight to the king. This is without doubt the
best response by White. After 6 exf6? dxc4 7 fxg7 Bxg7 8 0-0 Be6, Black is a pawn
ahead, has active pieces and can castle queenside.
6 … Ne4!
With the protection of the d5-pawn, the knight is secure on e4.
7 Nxd4
 This is the logical follow-up to 6 Bb5. White regains the pawn, attacks the pinned
knight and threatens 8 Nxc6.
7 … Bd7!
Black defends the knight and breaks the pin.
Amazingly, Black can also ignore the threat and counterattack with 7 … Bc5!?.If White
goes ahead and plays 8 Nxc6 there follows 8 … Bxf2+ 9 Kf1 Qh4! and White’s king is in
danger. It’s much safer for White to meet 7 … Bc5 with 8 Be3!. Now 8 … Bd7 9 Bxc6
bxc6 10 0-0 (or 10 Nd2) is similar to the game, while Black could also gambit with 8 …
0-0 9 Nxc6 bxc6 10 Bxc5 Nxc5 11 Bxc6 Rb8.
8 Bxc6!
With the pin broken, it makes sense to exchange the bishop for the knight. If 8 0-0
Nxd4! 9 Bxd7+ Qxd7 10 Qxd4, Black gains time with 10 … Bc5!.
8 … bxc6 9 0-0 Bc5
This is a natural choice, although 9 … Be7 and 9 … c5 are also possible.
10 f3!
 Jones forces the knight away from its strong central post. The knight has only one safe
retreat, to g5, but White will soon attack it again with f3-f4.
10 … Ng5 11 Be3!
This is a vital move which supports the knight and breaks the absolute pin.
11 … Bb6!
The bishop is more secure on b6, and by unblocking the c-pawn Black is ready to play
… c5 at the right moment.
12 f4 Ne4 13 Nd2!
White needs to get rid of Black’s strong knight.
13 … Nxd2 14 Qxd2
 Jones has managed to create a strong pawn formation on the e5- and f4-squares. Of
course Black could castle here, and it would be a perfectly natural thing to do. After 14 …
0-0 White’s plan would be 15 Nb3! followed by moves such as Qc3, Rae1, and Bc5 (or
Nc5), trying to create a dark-square bind on Black’s position. L’Ami’s choice is more
dynamic:
14 … c5!
Black gains space by advancing his central pawns.
15 Nf3 d4 16 Bf2 Bc6!
 While it’s true that Black’s dark-squared bishop – for the moment at least – is blocked
by pawns, the light-squared bishop has transformed into a wonderful piece. It’s a very
interesting position where both sides have active possibilities and chances are roughly
equal.

Note: It’s sometimes difficult to keep all of your pieces happy at the same time!

17 a4
Threatening to trap the bishop with a5, which Black’s next move prevents.
17 … a5 18 f5 Qd5
L’Ami creates a queen and bishop battery on the long diagonal and prepares to castle
queenside.
Black could also weaken White’s kingside pawns with 18 … Bxf3 19 gxf3, but L’Ami
decides it’s not worth exchanging his magnificent bishop to do so.
Notice that White’s strong e5/f5 pawn formation makes it risky for Black to castle
kingside. After 18 … 0-0 19 f6! Black’s king is under fire. White already threatens to
force checkmate with 20 Qg5 g6 21 Qh6 and Qg7, and if 19 … gxf6 White plays 20 Bh4!
followed by Bxf6, Qh6 and Black’s king won’t survive long.
19 Qg5
This queen move attacks the g-pawn and prevents Black from castling either side:
queenside, because it’s illegal; and kingside, because 20 f6! g6 21 Qh6 forces checkmate
again.
 In view of L’Ami’s convincing response, it might have been wiser to choose 19 Bh4!,
which does a better job of preventing queenside castling.
19 … h6!
A clever idea – L’Ami sacrifices the pawn on g7 so that he can castle queenside.
20 Qxg7 0-0-0 21 Qf6 Rhg8

The black king is finally safe, and Black is the one who can now focus on attack. The
queen and bishop battery down the long diagonal points menacingly towards White’s king,
and sacrificing the g-pawn has given Black the use of the open g-file too. Black is already
threatening 21 … Qxf3!, exploiting the pin on the g2-pawn, and also 21 … Rxg2+! 22
Kxg2 Qxf3+ followed by mate. Jones defends by blocking the g-file.
22 Bg3 c4!
The bishop on b6 comes to life! Black is ready to play … d3 with a discovered check,
so White’s king moves into the corner.
23 Kh1 h5 24 b3 cxb3 25 cxb3 d3 26 Qh6 Kb7 27 Qd2 Rg4!
 Black’s attack is building momentum. On g4 the rook supports … h4 to chase away
White’s bishop which blocks the g-file, and Black may also add extra power with …
Rdg8. One example of Black’s possibilities is 28 Rab1 h4! 29 Bxh4 Rdg8 30 Bg3 Rxg3!
31 hxg3 Rh8+ 32 Nh4 Be3! 33 Qb2 (33 Qxe3 Qxg2 mate) 33 … Qe4 34 Rf3 Rxh4+ 35
gxh4 Qxh4+ 36 Rh3 Qxh3 mate!
28 b4
Jones chooses to give up a pawn, just to slow down Black’s attack.
28 … Rxb4 29 Qg5 Rh8 30 Qg7 Qd8 31 e6 h4! 32 Be5 Rg8
L’Ami manages to get a rook back onto the g-file, and the end is in sight.
33 Qxf7 h3!
Black is attacking with a queen, two rooks, two bishops and a little pawn! It’s this pawn
which breaks White’s defences and opens a route to the king.

Tip: Pawns are strong weapons for breaking defensive barricades.

34 Bg3 Rb2! 35 gxh3 Qd5
Threatening mate with the queen sacrifice 36 … Qxf3+ 37 Rxf3 Bxf3.
36 Qh5
 The only way to defend, but now comes a decisive tactic.

Exercise: Find the quickest way for Black to win. (Clue: look for a deflection tactic.)

Answer: 36 … Rg5!!
White’s queen cannot remain defending the knight.
37 Qxg5 Qxf3+! 38 Rxf3 Bxf3 mate (0-1)

A Double Gambit
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Nf6 4 d4 exd4 5 0-0!?
 Castling is an interesting alternative to 5 e5. White makes the king safe and brings a
rook into the game, so that any future action such as e4-e5 is likely to come with more
power. On the other hand, without a direct threat to deal with, Black has a move to
improve the position.
In this position, and in similar ones, Black could prevent the e4-e5 attack by playing …
d6. White usually reacts by recapturing the gambit pawn. After 5 … d6 6 Nxd4 Be7 7 Nc3
0-0 both sides continue to develop, and White’s pieces are slightly more active than
Black’s.
Black could also develop the bishop, and here 5 … Bc5 6 e5! transposes to a line we’ve
already looked at (see page 61).
Finally, Black could also take the e-pawn!
5 … Nxe4!
 At first sight this pawn capture looks highly risky, because the knight is on the newly-
opened e-file and can be pinned. However, 5 … Nxe4 is actually Black’s most popular
response to 5 0-0 and is recognized as completely sound! We’ve seen before that in some
lines taking the e4-pawn is possible, and this is because Black has the key resource … d5!,
which will defend the knight and attack the bishop on c4. By capturing the pawn, at least
Black no longer has to worry about e4-e5!
6 Re1 d5!
Now if 7 Bb5 there follows 7 … Bc5! 8 Nxd4 0-0! and Black is doing very well. So
what does White do?
7 Bxd5!
White sacrifices the bishop – an amazing idea!
7 … Qxd5

Exercise: Can you find White’s follow-up to the bishop sacrifice?

Answer: 8 Nc3!
This seemingly impossible move is actually very possible! White uses a double pin:
taking with the knight on e4 is illegal, while taking with the pawn on d4 loses the queen.
So Black’s queen is forced to move, and White regains the sacrificed piece.
8 … Qh5
This is a suitable square for the queen, although 8 … Qa5 and 8 … Qd8 are options too.
Black is ready to meet 9 Rxe4+ with 9 … Be6, when castling queenside becomes possible.
9 Nxe4!
With the rook, knight and enemy king all standing on the open e-file, White threatens
some discovered checks, the most deadly of which is 10 Nf6 (double check!) 10 … Kd8
11 Re8 mate.
9 … Be6!
 A vital move: Black blocks the e-file with the bishop, prevents all discovered check
ideas and gets ready to castle queenside.
10 Bg5!
This bishop move keeps up the pressure by preventing Black from castling queenside.
White could regain the pawn with 10 Nxd4, but only at the cost of relieving all the
pressure. After 10 … Qxd1 11 Rxd1 0-0-0! Black is fine, and maybe has a small
advantage.
Another option is 10 Neg5 to attack the bishop on e6. Against this move, Black should
return the extra pawn in order to complete development, with 10 … 0-0-0! 11 Nxe6 fxe6
12 Rxe6 Bd6!. This is excellent anti-gambit strategy by Black, who is fully developed and
now threatens 13 … Bxh2+!.
10 … Bd6!
There are other possibilities, but this is the safest option for Black who now gets ready
to castle kingside.
11 Nxd6+ cxd6 12 Bf4
White moves the bishop away from the queen’s attack and gets ready to take the pawn
on d4 or on d6. Black’s reply defends both pawns.
12 … Qd5 13 c3!
 White again uses a tactic involving a pin (13 … dxc3?? loses the queen to 14 Qxd5), in
order to win back the gambitted pawn. Black has numerous options here, including 13 …
0-0, 13 … Rc8 and 13 … Qf5, and chances are balanced.

Points to Remember
1) 4 d4 is a good choice against the Two Knights Defence, especially if you want to
develop actively and attack quickly, and you are willing to gambit a pawn to do so.
2) After 4 … exd4, play the typical pawn push 5 e5! to attack the knight on f6.
3) When playing with the black pieces, answer 5 e5 with the recommended counterattack
5 … d5!, which allows you to develop your pieces quickly and actively.
4) 5 0-0 is the main alternative to 5 e5, and here Black can play 5 … Nxe4!.
 Chapter Five
The Ruy Lopez
In this chapter we are going to learn another famous chess opening, the Ruy Lopez. The opening moves are:

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5

Did you know? This opening is named after a Spanish priest called Ruy López de Segura, who lived in the 16th
century and wrote one of the first published books on chess. Because of his nationality, it is also called the Spanish
Opening or Spanish Game.

The Ruy Lopez is an excellent opening and one I’m very happy to recommend to young players. It’s fairly easy to
play and understand because White’s plans are straightforward. The only difference from the Italian Game is that
White’s bishop is developed to b5 rather than c4. The bishop attacks the knight on c6, which is defending the pawn on
e5. In the Ruy Lopez, White often attacks in the centre, and one typical plan is to create a pawn centre with c2-c3 and
d2-d4.

Does White threaten to win a pawn?

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5
As just mentioned, the bishop is attacking the knight on c6, and this knight is defending
the pawn on e5. So is White threatening to win a pawn with a ‘remove the defender’
tactic? Let’s say that Black encourages White to capture the knight, by playing 3 … a6 and
White goes ahead:
4 Bxc6 dxc6! 5 Nxe5

Exercise: White has taken a pawn, but now Black has a tactical idea. Can you see what it is?

Answer: 5 … Qd4!
This queen move creates a fork on the knight and the pawn.

Note: Black can also regain the pawn with 5 … Qg5, forking the knight and the
g2-pawn, and also the skewer 5 … Qe7 6 d4 f6 7 Nf3 Qxe4+.

6 Nf3 Qxe4+
 Black has regained the lost pawn. Following the further moves 7 Qe2 Qxe2+ 8 Kxe2
Bg4, Black can develop quickly and might even have a small advantage because his
bishops enjoy the open lines.
In summary, the answer to the question is ‘no’: White isn’t threatening to win a pawn
after 3 Bb5, because Black can use a tactical idea to win the pawn back. It’s actually
perfectly safe for Black to play 3 … a6, and indeed this is Black’s most popular move!

Tip: You do need to keep asking the question about the e5-pawn, because in a move or two the answer might be
different! I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen young players lose the e5-pawn because they believed it was
forever safe – this isn’t the case!

As an introduction to the Ruy Lopez, let’s go through a game played by the current World Chess Champion, Magnus
Carlsen. He won the world title in 2013, but we’re going back further in time, to look at a game he played when he was
just 10 years old! He chose the Ruy Lopez, and his play was very instructive.

Game 16
M.Carlsen-E.Blomqvist
Nordic Team Championship, Norway 2001

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4

White can take the knight, but retreating the bishop is the most popular choice.
4 … Nf6
The knight develops and attacks the e4-pawn. As usual, this is a good move.
5 0-0
 Carlsen was happy to allow the pawn on e4 to be captured, because this gives White the
opportunity to attack in the centre. In this game his opponent chose not to, but we’ll look
at positions where Black captures the e4-pawn later on.
5 … b5
This is a typical move by Black in the Ruy Lopez. By chasing the bishop away, Black
prevents the possibility of it capturing the knight on c6 at an opportune moment.
6 Bb3
The bishop has been forced back but it’s still well placed. It’s now on the same diagonal
as in the Italian Game, and unsurprisingly there are many similarities between the two
famous openings.
The move I recommend here for Black is 6 … Bc5!, and we will consider this bishop
move later on. Carlsen’s opponent chooses something else:
6 … d6

Exercise: Using your knowledge of similar positions in the Italian Game, suggest
a possible move for White here.

Answer: White could go for a direct attack on the f7-pawn with 7 Ng5. Because Black failed to develop the bishop
last move, he cannot defend the f7-pawn by castling and so he is forced to block the attack with 7 … d5. After 8 exd5
Nxd5?, White can unleash 9 Nxf7!, an even more favourable version of the Fried Liver Attack because White has
already castled! Following 9 … Kxf7 10 Qf3+ Ke6 11 Nc3 Nce7 12 d4!, it’s unlikely Black will survive the ferocious
attack.
So why did Carlsen refuse to play 7 Ng5 - ? It’s likely he did so because Black could
answer with 7 … d5 8 exd5 Nd4!, gambitting a pawn just like in the Two Knights
Defence.
Let’s return to the game, to see what Carlsen chose to play:
7 Re1!
This is another typical Ruy Lopez move. The rook defends the pawn on e4, which frees
White’s other pawns to create a pawn centre with c2-c3 followed by d2-d4. If the centre
opens up, as it often does after d4, the rook will become much more active.
7 … Na5?!
 Black wishes to swap off his knight for White’s strong bishop on b3. Although this is a
desirable exchange of pieces, it’s risky to play … Na5 so early because Black is moving
the same piece twice and falling behind in development. It was much safer to play 7 …
Be7!, so that the king was ready to castle.

Exercise: Find a good move for White here.

Answer: 8 d4!
This is a star move. There were many reasonable options, such as 8 d3, 8 Nc3 or 8 c3 to
prepare d2-d4, but none are as strong as Carlsen’s choice. He understood perfectly that to
exploit his lead in development, he needed to open up the position as quickly as possible
and to create threats. The immediate threat is simply to take on e5 and win a pawn.
8 … exd4?
This natural way to meet the threat is a grave error. It was vital for Black to get rid of
White’s bishop with 8 … Nxb3! 9 axb3, and only then deal with the attack on the pawn.

Exercise: What did Carlsen play here?

Answer: 9 e5!
Carlsen blows the e-file wide open. With the rook on e1 and the king still on e8, danger
looms for Black. White threatens discovered checks by taking the knight on f6 or the
pawn on d6, so Black is forced to capture the pawn on e5.
9 … dxe5 10 Nxe5!
 We’re only ten moves into the game, and White already has a decisive advantage.
Threats include massive discovered checks with Nxf7, Nc6 and Ng6, and Black is unable
to safely defend against everything.
10 … Be7
This move prevents the discovered checks, but White’s knight can still capture the
pawn on f7 because of the bishop on b3 – this is why Black should have taken this bishop
earlier while he had the chance to do so.
10 … Be6 was the other way to block the e-file. White answers this with the
combination 11 Nxf7! Kxf7 12 Bxe6+ Ke8, and here White can win material with the
discovered check 13 Bd5+.
11 Nxf7
Moving the queen allows White to capture the rook in the corner. Black chooses instead
to give up the queen and take a bishop and rook in return, but this doesn’t work out either.
11 … Nxb3 12 Nxd8 Nxa1 13 Nc6!
 Carlsen continues to find the best moves – the knight escapes the attack and at the same
time threatens the bishop on e7.
13 … Nd5
Black defends by using the knight, but …
14 Qh5+!
… forks the king and the knight.
14 … g6 15 Qxd5 Kf8
 16 Nxe7
Only here does Carlsen finally slacken a little. He could have forced checkmate earlier
– the quickest is by 16 Bh6+! Ke8 17 Rxe7 mate.
16 … Rb8 17 Qd8+ Kg7 18 Qxd4+ Kf7 19 Qxh8 Nxc2 20 Qg8+ Kf6 21 Qf8 mate (1-0)

Power of the Pin

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 d6
 I’ve seen many young players choosing 3 … d6. Often they mistakenly believe that
White is threatening to win the pawn on e5 with Bxc6 and Nxe5, so they defend the pawn
again.

Did you know? 3 … d6 is called the Steinitz Defence, as it was a favourite of the
first official World Champion Wilhelm Steinitz.

Notice that after Black moves the d-pawn, the white bishop pins the knight on c6 to the
black king. This is a key advantage for White in the Ruy Lopez and one that should be
exploited whenever possible. White could castle here, or play c2-c3, but the move which
puts Black under most pressure is:
4 d4!
This move immediately creates a threat, which is to win the pawn on e5. Black could
escape the threat with 4 … exd4, but White replies 5 Nxd4! with a new threat – to play
Nxc6. Let’s imagine that Black instead plays …
4 … Bg4
 Black has created his own pin, on the f3-knight. This position allows us to consider two
questions.

Exercise: a) Can White win a piece by playing 5 d5 here? b) Is 5 dxe5 dxe5
6 Qxd8+ Rxd8 7 Nxe5 a good idea for White?

Answer (a): 5 d5 attacks the knight which is in an absolute pin, but Black can
actually avoid losing a piece by using a counterattack:
5 … a6!
Black attacks the pinning piece.
6 Ba4
If the bishop moves off the a4-e8 diagonal, the knight would be free to escape the
attack. White could also ‘trade’ pieces, but after 6 dxc6 axb5 7 cxb7 Rb8, followed by …
Rxb7, it’s equal material.
6 … b5!
 Another counterattack, the pin is broken, and Black avoids losing a piece.

Note: This way to avoid losing the pinned knight, with … a6 and … b5, is well worth remembering as it’s often
overlooked.

Answer (b): 5 dxe5 dxe5 6 Qxd8+ Rxd8 7 Nxe5?? is a terrible idea. White wins a pawn but Black wins the game
with 7 … Rd1 mate! Instead, White should choose 7 Bxc6+ bxc6 8 Be3!, followed by Nbd2, when Black’s pawns on the
queenside are weak. 6 Qd5! (instead of 6 Qxd8+) is another good option.

Now let’s play through an old, famous game in the Steinitz Defence, one which demonstrates some typical tactical
ideas in the centre of the board.

Game 17
S.Tarrasch-G.Marco
Dresden 1892

Did you know? Siegbert Tarrasch was one of the strongest chess players in the world in the late 19th and early 20th
century, and also an influential chess writer. In 1891 he published analysis of a trap in the Steinitz Defence, and in this
game his opponent fell into it!

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 d6 4 d4 Bd7
This move unpins the knight and is a common defensive idea. Black could also
exchange pawns in the centre. A typical sequence is 4 … exd4 5 Nxd4 Bd7! 6 Nc3 Nf6 7
0-0 Be7 8 Bxc6 bxc6 9 Bf4 0-0. Both sides have successfully developed but White’s
pieces are a bit more active than Black’s.
 5 Nc3
At the moment White can’t win a pawn with 5 Bxc6 Bxc6 6 dxe5 dxe5 7 Qxd8+ Rxd8
8 Nxe5 because Black regains it with 8 … Bxe4. 5 Nc3 protects the pawn on e4, so now
White really is threatening to win a pawn.
5 … Nf6!
Black attacks the pawn on e4 again.
6 0-0
6 Bxc6 still doesn’t win a pawn: 6 … Bxc6 7 dxe5 dxe5 8 Qxd8+ Rxd8 9 Nxe5 Bxe4
and Black once again regains the pawn by safely taking on e4.
6 … Be7 7 Re1!
White’s rook defends the e4-pawn for a second time. Surely White is threatening to win
a pawn now?
7 … 0-0?
 Marco didn’t believe so, and had some ideas to back this up, but Tarrasch had seen
further and Marco was about to fall into the Tarrasch Trap!
Black should play 7 … exd4! 8 Nxd4, which leads to similar positions to those after 4
… exd4.
8 Bxc6! Bxc6 9 dxe5 dxe5 10 Qxd8!
After 10 Nxe5 Qxd1! 11 Rxd1 Bxe4 Black wins back the pawn.
10 … Raxd8 11 Nxe5 Bxe4 12 Nxe4 Nxe4
 This was Marco’s idea. Despite being defended twice, Black took the e4-pawn anyway,
as now 13 Rxe4?? is a terrible blunder which walks into a back rank mate after 13 …
Rd1+.

Exercise: What strong move did Tarrasch play here?

Answer: 13 Nd3!
The knight blocks the d-file, so the rook is now threatening to take the knight on e4.
What’s more, the rook is also pinning the knight against the bishop on e7, and the knight
cannot move without losing the bishop. Black’s only defence is to support the knight.
13 … f5 14 f3!
Tarrasch follows the principle: ‘Put pressure on the pinned piece!’

Tip: If a piece is pinned but also protected, look for ways to attack it again with a pawn.

14 … Bc5+
 The tactics keep coming. By giving a check, Black is able to move the bishop off the
vulnerable e-file with a gain of time.
14 … Bh4 is a similar idea, and here White can win a piece for two pawns with 15 g3!
Nxg3 16 hxg3 Bxg3.
15 Nxc5!
Again the best move.
15 Kf1 is tempting, because if the knight on e4 moves White can win a piece with
Nxc5. However, Black can calmly retreat the bishop and leave the knight to be captured.
After 15 … Bb6! 16 fxe4 fxe4+ it’s a discovered check. White can block with 17 Nf4, but
then 17 … g5! regains the piece!
15 … Nxc5

Exercise: How does White win material?

Answer: 16 Bg5!
White threatens the rook and also a fork with Be7.
16 … Rd5
Black’s rook defends the knight in anticipation of White’s next move.
17 Be7 Re8 18 c4! 1-0
The final tactic of the game: White ‘removes the defender’ by chasing away the rook, which cannot remain
protecting the knight. Black loses the knight, or a rook for a knight after 18 … Kf7 19 cxd5 Rxe7, and Marco decided to
resign rather than battle on in a hopeless cause. This was the first occasion that the Tarrasch Trap was sprung, and it has
since claimed many victims!

Points to Remember
1) In the Ruy Lopez, White often attacks in the centre with a quick d2-d4.
2) After 3 Bb5, White isn’t immediately threatening to win a pawn. If, for example, 3 … a6 4 Bxc6 dxc6! 5 Nxe5, Black
can regain the pawn with the fork 5 … Qd4!. However, at a later stage White might be threatening to win the pawn, so
always be alert to this idea.
3) If Black plays … d6, the knight on c6 enters an absolute pin. You should answer 3 … d6 with 4 d4!, which creates a
threat and puts Black under immediate pressure.

Berlin Defence
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 Nf6
 3 … Nf6, which is called the Berlin Defence, is a natural move and a common choice
among young players. The knight moves to its favourite square and attacks the e4-pawn.
Notice that unlike the Italian Game there’s no bishop on c4, so Black doesn’t need to
worry about 4 Ng5.
In the Ruy Lopez there are two different options for White against … Nf6. The first is to defend the pawn with d2-
d3, which usually leads to positions very similar to the Modern Italian. The second is to ignore the attack and simply
castle, because if Black takes the pawn White can attack quickly in the centre. We’ll look at both options in this chapter
but will mainly focus on castling, which is more aggressive and direct.

White plays 4 d3
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 Nf6 4 d3

Exercise: Why is 4 … a6 a mistake here?

Answer: White meets 4 … a6? with 5 Bxc6! dxc6 6 Nxe5!, winning a pawn. Black has no tactical tricks to regain
the pawn because the e4-pawn is defended. For example, 6 … Qd4 is simply met by 7 Nf3!. I’ve lost count of the
number of times I’ve seen this in games between young players.
4 … Bc5!
 This is a good reply to 4 d3. Notice that Black is developing the pieces exactly the same
as in the Italian Game.

Exercise: Can White still win a pawn with 5 Bxc6 dxc6 6 Nxe5 - ?

Answer: If 5 Bxc6 dxc6 6 Nxe5??, Black unleashes 6 … Qd4! threatening checkmate on f2 and the knight on e5,
and White cannot defend against both threats at the same time. I’ve seen this happen many times too!

Warning: Always be alert to possible tactics on your weak spot.

Instead of 6 Nxe5??, White should carry on developing. After, for example, 6 0-0 Black
can defend the pawn on e5 with 6 … Qe7 or with the pin 6 … Bg4.
5 0-0
White can also play 5 c3 first before castling.
5 … d6!
With the king safely castled, White was again threatening to win the e5-pawn with
Bxc6 and Nxe5, so Black securely defends it. 5 … Nd4 6 Nxd4 Bxd4 is another option.
6 c3!
White constructs the typical c3, d3, e4 pawn chain which we saw in the Modern Italian.
6 … 0-0
 We’ve reached a typical position for the 4 d3 line. Let’s take a look at a game involving two grandmasters which
demonstrates some common ideas for both sides.

Game 18
Y.Kryvoruchko-A.Aleksandrov
European Championship, Gjakova 2016

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 Nf6 4 d3 Bc5 5 c3 0-0

 6 0-0
White could win a pawn here with 6 Bxc6, but after 6 … bxc6! 7 Nxe5 d5! Black aims
to open up the position and make use of his lead in development. If Black doesn’t want to
offer a gambit, 5 … d6 can be played.
6 … d6
Black may also play more aggressively, by advancing two squares with the d-pawn, and
this causes the position to open up more quickly. For example, 6 … d5 7 exd5 Qxd5 8 Bc4
Qd6 9 b4 Bb6 10 Nbd2 Bf5 11 Qc2 Rad8 12 a4 a5 13 b5 Ne7 with equal chances,
F.Caruana-A.Grischuk, St. Louis 2017.
7 h3
White prevents any possibility of … Bg4 or … Ng4 in the future. There are other
sensible moves, including 7 Re1, 7 Bg5 and 7 Nbd2.
Before moving on with the game, let’s consider the developing move 7 … Be6.

Exercise: This bishop move looks natural, but in fact it’s a mistake which allows a tactical idea. What does White
play?

Answer: 8 d4! attacks the bishop but also threatens d4-d5 forking the knight and the other bishop. Black cannot
escape without losing something. I’ve noticed the possibility of this tactic arising on many occasions, so it’s definitely
worth remembering!
Let’s return to the game, and the position after 7 h3:
7 … Ne7!
This is a plan we’ve seen before in a similar position (Harikrishna-Bacrot, Game 5).
Black wishes to move the knight to g6, which is an ideal square for it.
8 d4
White makes the first pawn break in the centre.
8 … Bb6!
8 … exd4 9 cxd4 Bb6 10 Nc3 gives White an ideal pawn centre. With 8 … Bb6!,
Black’s intends to keep a share of the centre with a pawn on e5.

Tip: When White plays d2-d4 very early, Black’s best option is usually to reply … exd4.
However, if d4 is played a bit later on, as here, Black can often keep the pawn on e5.

9 Bd3
9 dxe5 is met by 9 … Nxe4! to regain the pawn. 9 Bd3 defends the pawn on e4, but this
gives Black time to protect the e5-pawn.
9 … Ng6 10 Re1 c6 11 Nbd2!

White’s knight begins its typical journey, via f1, to the desirable g3-square.
11 … Re8 12 Bc2 h6 13 Nf1! Be6
Black continues to build up patiently, but there are other options. One is 13 … Nh5,
planning to put a knight on the f4-square. Another is 13 … d5, to open up the centre.
14 Ng3 Qc7 15 Be3 Rad8 16 Qc1! a5 17 Nf5!
 After a long period with both sides assembling their armies, the game suddenly springs
to life. Kryvoruchko is planning Bxh6, sacrificing the bishop for two pawns in order to get
rid of the defence around Black’s king. Understandably Aleksandrov wishes to avoid this,
so he exchanges the bishop for White’s strong knight and then counterattacks.
17 … Bxf5 18 exf5 e4!
After 18 … Ne7 19 Bxh6! gxh6 20 Qxh6 White has a powerful attack. If, for example,
20 … Nh7 White brings the rook into play with 21 Re4!, threatening Rg4+ and then Qg7
mate.

Note: The idea of moving a rook up a file and then along a rank is known as a ‘rook lift’. A rook lift is often a highly
effective attacking weapon.

19 fxg6 exf3 20 g3!?
20 gxf3 would win a pawn but would also expose White’s king.
20 … Qd7!
Suddenly Black has a huge threat: … Qxh3 followed by an unstoppable ‘kiss of death’
checkmate on g2!
21 Qd1!
Kryvoruchko keeps things under control. The queen attacks the key pawn on f3, and it
can’t be defended.
21 … Qxh3 22 Qxf3
 22 … d5?
This move turns out to be a decisive mistake. The queen on h3 might look impressive,
but actually it’s vulnerable and should have retreated to safety while it had the chance to
do so.
23 Bf5! Qh5
This was the only safe square. Black offers a queen trade.
24 g4!
White says ‘No thanks!’
24 … Qh4
Again, the queen has only one safe square to move to.
25 gxf7+ Kxf7

Exercise: The black queen cannot safely move, but to win it White needs to attack it! Can you work out what
Kryvoruchko played here?

Answer: 26 Kg2!
Moving the king to g2 allows White to play Rh1, which will trap the queen.
26 … Re4
The only way to give the queen an escape route is to move the knight from f6, but then
White could play a decisive discovered check. For example, 26 … Ng8 27 Bg6+! (double
check!) 27 … Kxg6 28 Qf5 mate.
27 Rh1 1-0
 Black resigned. If 27 … Rxg4+, White doesn’t take the rook but plays the calm 28 Kf1! followed by capturing the
trapped queen.

White plays 4 0-0

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 Nf6 4 0-0

Castling is the most aggressive way for White to play. We’ll consider the two most
important responses: 4 … Nxe4 and 4 … Bc5. First, the pawn capture:
4 … Nxe4
Black takes the pawn on e4, but this opens up the position and allows White to attack
quickly in the centre. If Black defends carefully, he will be okay, and at grandmaster level
4 … Nxe4 is actually a popular move. However, for much less experienced players it’s a
risky choice and one that often leads to trouble.
5 Re1!

A natural and strong reply – White brings the rook to the e-file and skewers the knight
to the pawn on e5. Black must either protect or retreat the knight.

Note: Another option for White is 5 d4!, and indeed this is White’s most popular choice at grandmaster level.
However, 5 Re1! is simpler to learn and a sensible choice for young players taking their first steps with the Ruy Lopez.

Let’s look at some of Black’s possibilities after 5 Re1:

a) 5 … d5?
Black protects the knight in the most natural way, by using the d-pawn. We saw that in
the Italian Game, … d5 is a great resource for Black, because it gains time by attacking
the bishop on c4. In the Ruy Lopez, however, the bishop is on b5 and so … d5 is nowhere
near as effective. In fact, in this instance it’s a mistake.
6 d3!
The knight is forced to retreat.
 6 … Nf6

Exercise: Find the best move for White.

Answer: 7 Nxe5!
White threatens the knight on c6 and also a deadly discovered check. Black cannot
safely meet both threats. For example, 7 … Be6 8 Nxc6 bxc6 9 Bxc6+ forks the king and
the rook.

Tip: When the e-file has opened and the enemy king is still on its home square, there’s a chance that the king is
vulnerable. Always look for tactical ideas to exploit this.

b) 5 … Nf6
 This is the most natural retreat for the knight, which returns to its favourite square.
6 Nxe5
White wins back the pawn and threatens another devastating discovered check on the e-
file. This time, at least, the knight on c6 isn’t pinned and Black is able to deal with the
single threat. However, White is still doing well.
6 … Nxe5
Blocking the e-file with 6 … Be7! is probably a better way to deal with the threat. After
7 d4 0-0 8 Nc3 White has better development and more active pieces, but at least Black
has managed to safely castle.
7 d4!
 7 Rxe5+ is tempting, of course, but after 7 … Be7 Black is ready to castle into safety. 7
d4 is a clever move which exploits the absolute pin on the knight. White’s plan is to
capture the knight with the pawn, which will force Black’s other knight to move yet again.
White is doing well after 7 d4. For example:
7 … c6 8 dxe5!
Black has no time to take the bishop:
8 … cxb5?
Black should instead play 8 … Nd5, though White keeps up the pressure with 9 Bc4.
9 exf6+!
 Another deadly discovered check tactic on the e-file! Black is forced to give up the bishop with 9 … Be7, and after
10 Rxe7+ Kf8 11 Qd5! Black has to lose the queen as well, to avoid Qxf7 checkmate.

c) 5 … Nd6!

This knight retreat looks very unnatural, because on d6 the knight blocks both the
bishop on f8 and the pawn on d7, and yet 5 … Nd6! is Black’s best move! Crucially, the
knight attacks the bishop on b5.

Note: As we’ve seen before, gaining time by using threats is a key element of successful opening play.

6 Nxe5!
White ignores Black’s threat and makes a bigger one.
6 … Be7!
Taking the bishop would allow another discovered check: 6 … Nxb5?? 7 Nxc6+! and White wins the queen. In
contrast, 6 … Be7! prevents any tactics by blocking the e-file. White has to deal with the threat of … Nxb5, and this
gives Black time to castle safely and reach a position with equal chances. Let’s take a look at a game in this line.

Game 19
A.Litwak-J.Geske
Olomouc 2006

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 Nf6 4 0-0 Nxe4 5 Re1 Nd6 6 Nxe5 Be7 7 Bd3!?

The d3-square is definitely the most active place for the bishop, because it’s perfectly
placed for attacking purposes when Black castles. The downside is that the bishop is
blocking the pawn on d2, which makes it more difficult to develop the other bishop.
The most popular choice here is 7 Bf1. This allows White to play d2-d4, and the bishop
may go to d3 later on. A typical continuation is 7 … Nxe5 8 Rxe5 0-0 9 d4 Bf6 10 Re1
Nf5! (Black moves the knight to unblock the pawn on d7 which will free the bishop on c8)
11 c3 d5 12 Bf4 c6 13 Nd2. Both sides are activating their pieces successfully and chances
are level.
 7 … Nxe5 8 Rxe5 0-0 9 Nc3
Most of the minor pieces are in the game, but both sides need to work out how best to
develop the bishops on c1 and c8.
9 … Bf6 10 Re3!?
The rook could have retreated all the way back to e1, but White has an idea in mind …
10 … b6?
… which Black fails to spot!

Exercise: Can you find a strong move for White here?

Answer: 11 Bxh7+!
We came across the ‘Greek Gift’ sacrifice in Chapter Four, and here we see another
example of it. White gives up the bishop to bring out Black’s king, which will be at the
mercy of White’s queen and rook.
Going back a move, Black could have prevented White’s idea with 10 … g6!, which
blocks the bishop’s attack on the h7-pawn. White could play 11 b3 to develop the dark-
squared bishop and Black could do the same with 11 … b6.
11 … Kxh7 12 Qh5+ Kg8 13 Rh3!
 This is why White chose to retreat the rook to e3 on move 10, so that it could join the
attack on the kingside. White’s queen and rook battery threatens mate on both h7 and h8.
Black can avoid immediate checkmate only by giving up the bishop in order to create an
escape square.
13 … Bh4 14 Rxh4 f5
Advancing the f-pawn gives Black’s king f7 as an escape square, so checkmate is
avoided. However, Black’s king is severely exposed, White’s attack flows easily, and he is
even a pawn ahead!
15 d3 Bb7 16 Bg5 Qe8 17 Qh7+ Kf7 18 Rh6! Rh8?

Exercise: Find the best move for White.

Answer: 19 Rf6+!
White exploits the pin on the g7-pawn to give a devastating check. Black’s king can
only go to e7, but this walks straight into a decisive discovered check.
19 … Ke7 20 Qxg7+ 1-0
Black resigned. After 20 … Kd8 there are many good options, the simplest of which is
21 Rf8+ winning the queen.
Instead of playing 20 Qxg7+, White could have forced checkmate with 20 Rg6+! Kf7
21 Qxg7 mate.

Now let’s move on to Black’s other main choice after White castles, which is to
develop the bishop:
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 Nf6 4 0-0 Bc5
 As you would expect, this bishop move is a popular choice.
5 c3!

Note: This is the most aggressive way for White to continue. The plan is to put immediate pressure on Black by
playing d2-d4.

Notice that 5 Bxc6 dxc6 6 Nxe5 Nxe4! is okay for Black. The e-file is open and Black’s
king is in the centre, but in this position White cannot take advantage. A key point is that 7
Re1? allows 7 … Bxf2+. White can try 7 Qe2, but Black defends with 7 … Qd5! 8 Nf3 0-
0.
Returning to 5 c3!, let’s see what could happen if Black isn’t careful here:
 5 … d6?
This natural move is a mistake here, as White can take advantage of the absolute pin.
6 d4!
White’s d-pawn threatens the bishop on c5 and is ready to advance to d5 where it will
attack the pinned knight. Black cannot avoid losing one of these pieces.
6 … exd4 7 cxd4
 7 … Bb6

Exercise: If 7 … Bb4 8 d5 a6, Black hopes to escape after 9 Ba4 b5!. Instead of playing 9 Ba4, how can White win a
piece anyway?

Answer: White chooses 9 Bd3! (or 9 Be2). The knight on c6 can move, but after, say, 9 … Ne7 White plays 10
Qa4+! forking the king and bishop.
8 d5! a6 9 Ba4!
White maintains the pin. As we saw earlier, Black can sometimes avoid losing a piece
in this situation with the counterattack … b5, breaking the pin. Unfortunately for Black,
that isn’t possible here because the bishop blocks the pawn, so White wins the knight on
c6.

Let’s go through two games, one where Black chooses 5 … Nxe4 and one with 5 … 0-0.

Game 20
A.Alekhine-F.Baash
St. Petersburg 1912

Did you know? Alexander Alekhine was the World Champion for many years and is widely regarded to be one of the
best chess players of all time.

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 Nf6 4 0-0 Bc5 5 c3 Nxe4 6 d4!
 This is a good gambit line for White, who gets lots of play in return for the pawn.

Warning: Remember that 6 Re1? runs into 6 … Bxf2+ here. I’ve seen this happen too many times not to mention it!

6 … exd4
6 … Bb6 can be met by 7 Re1! or 7 Qe2!.
7 cxd4 Bb6
7 … Be7 is also met by 8 d5!.
8 d5!
White continues to gain time by attacking Black’s pieces. 8 Re1 looks tempting, but
this can be answered by 8 … d5! followed by … 0-0.

Exercise: Find the best move for White if Black plays 8 … Nb4.

8 … Ne7!
The knight retreats to a safe square and also blocks the e-file, so that the knight on e4
can’t be put into an absolute pin.
Answer: 8 … Nb4? is met by 9 Qe1! forking the two unprotected knights.
9 Qe2 f5?
This is most definitely not the best way to defend the attack on the knight. As we’ve
seen before, moving your f-pawn can seriously expose your king, and this is exactly what
happens here.
It’s wiser for Black to retreat the knight. After 9 … Nd6 10 Bd3 White will continue
with Nc3 and Bf4, with good gambit play.
9 … Nf6 can be answered by 10 d6! cxd6 11 Bg5!.
 Black is really struggling with development – how is the bishop on c8 going to get into
the game? Meanwhile, White will increase the pressure with Nc3 and Re1, and may create
more weaknesses in Black’s camp by playing Bxf6.

Note: White’s 10 d6! gambit can be called a ‘disruptor’. A pawn is sacrificed not to help your own development but
instead to hinder your opponent’s.

10 Nc3!
Alekhine gets rid of the knight on e4 to remove an obstacle from the e-file.
10 … 0-0
In order to gain a bit of time, Black returns the gambitted pawn.
After 10 … Nxc3 11 bxc3 0-0 White pins the knight with 12 Bg5! and Black is in big
trouble.
11 Nxe4 fxe4 12 Qxe4 d6?
Black’s only chance was to avoid the forthcoming pin by playing 12 … Nf5!.
13 Bg5!
 Simple and yet very strong. White will pile the pressure on the pinned knight and will
inevitably win some material.
13 … Rf7 14 Rae1!
White threatens the knight again.
14 … Bf5!
The best chance – Black chooses to counterattack.
The only way to protect the knight was with 14 … Kf8, but this allows White to play
15 Qxh7 threatening a devastating check on h8.
15 Qh4!
 Alekhine moves the queen so that three pieces are still attacking the knight on e7.
15 Bxe7? Bxe4 16 Bxd8 Bxf3 would allow Black to escape the pressure without losing
anything.
15 … Kf8
This time Black cannot escape with a counterattack. After 15 … Ng6 16 Bxd8 Nxh4 17
Bxh4! White is a knight ahead.
16 Rxe7!
White had many promising options here, including the straightforward 16 Re2!
followed by doubling the rooks on the e-file. Alekhine, though, was a highly creative
player who loved sacrifices and combinations.
16 … Rxe7 17 Qf4 g6 18 Bxe7+ Qxe7

Exercise: White could attack the pinned bishop with 19 g4 here, but Black has a resource which would avoid losing
the bishop. What is it?

19 Re1!
Answer: 19 g4? is met by the counterattack 19 … Qe4! and the bishop is saved.
19 … Qf7
Moving the queen anywhere else allows White to win the bishop with g2-g4.
20 Ng5!
Black is given no respite.
20 … Qxd5 21 Bc4!
Alekhine’s pieces are gathering around Black’s king, which has looked unsafe ever
since the unwise decision to move the f-pawn. Black has no good moves here.
 For example, 21 … Qc5 22 Ne6+! forks the king and queen, with the pin preventing …
Bxe6. Alternatively, 21 … Qa5 22 Nxh7+ Kg7 23 Re7+! Kh8 24 Nf6 with numerous
checkmating threats. In desperation, Alekhine’s opponent tries a trick:
21 … Bxf2+ 22 Kxf2!
Baash was hoping for 22 Qxf2?, which allows Black to escape with 22 … Qxc4!.
22 … Qc5+ 23 Kg3 Kg7 24 Re7+ Kf8 25 Ne6+! 1-0
 The king and queen fork wins. The bishop on f5 is again useless because of the pin.

Game 21
A.Gallego Alcaraz-S.Sartori Cardoso
South American Under-20 Championship, Cochabamba 2009

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 Bc5 4 c3 Nf6 5 0-0

Notice that Black developed the bishop before the knight and White played c3 before
castling, but we’ve now reached the same position as after 3 … Nf6 4 0-0 Bc5 5 c3!.
5 … 0-0!
Castling is the most popular choice for Black, and the best one too. If Black plays
carefully over the next few moves, he can reach a reasonable position.
6 d4!
 White gets on with the plan without any delay.
6 … Bb6!
Again this is the best move. Black allows White to take on e5, as he is ready to meet 7
dxe5 with 7 … Nxe4.
6 … exd4? 7 cxd4 Bb6 gives White exactly what he wants – an unopposed pawn
centre. What’s more, these pawns can advance to attack the knights and cause Black major
problems. For example, 8 e5! Nd5 9 Bc4! Nde7 (9 … Nce7 is better but 10 Bg5! keeps up
the pressure) 10 d5 Na5 11 Bd3!.
 White threatens to trap the knight on a5 by playing b2-b4. If Black prevents the threat
with 11 … Nxd5, there’s another powerful ‘Greek Gift’ sacrifice on h7 with 12 Bxh7+!
Kxh7 13 Ng5+. On this occasion, White can even regain the piece with Qxd5 before
setting his sights on Black’s vulnerable king.

Tip: This is an example of why it’s such a good idea to play actively and ambitiously in the opening. You put your
opponents under pressure, and make it easy for them to make mistakes!

7 Bg5
White defends the e4-pawn by pinning the knight to the queen, and now the threat is
dxe5. Black reacts by attacking the bishop.
7 … h6 8 Bh4!
 White keeps up the pressure by maintaining the pin.
8 … g5?
The pin against the knight is awkward, and understandably Black would like to break it,
but this pawn move is highly risky and Black’s decision to weaken his king backfires
spectacularly.
Black should play 8 … d6! to support the e5-pawn and free the bishop. White would
like to develop the knight to d2, but that would leave the d4-pawn insufficiently protected,
so a typical continuation is 9 Qd3! Qe7 and only now 10 Nbd2. White has more space and
a strong pawn centre, but Black’s position is solid and perfectly okay.
9 Nxg5!
This is a sacrifice we’ve talked about before. It’s always tempting, and on this occasion
it’s also very strong!
9 … hxg5 10 Bxg5
The pin on the knight has become virtually unbreakable, and it’s also much more
dangerous now that the knight is no longer protected by a pawn. Ideas to increase the
pressure include Qf3 and Bxc6 followed by dxe5.
 10 … Qe7
10 … exd4 is met by 11 Qf3! and if Black defends with 11 … Kg7, White plays 12
Bxc6 dxc6 13 e5!.
Ideally Black would like to support the e5-pawn with 10 … d6, but this allows the
sequence 11 Bxc6! bxc6 12 dxe5! dxe5 13 Qxd8 Rxd8 14 Bxf6, when White regains the
piece and is two pawns ahead.
11 f4!
 A brilliant move! White’s rook on f1 joins the action, and the immediate threat is 12
fxe5.

Tip: Remember to use your rooks! It’s easy to forget about rooks until there have been many exchanges with lots of
open files. Always look for pawn breaks which might activate five points of firepower.

11 … Nxd4
In the face of mounting pressure, Black chooses to sacrifice a knight to buy some time
and get his bishop into action. It doesn’t help though.
One of the points of 11 f4! was to remove the e5-pawn so that White can play e4-e5, for
example after 11 … exd4 12 e5!. Let’s carry this line on, because Black can use a
discovered check tactic to get a new queen, but it doesn’t matter because White gives
checkmate: 12 … dxc3+ 13 Kh1 cxb2 14 Bxf6! bxa1Q 15 Qg4+ Kh7 16 Qg7 mate!
12 cxd4 Bxd4+ 13 Kh1 Kg7
Black can go after White’s rook in the corner with 13 … Bxb2, but after 14 fxe5 Bxe5
15 Nd2! Bxa1? 16 Qxa1 White will capture the pinned knight and then attack Black’s bare
king.
14 Nc3 c6 15 Ne2!
 White plans to meet 15 … cxb5 with 16 Nxd4 exd4 17 e5!.
15 … Be3 16 Ng3!
This was the other idea behind 15 Ne2. White’s possibilities include Nf5+ and Nh5+,
and Black cannot stop all the threats.
16 … Qc5 17 fxe5! Bxg5 18 exf6+ Bxf6
If 18 … Kg8 then 19 Rf5! Qe3 20 Qg4 and Rxg5+.
19 Nh5+ Kh8 20 Nxf6 d6
After 20 … cxb5 21 Rf5! Black will soon be checkmated, e.g. 21 … Qe7 22 Qh5+ Kg7
23 Qh7 mate.
21 Bd3
A knight ahead, White chooses to play it safe and exchange queens.
With Black’s king lacking any defensive cover, it’s actually more logical to keep the
queens on the board, and there are numerous ways for White to aim for checkmate. One
line is 21 Nd5! (blocking Black’s queen from defending h5) 21 … cxd5 22 Qh5+ Kg7 23
Qg5+ Kh8 24 Rf6 followed by mate with Rh6.
21 … Qe5 22 Qh5+ Qxh5 23 Nxh5 Be6 24 Rf6 Rfd8 25 a3 a5 26 Raf1 a4 27 e5!
 This allows the bishop to join the attack.
27 … dxe5 28 Rh6+ Kg8 29 Bh7+ Kh8
If 29 … Kf8, White exploits the pin on the f7-pawn by playing 30 Rxe6!.
30 Bf5+ Kg8 31 Bxe6 fxe6 32 Rg6+ Kh7 33 Rg7+ Kh6 34 Rf6+! 1-0
Black resigned, because it’s forced checkmate with 34 … Kxh5 35 g4+ Kh4 36 Rh6.

Points to Remember
1) 3 … Nf6, the Berlin Defence, is a popular choice against the Ruy Lopez. White normally replies with either 4 d3 or 4
0-0.
2) After 4 d3 Bc5, the resulting positions will resemble those in the Modern Italian and plans for both sides will be
similar too.
3) 4 0-0! is the most aggressive choice. As White, be willing to allow 4 … Nxe4 as this gives you the opportunity to
attack on the e-file with 5 Re1.
4) After 4 0-0 Bc5, play the direct 5 c3! followed by d2-d4.

Exchange Variation
So far, we’ve focussed only on how to play the Ruy Lopez with White, but now let’s look at what to do when we have
the black pieces:
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6!

Recommended! 3 … a6 is a popular choice, and the move I recommend when facing the Ruy Lopez with the black
pieces.

The crucial advantage of chasing the bishop back to a4 is that you can, at an opportune
moment, force the bishop away from the a4-e8 diagonal by playing … b7-b5. The … b5
advance is useful because it blocks the bishop’s attack on the c6-knight and any potential
pin against the king after … d6.
White normally answers 3 … a6 with 4 Ba4, and this is the move I recommend for
White. However, White can also capture on c6, so let’s look at this option first.
4 Bxc6 dxc6!
Capturing this way allows Black to develop the bishop on c8.
5 0-0
 As we saw earlier, if 5 Nxe5 Black can regain the pawn with the fork 5 … Qd4!.
However, after castling White’s threat against the e5-pawn becomes real, and Black must
be careful. For example, 5 … Nf6?, with a counterattack against White’s e4-pawn, is not a
good idea because of 6 Nxe5! Nxe4 (6 … Qd4 no longer works if White has castled: 7
Nf3! Qxe4? 8 Re1!) 7 Re1!. This is yet another example of White exploiting the open e-
file with Black’s king still in the centre. Black is in real trouble here, as moving the
threatened knight would allow White to win Black’s queen with Nxc6 discovered check!
Let’s return to the position after 5 0-0 and find a better idea for Black:
5 … Bg4!
Black pins the knight and prevents Nxe5.
6 h3
White chases the bishop. Black could simply trade the bishop for the knight on f3,
which is perfectly acceptable, but we’ll consider a better (and far more exciting!)
possibility:
6 … h5!
 This is an amazing idea (and also the main line!). Black offers the bishop as a sacrifice,
but if White takes it the h-file becomes open and he could get checkmated by a queen and
rook battery. For example, 7 hxg4? hxg4 8 Nxe5?? Qh4! 9 f3 g3!. White cannot stop …
Qh1 checkmate!
7 d3!
White ignores the bishop and carries on developing. At some moment White hopes that
it will be safe to take the bishop.
7 … Qf6!
Black adds more pressure to the pinned knight.
8 Nbd2
White reacts by supporting the knight.
It’s still unsafe to take the bishop: 8 hxg4? hxg4 9 Ng5 Qh6! 10 Nh3 Qg6! 11 Ng5
Qh5! and to avoid checkmate White must give up the knight with 12 Nh3.
If 8 Be3 Black can double White’s pawns: 8 … Bxf3 9 Qxf3 Qxf3 10 gxf3 Bd6 11 Nd2
Ne7 with a level position.
8 … Ne7!
Black’s knight intends to go to g6 and possibly f4, to help the attack on the kingside.
9 Re1!
Now White has the option of playing Nf1, which could be a key defensive move. Is it
time for Black to retreat the bishop?
9 … Ng6!
 No – Black continues to ignore the attack!
10 d4!
The best move. White hopes to distract Black by counterattacking in the centre. For
example, 10 … exd4? 11 hxg4 hxg4 12 e5! is good for White.
If White takes the bishop and then tries to keep the extra piece, Black gets a very strong
attack. For example, 10 hxg4 hxg4 11 Nh2 Bc5! (11 … Qh4? 12 Ndf1! successfully
defends) 12 Re2 (or 12 Nxg4 Qh4! 13 Kf1 Qh1+ 14 Ke2 Nf4+ 15 Kf3 Qxg2 mate).
 Now comes another sacrifice: 12 … Rxh2! 13 Kxh2 Qh4+ 14 Kg1 g3 15 Nf3 Bxf2+ 16
Rxf2 (or 16 Kf1 Qh1+) 16 … gxf2+ 17 Kf1 Qh1+! and Black wins.
10 … Nf4!
Black continues to strengthen the attack. With the knight on f4, there are many ideas,
including … Bxh3 and … Qg6.
11 hxg4
Finally White captures the bishop. In fact, with Black’s threats mounting, there are very
few alternatives.
After 11 dxe5 Qg6! White must be very careful: 12 hxg4? hxg4 13 Nh2 Rxh2! 14 Kxh2
g3+! 15 fxg3 Qh6+ 16 Kg1 Bc5+! 17 Kf1 Qh1 is yet another checkmate for Black. Earlier
in this line, White can save himself with 12 Nh4! Bxd1 13 Nxg6 Nxg6 14 Rxd1 0-0-0,
when Black will win back the pawn and the position is equal.
11 … hxg4
 White must find the best move here. Let’s take a look at some possibilities:
a) 12 dxe5?? loses: after 12 … Qh6! once again it will be checkmate on h1.
b) 12 Nh2? plans to meet … Qh4 with Ndf1, but instead Black plays 12 … Nxg2!. If 13
Kxg2, the sacrifices continue: 13 … Rxh2+! 14 Kxh2 Qxf2+ 15 Kh1 g3 and Black’s
attack with the queen and pawn is enough to force checkmate. For example, 16 Nf3 g2+!
17 Kh2 g1Q+! 18 Kh3 Qgg3 mate!
c) White should return the extra piece in order to safeguard the king. After 12 g3! gxf3 13 Qxf3! Ne6 14 dxe5 Qxe5,
material is level and so are the chances.

Points to Remember
1) 3 … a6 is a recommended way to meet the Ruy Lopez when playing Black.
2) Remember to answer 4 Bxc6 with 4 … dxc6!, which frees the bishop and also the queen (in case of 5 Nxe5 Qd4!).
3) After 5 0-0, 5 … Bg4! is a good way to meet the threat against the e5-pawn. 6 h3 can be answered by 6 … Bxf3, but
the amazing 6 … h5! is a better option, and more fun for Black!

Noah’s Ark Trap

One of the advantages of playing … a6 is demonstrated by a common tactical idea called the Noah’s Ark Trap. No one is
completely sure how it got this name, but one possible explanation is that the trap is ‘as old as the ark’. The trap can
occur in a number of positions. Let’s take a look at one of them:
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 d6
My recommendation for Black here is 4 … Nf6, which we’ll look at later on.
 5 d4
Earlier on we realized that it was a good idea to meet 3 … d6 with the direct 4 d4!, so it
seems natural to do the same here.
5 … b5!
This is a key difference – the insertion of … a6 and Ba4 allows Black to break the pin
with a gain of time.
6 Bb3 Nxd4!
This is the correct capture, as 6 … exd4 would allow 7 Bd5!.

Note: After … b5 and Bb3, both sides must always be aware of Bd5 ideas for White.

7 Nxd4 exd4 8 Qxd4?
This natural recapture is actually a mistake which allows Black to carry out the Noah’s
Ark Trap.

Exercise: Find a strong move for Black.

Answer: 8 … c5!
A double threat! Black attacks the queen but also threatens to trap the bishop by playing
… c4. In many cases of the Noah’s Ark Trap, that’s the end of it, but there’s more to this
example:
9 Qd5!
White counters by threatening checkmate and the rook on a8, so Black cannot play …
c4.
9 … Be6!
This defends against both threats and creates a new threat.
10 Qc6+
All other safe queen moves are met by … c4, trapping the bishop.
10 … Bd7! 11 Qd5
White threatens checkmate again. Do we play 11 … Be6 again, repeating the position?
11 … c4!
 No, we don’t! Now that the bishop is on d7 rather than c8, Black’s queen protects the
rook on a8, and Black can meet the single threat of checkmate by blocking (and trapping)
the bishop with … c4!. Black wins the bishop in return for two pawns.

Did you know? When writing about this line, soon-to-be World Champion Alexander Alekhine overlooked the
possibility of 11 … c4. Even the best make mistakes!

So what should White do in this line to avoid the trap? Returning to the eighth move, White could avoid it by first
playing 8 Bd5! Rb8 and only now 9 Qxd4!, or by gambitting a pawn with 8 c3!?. Alternatively, White could avoid 5 d4
altogether, instead choose 5 0-0 and follow up with the typical Ruy Lopez plan of c2-c3 and d2-d4.

The Main Lines

Now we’re going to move on to one of the main lines of the Ruy Lopez:
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6!
This is a good developing move, the most popular choice after 4 Ba4, and my
recommendation for Black.
5 0-0
White could also play 5 d3 here, and this may well lead to positions similar to 3 … Nf6
4 d3 (see page 171). As mentioned earlier, in the chapter we’re focussing on the more
aggressive 5 0-0, with White aiming to push the d-pawn to d4.
 From here we’ll consider three options for Black:
a) Take the e-pawn with 5 … Nxe4.
b) Play 5 … b5 and 6 … Bc5 (my recommendation for Black).
c) Play 5 … Be7.

Black takes the e-pawn

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 0-0 Nxe4

As mentioned previously, for inexperienced players it’s risky to capture the e4-pawn
because White can attack in the centre and it’s easy for Black to go wrong.
6 Re1
 Again we see the skewer tactic that allows White to regain the pawn.
6 d4 is actually the most popular choice here, but 6 Re1 is simpler to learn and a good
option to start with for young players learning the Ruy Lopez.
6 … Nc5!
This is a vital move. Once again we see the idea of gaining time for development by
using threats – here it’s an attack on the a4-bishop.
Other ways to escape the threat on the knight could leave Black struggling. For
example:
a) After 6 … d5 7 Bxc6+ bxc6 8 d3! Nf6 9 Nxe5!, White threatens a deadly discovered
check and also simply Nxc6.
b) 6 … Nf6 7 Nxe5 Nxe5 8 d4! and White follow up with dxe5!.
7 Bxc6
White gets out of the threat by exchanging, to avoid losing time.
7 Nc3!? is an interesting alternative, and it contains a sneaky trick: 7 … Nxa4 8 Nxe5!
Nxe5? (Black should play 8 … Be7 9 Nd5! Nc5 10 Nxc6 dxc6 11 Nxe7 Be6 12 Nf5) 9
Rxe5+ Be7 10 Nd5! 0-0 11 Nxe7+ Kh8 12 Qh5! d6.

Exercise: White to play and checkmate in two moves.

Answer: 13 Qxh7+! Kxh7 14 Rh5 mate.

Did you know? This idea of sacrificing the queen on h7 and then checkmating with the rook and knight is known as
Anastasia’s Mate.

Going back to the seventh move, 7 … Be7! is a much safer option for Black, e.g. 8 Nd5
0-0 9 Bxc6 dxc6 10 Nxe7+ Qxe7 11 d4 Ne6 12 Rxe5 with equal chances.
7 … dxc6!
Fast development is vital! Recapturing with the d-pawn frees the bishop on c8.
8 Nxe5!
 White threatens a discovered check so Black must block the e-file.
8 … Be7!
8 … Be6 can be met by 9 Qh5!, threatening to exploit the e-file pin with Nxf7. If 9 …
Be7? White can still do it: 10 Nxf7! Bxf7 11 Qxc5 wins a pawn. Instead Black can defend
with 9 … g6! 10 Qf3 Be7.
9 d4!
White starts to develop the queenside and gains time by attacking the knight in the
process.
9 … Ne6
Another good move, again combining defence and attack.
10 Be3 0-0
 Black has defended carefully, avoided tricks and is now safely castled. White may continue with 11 Nc3 or 11 c4
followed by Nc3. In either case White has a bit more space but Black’s position is solid and chances are equal.

Black plays … b5 and … Bc5

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 0-0 b5 6 Bb3 Bc5

 Recommended! This line, known as the New Archangel Variation, is my suggestion for when you are playing Black
against the Ruy Lopez. You can also play 5 … b5 and 6 … Bc5 against moves such as 5 d3 and 5 Qe2.

Black plays … b5 to force the bishop away from the a4-e8 diagonal and follows up by
developing the bishop to its most active square, c5. With the bishops now pointing at f7
and f2, its looking very similar to the Italian Game, although as we shall see, White does
have more plans available here than in the Italian. Let’s take a look at the main ones.

Fork Trick
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 0-0 b5 6 Bb3 Bc5 7 Nxe5!
7 Nxe5 introduces an important tactic that arises in many positions within 1 e4 e5
openings. White gives up the knight, but the sacrifice is only temporary.
7 … Nxe5 8 d4!
This is the Fork Trick. The pawn attacks both the bishop and the knight to ensure that
White regains the piece. The Fork Trick doesn’t win any material, but it can often be used
to gain an advantage. Let’s see what could happen if Black isn’t careful:

8 … Bd6?
Retreating the bishop to protect the knight is a natural reaction, and often it’s the best
way to meet the Fork Trick. Not here, though!
9 dxe5 Bxe5

Exercise: Find a strong idea for White.

Answer: 10 f4! Bd6
This is only move to save the bishop.
11 e5!
Another fork!
11 … Bc5+! 12 Kh1
Black has managed to escape the fork with a check, but the knight on f6 has to move
from its favourite square and there are very few choices.
12 … Ne4 13 Qd5!
 Yet another fork! This time the queen threatens mate on f7 and also attacks the
unprotected rook and knight. Black cannot escape without losing a piece (if Black castles
it’s safer for White to take the knight than the rook).
Let’s go back to the eighth move to find out what Black should play:
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 0-0 b5 6 Bb3 Bc5 7 Nxe5 Nxe5 8 d4 Bxd4!
This is much better than 8 … Bd6.
9 Qxd4 d6
 On this occasion, taking the pawn on d4 and then protecting the knight with … d6 is the
safest way to meet the Fork Trick.

Exercise: Find a strong move for Black if White plays 10 Nc3 here.

Answer: Did you notice that Black was threatening to do something? 10 Nc3 fails to deal with it, and after 10 … c5!
followed by … c4 Black traps and wins the bishop. Noah’s Ark Trap strikes again!
White could avoid the trap by playing 10 c3, which gives the bishop escape squares.
Alternatively, White can create another threat. For example:
10 f4 Nc6! 11 Qc3!
Both players combine defence with attack, in order to gain time.

Tip: When moving a threatened piece, look for ways to create a new attack.

11 … Bb7 12 e5 Ne4!
 Black doesn’t want to exchange pawns on e5, which would suddenly bring White’s
rook to life down the f-file.
13 Qe3 Na5!
Another dual-purpose move. Black defends the knight on e4 and aims to take White’s strong bishop on b3. After, for
example, 14 Nd2 Nxb3 15 axb3 Nxd2 16 Bxd2 0-0 Black has safely castled and the chances are equal.

Pushing in the Centre

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 0-0 b5
Black can also play 5 … Bc5, and here 6 c3 b5 7 Bb3 transposes.
6 Bb3 Bc5 7 c3
 As we’ve seen before, c2-c3 and d2-d4 is an ambitious plan, and particularly appealing
given that d2-d4 will attack the bishop. This is the way I suggest we play as White.
7 d3 leads to quieter positions resembling the Modern Italian. For example, 7 … d6 8
c3 h6 (to stop Bg5) 9 h3 (to stop … Ng4 or … Bg4) 9 … 0-0 10 Re1 Bb6 (so that d3-d4
doesn’t attack the bishop) 11 Nbd2 Ne7 12 Nf1 Ng6 13 Ng3 with equal chances.
7 … d6!
This is a key move, anticipating d2-d4. Black’s plan is not to give up the centre with …
exd4 but to hold the centre by not exchanging pawns.
7 … Nxe4 can be met by 8 d4! to open up the position. This is a good gambit for
White.
7 … 0-0 8 d4 exd4?! 9 cxd4 Bb6 is exactly what White wants – two mobile and
unopposed pawns in the centre. White can continue with 10 e5!, forcing the knight away
from its best square.
8 d4 Bb6!
 Looking at the pawn situation in the centre, White has three options:
1) Advance with d4-d5;
2) Take on e5; or
3) Keep the tension by leaving the pawn on d4.
In general, keeping the tension for the moment is the best choice, and one I recommend
to those playing the Ruy Lopez as White.
9 Be3
White wants to play Nbd2, but first the d4-pawn is defended. Let’s look at other
options:
a) 9 d5?! Ne7 is what Black wants. Pushing the d-pawn has blocked White’s bishop on
b3, whereas Black’s bishop on b6 is alive.
b) 9 dxe5 Nxe5! 10 Nxe5 dxe5 11 Qxd8+ Kxd8 12 Bxf7. White has won a pawn, but
Black soon regains it because of his active pieces: 12 … Rf8! 13 Bd5 (or 13 Bb3 Nxe4! 14
Bd5 Nxf2!, threatening … Nh3+!) 13 … Nxd5 14 exd5 Bb7! 15 Be3 Bxe3 16 fxe3 Rxf1+
17 Kxf1 Bxd5 18 Nd2 Ke7 with an equal position.
c) 9 h3 (preventing … Bg4) 9 … Bb7 10 Re1 h6 11 Be3 0-0! transposes to the main
line.
d) 9 Bg5 pins the knight. 9 … h6! 10 Bh4 (10 Bxf6 Qxf6 11 Bd5 Bd7! and Black plans
… Rb8 and … Ne7, or 10 dxe5 hxg5! 11 exf6 Qxf6 and Black has an open h-file for the
rook) 10 … Bb7 11 Re1 g5 (Black needs to break this pin) 12 Bg3 0-0! with equal
chances. If 13 dxe5 Nxe5!, Black’s pieces become very active.
Let’s return to the position after 9 Be3.

Exercise: Why should Black not capture the pawn on e4?

Answer: 9 … Nxe4? allows the tactic 10 Bd5!, forking both knights and winning one of them.
9 … 0-0! 10 Nbd2 h6
Black prevents Bg5 or Ng5, and prepares … Re8 to put pressure on White’s centre.
11 h3
White prevents … Bg4 or … Ng4.
11 … Re8 12 Re1 Bd7
 White has managed to maintain the e4/d4 pawn centre, but Black hasn’t given way either. Both sides have developed
well and the chances are roughly equal.

Pushing the a-pawn

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 0-0 b5 6 Bb3 Bc5 7 a4

 Tip: Don’t forget your rooks!

After Black plays … b5, White has the opportunity to make a pawn break with a2-a4
and this move often arises at some point during the game. Here White creates a threat of
capturing on b5, with Black unable to recapture without losing the rook on a8.
7 … Rb8
Black usually responds to the threat with this move, but … Bb7 is also possible.
8 c3
Now White goes back to the d2-d4 plan, and Black responds in the usual way.
8 … d6 9 d4 Bb6 10 Na3

So far we’ve seen the knight developing only to d2 or c3, but occasionally it goes to a3.
This is one position where the phrase ‘knight on the rim is dim’ certainly doesn’t apply.
On a3 the knight threatens the pawn on b5, and it’s not easy for Black to defend it without
making concessions. For example, 10 … b4 11 Nc4! and the knight springs into action in
the centre, attacking the bishop and the e5-pawn.
10 … 0-0!
So Black sacrifices the pawn on b5. This is a popular gambit as Black usually gets active play and attacking chances
for the pawn. He certainly did in the following battle between two grandmasters:

Game 22
O.Korneev-M.Ragger
Austrian Team Championship 2007

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 0-0 b5 6 Bb3 Bc5 7 a4 Rb8 8 c3 d6 9 d4 Bb6 10 Na3 0-0 11 axb5 axb5 12
Nxb5 Bg4!

By pinning the knight, Black puts more pressure on the centre, especially the d4-pawn.
There are some tactical ideas for Black, including the possibility at some moment of a
discovered attack down the b-file.
Remember that the pawn on e4 looks unprotected but shouldn’t be captured at the
moment: 12 … Nxe4? runs into 13 Bd5!, forking the knights.

Tip: Watch out for Bd5 tactics in this line.

13 d5
White chooses to advance in the centre, to make the d-pawn safe.
13 Bc2 is an important alternative. A typical continuation is 13 … Bxf3! 14 gxf3! (if 14
Qxf3, Black regains the pawn with 14 … exd4) 14 … Nh5!. White is a pawn ahead, but
Black has compensation because of White’s weakened kingside.
13 … Ne7 14 Bc2
The bishop retreats to protect the e4-pawn, which was finally under threat.
14 … Ng6!
Black could win the pawn back here with a discovered attack: 14 … Bxf2+ 15 Rxf2
Rxb5. Ragger chooses instead to keep his powerful bishop on b6 and continues to build up
the attack. Black’s immediate idea is … Nh4!, to add pressure to White’s pinned knight.
15 h3
 White tries to break the pin.
15 … Bxh3!
Black responds by sacrificing his bishop!
16 gxh3 Qd7!
The key follow-up move. The queen forks b5 and h3 to ensure that Black removes two
defensive pawns in front of White’s king.
17 c4 Qxh3
Black is threatening … Ng4, … Nh4 (to remove the defender), and then checkmate
with … Qh2, so White must react immediately.
18 Ng5! Qg3+! 19 Kh1 Qh4+
 20 Kg2!
The only defence. 20 Kg1? Ng4! 21 Nf3 Qg3+! 22 Kh1 Qh3+ 23 Kg1 Nh4! and it’s
checkmate next move.
20 … Nf4+
Now 20 … Ng4 would be met by 21 Nf3! and the queen would be forced to retreat.
21 Bxf4 exf4 22 Nh3
In a more recent grandmaster game, White chose 22 Nf3 and after 22 … Qg4+ 23 Kh1
Rfe8 24 Ra3 Nxe4 25 Bxe4 Rxe4 26 Rc3, all three results were possible but White
eventually won, S.Karjakin-P.Svidler, Chita 2015.
22 … g5!
Here comes the second wave of the attack.
23 Qe2 Ng4 24 Bd1?

Note: It’s difficult to defend accurately when the opponent has so many attacking possibilities.

Under real pressure, White makes a decisive mistake. 24 Ra3!, to defend along the third
rank, would have kept White in the game.

Exercise (difficult): Find a strong move for Black.

Answer: 24 … Ne3+!!
The knight is sacrificed in order to deflect the f2-pawn, which allows Black’s queen to
give a huge check on g3.
25 fxe3 Qg3+ 26 Kh1 Qxh3+ 27 Kg1 Bxe3+ 28 Rf2 Ra8 29 Ra3 Rxa3 30 bxa3 h5!
Black’s plan is simply … g4 followed by … g3. White is forced to lose material.
31 Qf3 Qxf3 32 Bxf3 g4! 33 Kg2
If 33 Bd1, then 33 … g3!.
33 … Bxf2 34 Kxf2 gxf3
The position has simplified, and Black makes his rook-for-knight advantage count.
35 Kxf3 Kg7 36 Kxf4 h4 37 e5 h3 38 Kg3 Rh8! 39 Kh2 dxe5 40 Nxc7 e4 41 Nb5 e3 42 Nd4 Kf6 43 Nf3 Kf5 44
d6 Ke6 45 c5 Kd5 46 d7 Kxc5 47 Kg3 Kd6 0-1

Black plays 5 … Be7

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 0-0 Be7
Many young players who are learning chess openings don’t like playing … Be7,
because the bishop is much less actively placed here than on c5. However, 5 … Be7 is
actually the main line of the Ruy Lopez! There are advantages to developing the bishop to
a more modest square. Firstly, the bishop won’t get attacked when White plays c2-c3 and
d2-d4. Secondly, the bishop can act as a key defender on the kingside. An obvious
example is that Bg5 by White, which normally sets up a powerful pin, doesn’t do so when
Black’s bishop is on e7.
6 Re1!

This is a key Ruy Lopez move. White protects the e-pawn by using the rook rather than
by d2-d3 or Nc3. This allows White to play the pawn advance d2-d4 in one step, and also
to support the advance if needed by c2-c3.

Exercise: What should White play if Black castles here?

6 … b5!
Black forces the bishop away, in order to make the e5-pawn safe. Another option is 6
… d6 and here White can play 7 c3 followed by d2-d4.
Answer: 6 … 0-0? is a type of mistake I’ve seen many times. Now that the e4-pawn is protected, there’s nothing to
stop White from winning the pawn on e5 with 7 Bxc6! dxc6 8 Nxe5!.

Tip: Don’t forget about the e5-pawn!

7 Bb3 0-0
Black may also play 7 … d6 here, and after 8 c3 0-0 9 d4 we reach a position we’ll
consider later on.

 After 7 … 0-0 we reach a crossroads. There are a number of good options, including 8 c3, 8 d3, 8 a4, 8 d4 and even
8 h3, and White must make a choice. Let’s first consider 8 c3.

Marshall Attack
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 0-0 Be7 6 Re1 b5 7 Bb3 0-0 8 c3
Given that White’s normal plan is to create a pawn centre with c2-c3 and d2-d4, 8 c3 is
a logical choice. However, this move gives Black the opportunity to strike first in the
centre and play one of the most dangerous gambits in chess – the Marshall Attack:
8 … d5!
 The Marshall Attack is named after Frank Marshall, one of the World’s strongest
players and the US Champion for many years. In 1918, Marshall unleashed his gambit in a
game against the soon-to-be World Champion José Raúl Capablanca. Unfortunately for
Marshall, Capablanca defended brilliantly to overcome the attack and eventually won the
game. Despite the result, Marshall’s gambit became popular and remains so to this day.

Did you know? The Marshall Attack is the only opening for Black which is called an ‘Attack’!

The main continuation is as follows:
9 exd5 Nxd5 10 Nxe5 Nxe5 11 Rxe5 c6 12 d4 Bd6 13 Re1 Qh4!
 In exchange for the sacrificed pawn, Black has quite a few advantages. Chiefly, his
pieces are better developed and more active, and the queen and two bishops are pointing
towards White’s king, which is lacking defenders. The immediate threat is to take the
pawn on h2, and it’s very easy for White to go wrong. For example:
14 h3? Bxh3!
Black sacrifices a bishop to blow apart the defence around White’s king.
15 gxh3 Qxh3 16 Be3

Exercise: How can Black force checkmate in a few moves?

Answer: 16 … Bh2+! 17 Kh1 Bg3+! 18 Kg1 Nxe3! 19 fxe3 Qh2+ 20 Kf1 Qf2 mate
This is why the bishop retreated to g3 for the discovered check, as on this square it
protects the queen mate on f2.
Returning to the position after 13 … Qh4, the situation is by no means terrible for White, who can defend much
more solidly with 14 g3!. However, with White we should be looking to attack – not defend! – so I suggest that we avoid
the Marshall Attack and choose something different from 8 c3. One possibility, as always, is 8 d3, when White’s plans
are very similar to those in the Modern Italian (including the typical manoeuvre Nbd2-f1-g3). Let’s look at a more direct
and aggressive way to play.

White plays d4
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 0-0 Be7 6 Re1 b5 7 Bb3 0-0 8 d4!
 White pushes the d-pawn without any preparation from c2-c3. This is more direct than 8 c3, and crucially it avoids
the Marshall Attack. Black must deal with White’s threat to capture the pawn on e5, and can do so either by taking the
d4-pawn or by protecting the e5-pawn with 8 … d6. Let’s consider both possibilities in the following two games:

Game 23
I.Gurevich-J.Nunn
Hastings 1992/93

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 0-0 Be7 6 Re1 b5 7 Bb3 0-0 8 d4 Nxd4
8 … exd4 is met by a move you should all be familiar with by now. 9 e5! chases the
knight away from f6. Let’s consider knight moves:
a) 9 … Nh5? 10 g4! traps and wins the knight.
b) 9 … Ng4 10 h3! Nh6 11 Bxh6 gxh6 12 c3 dxc3 13 Nxc3 gives White a big advantage. White’s pieces are very
active and Black’s king is exposed.
c) 9 … Ne8 10 c3! dxc3 11 Nxc3 with promising gambit play for White, whose pieces
are far better developed and more active than Black’s.
9 Nxd4 exd4

Exercise: How should Black respond if White takes the d4-pawn with the queen?

10 e5!
Once again we see this key pawn move. Here Black’s knight has only one safe square
to move to.
Answer: 10 Qxd4? is met by 10 … c5! followed by … c4!.

Warning: Don’t forget the Noah’s Ark Trap!

10 … Ne8 11 c3!
Gurevich continues in gambit style.
11 Qxd4 is a good alternative and can be played if White doesn’t wish to gambit a
pawn. In this instance, capturing the pawn doesn’t fall into the Noah’s Ark Trap, because
11 … c5 can be met by 12 Qe4!, gaining time by attacking the rook on a8. After 12 …
Rb8 White can prevent Black’s threat with 13 c4 or 13 c3.
11 … dxc3 12 Nxc3
 White’s pieces are full of life and can be improved further with moves such as Qf3,
Bf4, Rad1 and Nd5.
12 … d6 13 Nd5 Be6 14 Qf3
This threatens Nxe7+, deflecting the queen, followed by Qxa8.
14 … Rc8 15 Bf4
White continues to put pressure on Black, who has to defend carefully.
15 … Bg5
15 … dxe5! is a better option, although after 16 Nxe7+ Qxe7 17 Bxe5 Nd6 18 Qc3 Qg5
19 Bxe6 fxe6 20 b3 Qg6 21 Qc6 White still had a small advantage in another grandmaster
game, between Peter Leko and Levon Aronian. More to the point, our opponents are not
likely to defend as well as the World’s top players!
16 Rad1!
Gurevich simply brings his final piece into the game and increases the pressure.
16 … Kh8
Exchanging two pairs of pieces by 16 … Bxf4 17 Nxf4 Bxb3 18 Qxb3! doesn’t solve
all of Black’s problems. One of White’s ideas here is e5-e6.
17 Bc2
Now Black has to worry about potential attacks on the h7-pawn.
17 … f5?
As we’ve seen before in this book, moving the f-pawn is often loaded with risk because
of the weaknesses it creates, and this is yet another example. 17 … g6 would have been a
better way to block the bishop’s attack on h7.
18 Qh5! h6 19 Bxg5! Qxg5 20 Qxg5 hxg5

Exercise: What did Gurevich play here?

Answer: 21 Ne7!
White threatens to take the rook on c8 and also a fork with Ng6+. Black cannot prevent
both threats and loses – in a game between two grandmasters – a decisive amount of
material.
21 … Kh7 22 exd6 cxd6 23 Nxc8 Bxc8 24 Re7 g4 25 Bb3 Kg6 26 Rc1 Nf6 27 Rcc7
d5 28 Rxg7+ Kh6 29 Rgf7 Re8
 30 Rce7! 1-0
White doesn’t fall for Nunn’s last trick, which was 30 Rxf6+? Kg5! when Black
threatens the rook and also a back rank mate.
After 30 Rce7, Nunn decided to resign. Following 30 … Rxe7 31 Rxe7 White’s rook will start attacking and
capturing pawns, e.g. 31 … f4 32 Rc7 Bf5 33 Rc6 Kg5 34 Rxa6.

Game 24
M.Kunal-A.Goganov
World Under-20 Championship, Chennai 2011

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 0-0 Be7 6 Re1 b5 7 Bb3 0-0

Note: We reach the same position after 7 … d6 8 c3 0-0 9 d4, and indeed that was
the actual move order chosen in this game.

8 d4 d6!
 As we’ve seen before in the Ruy Lopez, Black often protects the pawn on e5 rather
than taking on d4, and here’s another example of that. 8 … d6 is Black’s most solid
option.
9 c3!
White supports the d4-pawn and intends to recapture with the pawn if Black plays …
exd4.
9 Nc3? Nxd4! 10 Nxd4 exd4 11 Qxd4 c5! followed by … c4 is yet another example of
the Noah’s Ark Trap.
9 … Bg4!
Black pins the knight and adds pressure to the d4-pawn.
10 Be3
White responds by giving the pawn further support. The main alternative is to push with 10 d5.

10 … exd4
Exchanging pawns on d4 seemingly gives White two unopposed centre pawns.
However, this is only temporary as Black has a firm idea in mind.
10 … Nxe4 allows a tactic you should hopefully be familiar with: 11 Bd5! forks the
two knights. In fact in this particular case, after 11 … Qd7! 12 Bxe4 d5!, Black can regain
the piece by meeting bishop retreats with … e4. White can still win a pawn, though, with
13 Bxh7+ Kxh7 14 dxe5.
11 cxd4
 11 … d5!
Black immediately strikes back, in order to gain a share of the centre.
Another way for Black to activate is by 11 … Na5! (threatening to swap off the knight
for White’s powerful bishop) 12 Bc2! Nc4 (the immediate 12 … c5 is also possible) 13
Bc1! (a temporary retreat to protect the b-pawn and keep the bishop) 13 … c5! (Black
again strikes at White’s pawn centre) 14 b3! (forcing the knight to retreat) 14 … Nb6 15
Nbd2 cxd4 16 Bb2. White will regain the pawn by capturing on d4, and both sides have
equal chances.
12 e5 Ne4 13 Nc3!
White offers to exchange Black’s strong knight on e4.
13 … Nxc3 14 bxc3 Na5!
 If allowed, the knight will trade itself for the bishop. White prevents this with his next
move, but then the knight reaches a strong outpost on c4.

Note: This is an example where it’s fine to move a knight to the edge of the board, because it’s using the edge as a
springboard to reach a more appealing square.

15 Bc2! Nc4 16 Qd3!
White creates a queen and bishop battery and threatens checkmate. Black can easily
escape the threat, but only at a cost of accepting a slight weakness around the king.
16 … g6!
16 … f5?? allows 17 exf6!. Don’t forget en passant!
17 Bh6 Re8 18 h3 Be6
Black could also exchange bishops with 18 … Bf5 19 Qe2 Bxc2 20 Qxc2.
19 g4!?
 Ambitious play by Kunal. His intention is to move the knight followed by a pawn storm
with f2-f4-f5. White’s decision to attack on the kingside is fully justified.
19 … a5!
Goganov reacts by starting action on the queenside, where he’s the one with the extra
pawn.
20 Nd2 Na3!?
Again the knight isn’t badly placed on the edge, as it’s attacking the bishop.
21 f4! f5
Goganov prevents White from playing the desired f4-f5 push and tries to block up the
kingside. He could have also continued with his queenside attack by playing 21 … c5!,
which threatens to win a piece with the deflecting … c4.
22 exf6!
Quite rightly, Kunal seeks to open up the kingside.

Tip: In general, if you have an advantage on one side of the board, try to open the position on that side. If you have
the disadvantage, keep it blocked!

22 … Bxf6 23 Nf3
 23 … Qd7?
So far, both sides have played very well, but finally there’s a mistake.
23 … c5!, getting on with queenside action, would have left all three results possible.
24 f5!
Goganov must have thought he was preventing this move when playing 23 … Qd7, but
Kunal had seen further.
24 … Nxc2 25 Rxe6!
This zwischenzug tactic is the point behind White’s last move.
25 … Nxa1
This is forced, as 25 … Rxe6 26 fxe6 Qxe6 27 Qxc2 leaves White a knight for a pawn
ahead.
26 Rxf6
 Suddenly Black is facing an enormous attack against his king, with White’s queen,
rook, bishop, knight and f5-pawn all taking part. The fact that Black is up on material
(rook for bishop) doesn’t help him, especially as the knight on a1 is stuck in the corner – it
really is badly placed now!
26 … Re4 27 fxg6 hxg6 28 Ne5! Qe7 29 Rxg6+ Kh8 30 Rg7! Qxg7
Faced with the threat of mate by Ng6, Black is forced to give up the queen.
31 Bxg7+ Kxg7 32 Qd2 1-0
 Black resigned. His pieces are scattered, he has no answer to White’s rampant queen and knight, and can only
prevent mate by giving up more material, e.g. 32 … Rf8 33 Qg5+ Kh7 34 Qg6+ Kh8 35 Nf7+ Rxf7 36 Qxf7.

Points to Remember
1) Playing 3 … a6 allows Black to chase the bishop away from the a4-e8 diagonal with a timely … b5.
2) Always be aware of the Noah’s Ark Trap. It’s surprisingly common and may arise in numerous positions.
3) After 3 … a6 4 Ba4 Nf6, 5 0-0 is again the most aggressive choice. If Black takes the e4-pawn, White attacks in the
centre.
4) When playing with the black pieces, my recommendation is 3 … a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 0-0 b5 6 Bb3 Bc5, the New
Archangel Variation.
5) Remember, rook to e1! The rook ‘only’ protects the e4-pawn, but it’s a useful job which usually allows White to
construct a pawn centre with c2-c3 and d2-d4. When the centre opens up, the rook springs to life.
6) The Marshall Attack (3 … a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 0-0 Be7 6 Re1 b5 7 Bb3 0-0 8 c3 d5!) is a dangerous gambit and it’s wise
to avoid it. Instead, as White you can attack with the direct 8 d4, or choose a set-up like the Modern Italian with 8 d3.

Other Lines
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5
In this chapter we’ve focussed on normal development moves by Black, including … Nf6, … Bc5 (or … Be7), … 0-0
and … d6, and most players who are learning opening skills will choose to develop in this way. But what happens if
Black does something unusual? If you are playing the Ruy Lopez with White, what should you do? The good news is
that the typical plan of 0-0 and a quick d2-d4, often supported by c2-c3, works well against nearly everything that Black
can do. For example, Black could choose to fianchetto his bishop with 3 … g6, and here White can simply play 4 0-0
Bg7 5 c3! followed by d2-d4.
There is one line, however, which causes White to drastically change plans:

Schliemann Defence
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 f5!?
 Black attacks with the f-pawn! This move, known as the Schliemann Defence, looks
incredibly risky. We know that moving the f-pawn, especially early in the game, can leave
the king exposed, and here the pawn on f5 isn’t even protected. I’m certainly not
recommending that you play this as Black! However, 3 … f5 is actually a fairly well-
known move, and one which you might occasionally face against experienced adult
players.
Capturing the pawn is obviously tempting, but 4 exf5 is met by 4 … e4! to chase the
knight away from its favourite square, and this gives Black good gambit play.
The wisest choice, if you do happen to face 3 … f5, is:
4 d3!
White supports the e4-pawn with another pawn and can now carry on developing
normally. For example:
4 … fxe4 5 dxe4 Nf6 6 0-0 Bc5
6 … Nxe4?! can be met by 7 Re1! or 7 Qe2!.
 7 Nc3
Natural development is the obvious choice, but White has other good options here. For
example, 7 Qd3 d6 (7 … 0-0? 8 Qc4+ forks the king and bishop) 8 Qc4! makes it difficult
for Black to castle. White can also grab a pawn with 7 Bxc6 bxc6 (or 7 … dxc6 8 Qxd8+!
Kxd8 9 Nxe5) 8 Nxe5 0-0 9 Nc3 d6 10 Nd3!.
7 … 0-0 8 Bg5!

Exercise: What does White play against 8 … h6 - ?

Answer: 8 … h6?? is met by 9 Bxf6 Qxf6 10 Qd5+! and White wins the bishop on c5. Indeed, taking on f6 followed
by the queen check is White’s threat. After playing … f5, Black always has to be aware of tactics such as this.

8 … d6!
Black meets the threat by defending the bishop.
9 Nd5!
 White increases the pressure on the pinned knight. Black must be careful here. For
example, 9 … Bg4 looks tempting, but look at the following line: 10 Nxf6+ gxf6 11 Bh6!
Re8 12 Bc4+! Kh8 13 Ng5!!.

A brilliant move! White’s idea is 13 … Bxd1 14 Nf7+! and he wins so many black
pieces with a continuing discovered check tactic: 14 … Kg8 15 Nxd8+ Kh8 16 Nf7+ Kg8
17 Nxe5+! Kh8 18 Nf7+ Kg8 19 Nxd6+! Kh8 20 Nxe8 Rxe8 21 Raxd1.
Black’s best option after 9 Nd5 is the clever 9 … Kh8!, which removes the king from the vulnerable g8-square and
also vacates this square if the rook needs it. A typical continuation is 10 Nh4! (clearing a path for the queen) 10 … Nd4!
11 Bc4 b5! (forcing the bishop off the a2-g8 diagonal) 12 Bd3 c6 13 Nxf6 gxf6 14 Be3 Rg8 15 Kh1, and White’s ideas
include c2-c3 and f2-f4.

Centre Attack
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 d4!?

Normally in the Ruy Lopez, White prepares d2-d4, but here we see the pawn advance
at the earliest possible moment. As Black, you don’t have time for the … b5 and … Bc5
set-up, so you enter the sharp play which follows:
5 … exd4!
As usual, an early d4 should be met by … exd4.
6 0–0!
White plays in gambit style.
6 … Be7!
The safest move: capturing the pawn on e4 would be very risky. Now White has two
main choices, 7 e5 and 7 Re1. Let’s go through each in turn.

a) 7 e5 Ne4!
 If attacked, the knight plans to go to c5 and gain time by threatening the bishop. The
reason we choose 6 … Be7 is to keep the c5-square free for the knight.

Tip: When considering a knight move, plan its possible routes from the new square.

8 Nxd4
Or 8 Re1 Nc5! 9 Bxc6 dxc6! 10 Nxd4 0–0 with equal chances.
8 … 0–0!

Warning: Black should avoid 8 … Nxe5?, which is met by 9 Qe2!. Don’t get greedy!

9 Nf5
White’s knight moves to a square dangerously close to Black’s king. 9 Nxc6 is met by 9
… dxc6! freeing the bishop.

Exercise: What is White’s threat?

Answer: White wants to play 10 Qg4!, threatening both Qxg7 mate and the knight on e4.
9 … d5!
Once again, … d5 proves to be Black’s key move. The e4-knight is defended, the
bishop is uncovered and now threatens the knight on f5.
10 Bxc6
10 exd6 Bxf5! 11 dxe7 Nxe7 is fine for Black too.
10 … bxc6 11 Nxe7+ Qxe7 12 Re1!
White indirectly defends the e5-pawn.
12 … Re8!
12 … Qxe5? is met by 13 f3!, winning the pinned knight.

Note: By capturing the pawn on e5, we put our own knight in a pin. This is often called a self-pin and it’s usually not
a wise thing to do.

13 f3 Nd6!
This uses the pin on the e-file – the knight is safe because exd6 can be met by … Qxe1.
Black will follow up with … Nf5 or … f6 to attack the e5-pawn.
b) 7 Re1!?
White still plans to advance the e-pawn, but putting the rook on e1 first prevents Black
from replying to e5 with … Ne4.
7 … b5! 8 e5!
If 8 Bb3, Black can secure the f6-knight with 8 … d6!. The main line from here runs 9
Bd5! Nxd5 10 exd5 Ne5 11 Nxd4 0–0 and Black is fine. Notice that 12 f4, trying to chase
away the knight to play Nc6, can be met by the counterattack 12 … Bg4! 13 Qd2 Nc4.

Note: 9 Nxd4? (instead of 9 Bd5!) is met by 9 … Nxd4! 10 Qxd4 c5! followed by … c4 – yet another Noah’s Ark
Trap!

8 … Nxe5!
The best choice. 8 … bxa4? 9 exf6 gxf6 10 Nxd4 leaves Black with many weaknesses,
while 8 … Nd5 9 Bb3 gains more time by attacking the knight.
9 Rxe5 d6!
A zwischenzug – before taking the bishop, Black threatens the rook.
10 Re1 bxa4 11 Nxd4

Exercise: Find the best way to defend against the threat of Nc6.

Answer: 11 … Bd7!
 Black’s bishop defends the c6-square but also keeps control of f5. 11 … Bb7? puts the
bishop on a more active square, but that doesn’t help Black after 12 Nf5!.
12 Qf3
12 Qe2 attacks the bishop for a second time, to prevent Black from castling, but it’s
only temporary. After 12 … c5! 13 Nf3 h6 (to prevent Ng5) 14 Nc3 Be6 Black blocks the
e-file and is ready to castle.
12 … 0–0 13 Nc6 Bxc6 14 Qxc6 d5! 15 Qxa4 Bc5!

White has regained the gambitted pawns, but Black is well developed and, if anything,
has the more active pieces.

Points to Remember
1) Against most of Black’s less common defences, White can simply carry on with the
typical Ruy Lopez plan of castling followed by d2-d4, usually supported by c2-c3.
2) If you face the Schliemann Defence (3 … f5!?), play 4 d3 and then develop normally.
3) The Centre Attack, 5 d4, opens the position quickly. As Black, you should respond with
5 … exd4! 6 0-0 Be7!.
 Chapter Six
The Four Knights Game
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Nc3 Nf6

This opening – for quite obvious reasons – is called named the Four Knights Game, with both sides strictly following
the opening guideline ‘Knights before bishops!’ It’s a popular choice for young players as it’s easy to learn and play. It’s
a perfectly reasonable opening, but it doesn’t immediately put Black under pressure in the same way the Italian Game
and Ruy Lopez do.
From this position, White can choose to develop the bishop to either c4 or b5. Let’s
take a look at both options.

Note: White can also play 4 d4, when 4 … exd4! 5 Nxd4 transposes to the Scotch Game, which we’ll consider in the
next chapter.

Another Fork Trick

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 Bc4
 After 4 Bc4 we transpose into the Italian Game. In fact, this position is often reached
with the move order 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Nf6 4 Nc3. Here 4 … Bc5! is a good choice
for Black, and following 5 d3 d6 we reach positions that were discussed in Chapter One.
However, Black has an appealing alternative:
4 … Nxe4!

Recommended! 4 … Nxe4 is more exciting than 4 … Bc5. The position opens up and it gives your opponent
numerous opportunities to make mistakes!

This is another example of the Fork Trick. We came across this tactic in the previous
chapter, although on that occasion it was White carrying it out.
Black gives up a knight, but the sacrifice is only temporary:
5 Nxe4 d5!
The d5-pawn forks the bishop and the knight, so Black regains the piece. Let’s look at
some possible continuations from here:

a) 6 Bxd5?! Qxd5
This isn’t a wise choice for White, and in fact Black already enjoys a slight advantage
here. Black has a pawn in the centre and a small lead in development, and the bishops can
easily be brought into play.

b) 6 Bb5 dxe4 7 Nxe5

At first sight this looks promising for White, who threatens to take on c6. However, Black
has a convincing reply:
7 … Qg5!

Tip: If there is a good reason to move your queen in the opening, go ahead and do so!

Black’s queen threatens the knight and the g2-pawn, and also pins the knight to the
bishop on b5 – a triple-purpose move! White is struggling to find a good response here.
One possibility is:
8 Nxc6 Qxb5! 9 Nd4 Qg5!
Black’s queen attacks the g2-pawn again, and the natural defence 10 0-0? is met by 10
… Bh3!.

c) 6 Bd3!
This bishop retreat is definitely White’s best choice.
6 … dxe4 7 Bxe4 Bd6!
 Black’s bishop defends the e5-pawn, so that it is safe if White decides to exchange
bishop for knight on c6.
8 0-0 0-0 9 Re1 Re8 10 d3
Both sides can move freely and the chances are equal.

Let’s return to the position after 4 … Nxe4, to examine another option for White:
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 Bc4 Nxe4 5 Bxf7+
 White cannot keep the extra piece after 5 Nxe4 d5!, so the point behind this move is to
grab a pawn and expose Black’s king. It sounds like a good idea in theory, but in reality it
doesn’t work out very well for White.
5 … Kxf7 6 Nxe4 d5!
Black takes over the centre, and gains time in doing so by attacking the knight. White
responds quite naturally, by escaping the attack with a check.
7 Neg5+ Kg8!
Black threatens to win a piece with … e4, chasing away the knight which defends its
partner.
8 d3 h6! 9 Nh3 Bg4!
 It’s true that Black can no longer castle, but the advantages outweigh this
inconvenience. Black dominates the centre with two pawns, the bishop powerfully pins
the knight on f3, and Black can increase the pressure with moves such as … Qf6, … Nd4,
… Bc5 and … Rf8. Meanwhile, for White’s knight on h3, it’s most certainly a case of
‘knight on the rim is dim’ – the only safe place it can go to is the g1-square. I was going to
say ‘back to the g1-square’, but then I realized this knight started on b1!
Black is already doing very well in this position, and it’s worth noting that 10 0-0? is
met by 10 … Nd4!, when there’s nothing White can do to prevent Black from winning a
piece with … Nxf3+ followed … Bxh3.

Finally, after 4 … Nxe4 White could simply ignore the knight and make it a gambit:
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 Bc4 Nxe4 5 0-0!? Nxc3 6 dxc3!
 This isn’t a bad choice for White – it’s certainly better than 5 Bxf7+?!. For example,
Black must be careful to avoid 6 … d6? when 7 Ng5! hits the f7-pawn.
The safest option for Black is 6 … Be7, to prevent Ng5. It’s true that White can regain the pawn with 7 Qd5, but
Black safely castles and after 7 … 0-0 8 Nxe5 Nxe5 9 Qxe5 Bf6 the position is equal. Black could also try to keep the
extra pawn with 6 … h6 (preventing Ng5) 7 Qd5 Qf6 8 Re1 d6.

When Fork Tricks go wrong!

The Fork Trick is a useful tactical weapon, but do be careful before carrying it out. On many occasions I’ve seen players,
fresh from discovering the trick, eagerly unleashing it at all possible times, even when it simply doesn’t work! Take the
following example:

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 Bc4 Bc5


Exercise: What’s wrong with the fork trick 5 Nxe5 Nxe5 6 d4 here?

Answer: It doesn’t work because the knight on e5 attacks the unprotected bishop on c4. After 6 … Nxc4! 7 dxc5,
Black is a knight for a pawn ahead. That might seem obvious to many, but it happens!

Here’s a trickier example:
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 g3 Bc5

Exercise: Work out what is wrong with 5 Nxe5.

Answer: The fork trick 5 Nxe5? Nxe5 6 d4 doesn’t work here, because Black has another ‘fork trick’: 6 … Bxd4! 7
Qxd4 and now the deadly 7 … Nf3+!,forking the king and the queen. The extra move g2-g3 proves to be disastrous for
White!

Tip: Even when you’re aware of a typical tactical idea, don’t just rush ahead and play it. Calculate first!

Spanish Four Knights

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 Bb5
With 4 Bb5 we have a mix of the Four Knights and the Ruy Lopez, (hence the name
Spanish Four Knights). This position could also be reached via the Ruy Lopez move order
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 Nf6 4 Nc3.
4 … Bc5
 Black has other good options, including 4 … Bb4 and even the tricky 4 … Nd4!?.
However, 4 … Bc5 is obviously a natural choice here, especially if you play … Bc5 lines
against the Italian Game and the Ruy Lopez. Notice that the knight on c3 prevents White
from carrying out the strong plan of c3-c3 and d2-d4 which is recommended in the Ruy
Lopez.

Exercise: How should Black respond if White grabs a pawn with 5 Bxc6 dxc6 6 Nxe5 here?

Answer: 6 … Qd4 threatens checkmate on f2 and the knight on e5, but White can save himself with 7 Nd3!.
However, Black can regain the pawn with the tactic 6 … Bxf2+! 7 Kxf2 Qd4+ followed by taking the knight.
Remember, if a tactical idea doesn’t quite work, try adjusting it slightly. After 4 … Bc5, play normally continues 5 0-0
0-0. Let’s take a look at a game.

Game 25
O.Billon-G.Flear
Saint Affrique 2013

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 Bb5 Bc5 5 0-0 0-0

 Notice that after 6 Bxc6 dxc6! 7 Nxe5, Black regains the pawn with the skewer 7 …
Re8! 8 Nf3 Nxe4, or even with 7 … Bd4! 8 Nf3 Bxc3 9 dxc3 Nxe4.
If 6 d3, Black could simply follow suit with 6 … d6, to protect the e5-pawn. An
interesting alternative is 6 … Nd4!?, gambitting the e5-pawn. Black’s intention is 7 Nxe5
d6 8 Nf3 Bg4! with a powerful pin against the knight on f3 (we saw a similar idea in Kan-
Botvinnik, Game 8).
6 Nxe5!
Yet another fork trick!
6 … Nxe5 7 d4 Bd6!
Flear chooses the best way to meet the fork trick here.
8 f4!?
 An amazing idea: instead of taking the knight, White threatens it again!
The alternative is 8 dxe5 Bxe5 with equal chances. It’s worth noting here that Black
isn’t afraid of f2-f4 at the moment as this can be met by … Bxc3!, exchanging out of the
attack.
8 … Neg4! 9 e5!
This is the point behind 8 f4 – White carries out another fork and will win the piece
back anyway.
9 … Be7 10 Be2
Billon still doesn’t take the piece, and instead makes another threat. 10 h3 d6! 11 hxg4
Nxg4 is another possibility.
10 … d6! 11 exf6 Nxf6
Finally the knight has been taken, and the material is back to level. White has more
space, but Black’s position looks solid.
12 d5 Re8 13 Bf3 Bf8 14 g4?!
 Billon aggressively pushes on the kingside to gain even more space. The drawback, as
always, is that the pawn lunge leaves the king more exposed.
14 … c6!
Flear fights back by striking at White’s d-pawn. As the position opens up, White’s king
may become more vulnerable.
15 h3
15 dxc6 bxc6 16 Bxc6?? loses the bishop after 16 … Qb6+!.
15 … Bd7 16 Qd3 Nxd5 17 Bxd5 cxd5 18 Nxd5 Bc6 19 c4 Bxd5 20 cxd5 Qb6+! 21
Kg2 Rac8
White’s ambitious space-gaining plan has backfired. He’s found himself behind in
development, with a king lacking cover, and with Black’s queen and rooks looking
menacing.
22 Kf3?
White should have tried 22 b3!, so that he can move the bishop without losing the b2-
pawn.
22 … g6!
The bishop will come to life on g7.

Tip: When you are unsure how to strengthen your position and make progress, improving your worst-placed piece is
usually a good idea.

 23 Rf2 Bg7 24 Be3

Exercise: Find a combination for Black which eventually wins a pawn.

Answer: 24 … Rxe3+! 25 Qxe3 Bd4! 26 Qd2 Bxf2 27 Qxf2 Qxf2+ 28 Kxf2 Rc2+!
The final piece of the combination: the rook forks the king and the b2-pawn.
29 Kf3 Rxb2 30 g5 Kg7 31 a4 Rb3+ 32 Ke4 Rb4+ 33 Ke3 a5 34 h4 h5 35 Ra3 b5 36
axb5 Rxb5 37 Rd3 a4 38 Ke4 Ra5!
The rook finds an excellent square. On a5 it attacks the d5-pawn and also supports the
advance of the passed a-pawn.
39 Ra3 Kf8 40 Kd4 Ke7 41 Kc3 Kd7 0-1
 Billon resigned. Black’s king is ready to join the action and support the rook and pawn.
For example, 42 Kd4 Kc7 43 Kc3 Kb6 44 Kd4 Kb5 45 Kc3 Kc5 46 Kd3 Kb4 etc. If White
instead goes to win the a4-pawn with 42 Kb4, Black plays 42 … Rxd5! 43 Rxa4 Rd4+! 44
Kb3 Rxa4 45 Kxa4 Ke6 with a winning pawn endgame.

Tip: In games involving grandmasters, it’s not unusual for a player to resign once it’s clear that the position is losing
with best play. For young players starting out in chess, however, my advice is to carry on playing. Mistakes happen – it
certainly won’t always be best play. There’s a small chance to salvage something from the game, and also a chance to
learn something new.

Points to Remember
1) After the four knights are developed, White normally chooses either 4 Bc4, 4 Bb5 or 4 d4.
2) 4 Bc4 may be met by 4 … Bc5!, which transposes to Chapter One. However, the fork trick 4 … Nxe4! is a more
exciting option for Black.
3) Remember that the Fork Trick doesn’t work every time. Always calculate before playing any combination, even if it
appears to be a simple one.
4) Against 4 Bb5, Black has more than one good choice. I suggest 4 … Bc5, developing the bishop to its usual square.
5) 4 d4 exd4 5 Nxd4 transposes to the Scotch Game (see the next chapter).
 Chapter Seven
The Scotch Game
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4

This opening is called the Scotch Game and it’s another popular choice at all levels of
chess. We’ve seen in earlier chapters the importance of the d2-d4 pawn break, and here
White plays it very quickly.

Did you know? 3 d4 is called the Scotch Game because it was first brought to light by a group of players from the
Edinburgh Chess Club. They played 3 d4 in a long correspondence match against London, which lasted from 1824 to
1828! It turned out to be a successful debut for the Scotch, with White winning the game in 60 moves.

3 … exd4!
As usual when White plays d2-d4 so quickly, Black’s best response is to exchange out
of the attack.
If Black chooses to defend the pawn with 3 … d6, White could take on e5 and trade
queens on d8, so that Black could no longer castle. White could also increase the pressure
with the pin 4 Bb5!, transposing to a good line in the Ruy Lopez (see page 165).
4 Nxd4
 White can also play 4 Bc4, the Scotch Gambit, and we’ll consider this option later in
the chapter.
4 … Nf6!
Clever opening play: there was no threat by White, so Black develops and attacks! 4 …
Bc5! is another good choice, but we’ll focus only on 4 … Nf6.
5 Nc3
This is the most natural way to defend the e4-pawn. The alternative is 5 Nxc6, which
we will look at later on.
5 … Bb4!
 Once again, Black follows the same guideline: ‘Develop with a threat’! The bishop
creates an absolute pin on the knight, so the threat to the e4-pawn is renewed. The most
natural way to defend the e4-pawn is by Bd3 (develop and defend!), but 6 Bd3?? would be
a blunder – Black could simply capture the d4-knight which is no longer protected. I’ve
seen this happen quite a few times in games. How does White solve this problem?
6 Nxc6!
By exchanging knights! With the d4-knight off the board, White can safely play Bd3.

Tip: Do not be afraid of making fair exchanges! It’s often the best way to escape a threat without losing time, or – on
this occasion – to remove the problem of having to protect a vulnerable piece.

Another way to prevent the threat of … Nxe4 was by 6 Bg5, pinning the knight to the
queen. After 6 … h6! 7 Bh4 Black could simply castle, the safest choice, or grab a pawn
with 7 … g5!? 8 Nxc6 bxc6 9 Bg3 Nxe4. This looks risky, because White can now play
the 10 Qd4! with a triple attack, but Black can escape!

Exercise: How does Black avoid losing a piece?

Answer: Black escapes with 10 … Bxc3+ (exchanging out of one attack) 11 bxc3 0-0!. If 12 Qxe4 there follows 12
… Re8! 13 Be5 Qe7! and Black regains the piece by exploiting the pin on the e-file.

6 … bxc6!
You would have noticed that in the Ruy Lopez chapter, Black usually reacted to a
capture on c6 by taking with the d7-pawn, but here Black recaptures instead with the b7-
pawn. Keeping the pawn on d7 allows Black to strike in the centre with … d7-d5,
something that will happen very soon. There’s also a problem with taking back with the d-
pawn here. After 6 … dxc6 7 Qxd8+! Kxd8, Black can no longer castle and White also
has a slightly better pawn structure.
7 Bd3 0-0
 8 0-0
If 8 e5, Black doesn’t have to move the knight. 8 … Re8! pins the pawn to the king,
and if White defends with 9 f4 Black attacks the pawn again with 9 … d6!. Remember:
put pressure on the pinned piece!
8 … d5!
By pushing the pawn to d5, Black gets a full share of the centre. White must deal with
the threat to win a pawn with … Bxc3 followed capturing on e4.
9 exd5
9 e5 is met by 9 … Ng4!, attacking the e5-pawn and intending 10 Bf4 f6! 11 exf6
Qxf6!, when Black’s pieces come to life. Protecting the e5-pawn with 10 f4?? exposes the
white king, with disastrous consequences for White: 10 … Bc5+! 11 Kh1 Qh4! (this is
even stronger than 11 … Nf2+, which wins a rook for a knight) 12 h3

Exercise: Find a winning move for Black.

Answer: 12 … Qg3! threatens checkmate with … Qh2. The only way for White to defend without losing the queen
is by 13 hxg4, but then Black checkmates anyway with the ‘switchback’ 13 … Qh4 mate! This checkmating pattern with
the queen and bishop is known as Greco’s Mate.

Note: This type of attack, with the queen, bishop and knight teaming up to threaten the weak spots f2 and h2 (or f7
and h7 in White’s case), is very common and well worth remembering.

9 … cxd5
 We’ve reached a typical Scotch Game position that has occurred thousands of times at all levels of chess. Both sides
have developed well, the position has been opened up by two pawn exchanges, and the pieces can move freely. Let’s
take a look at a game:

Game 26
M.Ferguson-V.Kovalev
European Club Cup, Rhodes 2013

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 d4

As mentioned in the previous chapter, White may also reach the Scotch Game with the
Four Knights move order, and this is the case here. Using this move order avoids Black’s
other options after 3 d4 exd4 4 Nxd4, including 4 … Bc5.

 4 … exd4
Black does gain another option with this move order, and that’s 4 … Bb4!?.
5 Nxd4
5 Nd5!? is a tricky move and is known as the Belgrade Gambit. For Black, capturing
the e4-pawn is risky here because of 6 Qe2. The safest option is to carry on developing
with 5 … Be7! (to discourage Bg5) and, for example, 6 Bf4 d6 7 Nxd4 0-0.
5 … Bb4 6 Nxc6 bxc6 7 Bd3 d5 8 exd5 cxd5 9 0-0 0-0 10 Bg5!
 As usual, pinning the knight is a good idea.

Exercise: What should White do if Black plays 10 … h6 here?

Answer: 10 … h6? is a mistake which overlooks the threat created with 10 Bg5. White plays 11 Bxf6! Qxf6 12
Nxd5 winning a pawn. Black cannot regain it with 12 … Qxb2? because the skewer 13 Rb1! wins the bishop on b4.
Notice that 11 … gxf6 can also be met by 12 Nxd5!, as after 12 … Qxd5? White wins the queen the discovered attack 13
Bh7+!.
10 … c6!
Black solidly protects the d5-pawn.
11 Qf3
The queen joins the action and adds pressure to the pinned knight on f6. At the moment
White’s pieces are slightly more active than Black’s, but notice that Black is the only one
who has a solid pawn in the centre and this gives him some central control.
11 … Bd6
This is a useful square for the bishop, which points at White’s h2-pawn. 11 … Be7, to
break the pin, was another option.
12 Rfe1! Rb8!
Both sides develop a rook. White’s rook occupies the only open file and Black’s rook
threatens a pawn on the half-open b-file.
13 Rab1 h6
 Forcing the bishop to either take the knight or retreat.
14 Bxf6
Ferguson chooses to take. 14 Bh4 would have maintained the pin, and here Black could
play 14 … Rb4! attacking the bishop again.

Tip: Search for ways to activate rooks along ranks as well as files.

14 … Qxf6!
This is definitely the best recapture. 14 … gxf6? would be unwise, as it would leave
Black with a vulnerable king which White would immediately start to attack.
15 Qxf6 gxf6
It’s true that Black’s king looks exposed here too, but the key difference is that the
queens have been exchanged. Without the firepower of the queen, White can’t build up
any real attack and the black king is actually quite safe.
16 Ne2 c5!
Kovalev begins the use his central pawns and threatens to trap the bishop with … c4.
17 b3 Be6 18 Ng3 c4
 19 Be2
19 Bf5, to exchange one of Black’s bishops, was possibly a better option. If 19 …
Bxg3, White plays 20 Bxe6!.

Note: Two bishops work very well as a team. You could say the team is greater than the sum of its parts. The bishops
complement each other, with one controlling the light squares and the other controlling the dark squares. When you are
battling against two bishops, try to get rid of one of them, as this reduces the power of the remaining one.

19 … Be5 20 Red1 Rfc8 21 Bf3 d4 22 Be4
Over last few moves Kovalev has seized control, and now comes a breakthrough:
22 … d3!
 23 bxc4
Kovalev’s idea was to meet 23 cxd3 with 23 … c3!, creating a dangerous passed pawn
and threatening to fork the two rooks with … c2.
23 … Rxb1 24 Rxb1 d2! 25 Nf1!
A good choice. Ferguson realizes he needs to deal with the passed pawn before it
becomes too strong.
25 … Bxc4 26 Nxd2 Bxa2
The passed pawn on d2 has disappeared, but a new one has been created. At the
moment it’s only on a7, but it’s a long-term threat to White. In addition, Black’s bishops
are beginning to thrive in the open position.
27 Rb4 a5! 28 Ra4
 The rook forks the bishop and the pawn, but Kovalev keeps things under control.
28 … Be6!
The pawn cannot be captured, as 29 Rxa5? runs into 29 … Bc3!, forking the rook and
knight.
29 f4?
Under pressure, Ferguson makes a mistake, and it proves to be decisive. With 29 f4,
White is trying to trade the f-pawn for Black’s dangerous passed a-pawn, but there’s a
flaw in the calculations.
29 … Bxf4 30 Nb3 Be3+ 31 Kf1

Exercise: What strong move did Kovalev play here?

Answer: 31 … Rc4!
Not only does this rook move save the a5-pawn, it also ensures the pawn will get to the
end of the board!
32 Rxc4
There’s no other choice.
32 … Bxc4+
Crucially, it’s check, so White doesn’t have time to take the pawn.
33 Bd3
Or 33 Ke1 a4 34 Nd2 a3! 35 Nxc4 a2 and the pawn promotes.
33 … Bxd3+ 34 cxd3 a4 35 Na1 a3 0-1
White resigned. After 36 Ke2 Bd4! 37 Nc2 a2!, followed by … a1Q, Black wins the knight and the resulting position
is an easy win.

Mieses Variation: 5 Nxc6

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 exd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nxc6
Immediately exchanging the knight on c6 is the main alternative to 5 Nc3 and is called
the Mieses Variation.
5 … bxc6!
Just as in the 5 Nc3 line, Black recaptures with the b-pawn. After 5 … dxc6?! 6 Qxd8+!
Kxd8 Black can no longer castle and White’s has the better pawn structure.
Following 5 … bxc6, Black is ready to meet 6 Bd3 with 6 … d5, and 6 Nc3 with 6 …
Bb4 (or 6 … d5). However, there’s an alternative to protecting the e4-pawn …
6 e5!

This pawn push has happened many times throughout this book, so you should see it
coming by now! Black could move the knight to either e4 or d5, but the best move is:
6 … Qe7!
By pinning the e5-pawn to White’s king, Black deals with the threat and adds one of his
own, to take the e5-pawn.
7 Qe2!
White follows suit, protecting the e5-pawn, breaking the pin and thus forcing Black to
move the knight.
7 f4 defends the pawn but doesn’t break the pin, so Black could continue to attack the
pawn with 7 … d6!.
7 … Nd5 8 c4!
White attacks the knight, trying to force it away from the centre to a less desirable
square.
8 … Nb6
8 … Ba6, pinning the c4-pawn, is a good alternative.
 The position after 8 … Nb6 is unusual. By playing 6 … Qe7 to virtually force 7 Qe2,
Black has disrupted not only White’s kingside development but also his own! Both queens
block the normal development of the f1- and f8-bishops and may have to move again
soon, although the bishops could also fianchetto. It’s worth noting that the white queen is
more tied down than the black queen, as she must remain guarding the e5-pawn, at least
for the time being.
Let’s go through a game in this line. Playing with the black pieces was England’s leading grandmaster Michael
Adams. After winning this game, Adams was crowned 2016 British Champion with a record-equalling score of 10
points from 11 games.

Game 27
M.Brown-M.Adams
British Championship, Bournemouth 2016

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 exd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nxc6 bxc6 6 e5 Qe7 7 Qe2 Nd5 8 c4 Nb6 9 Nc3

This natural move is the most popular choice, although there are some alternatives
including 9 Nd2 and 9 b3.
9 … Qe6
The queen moves again to unblock the bishop’s path.
10 Qe4
White’s queen moves for the same reason.
10 … g6
Adams chooses to fianchetto the bishop anyway. 10 … Ba6, attacking the pawn on c4,
and 10 … Bb4 were good alternatives.
11 Bd3
 11 f4 and 11 Bd2 are other options for White.
11 … Bg7

One advantage of playing … g6 and … Bg7 is that White’s queen and bishop battery is
blunted by the g6-pawn and Black can safely castle without allowing Qxh7 checkmate!
Another plus point is that Black gains time by attacking the e5-pawn again.
12 f4 0-0 13 0-0 f5!
A strong move by Adams. White has to either move the queen from her strong central
square or capture en passant.
14 exf6?
Capturing was the wrong decision because Black’s bishop on g7, previously blocked
out of the game by White’s pawn, will suddenly jump into life.
14 Qe2! was White’s best option. Then 14 … d6! aims to free the bishop on g7 and the
chances are equal.
14 … Qxf6 15 Bd2 d5!
 Another excellent move. Adams opens the position to his advantage.

Exercise: What is Black’s intention if White plays 16 cxd5 here?

16 Qe2
Answer: 16 cxd5? is met by 16 … Bf5!, skewering the queen to the bishop. If 17 Qf3, Black wins the bishop with
the fork 17 … Qd4+!. If instead 17 Qe3, to defend against the fork, Black chases the queen away with 17 … Rae8! and
follows up with … Qd4+.

16 … Ba6!
The pressure mounts. Black threatens to win the pawn on c4 and there’s nothing White
can do about it. For example, 17 cxd5? is met by 17 … Qd4+!, when Black again uses the
fork tactic to win the bishop on d3. 17 b3 protects the pawn on c4, but 17 … Rae8! chases
away one of the pawn’s defenders, and after 18 Qf2 dxc4 Black wins the pawn.
17 Rae1 Bxc4 18 Bxc4 Nxc4 19 Bc1 a5 20 Qc2 Rae8
 Black has a big advantage here. Not only is he a pawn ahead, his pieces are much more
active than White’s too. White has to sit tight, defend, and hope for the best. Brown tries
to attack with his queen, but this decision only hastens the end of the game.
21 Qa4? Qd4+! 22 Kh1 Rxe1 23 Rxe1 Qf2!
White’s queen has deserted the rest of her army, allowing Black’s queen to go deep into
enemy territory. The rook is attacked and White’s king is terribly exposed and vulnerable
to threats on the back rank.
24 Rg1 Bd4! 25 Rd1 Re8!
 The threats keep coming, with … Re1+ the latest.
26 h3 Re1+ 27 Kh2
If 27 Rxe1 Qxe1+ 28 Kh2, Black forces checkmate with 28 … Bg1+ 29 Kh1 Bf2+ 30
Kh2 Qg1 mate.
27 … Qg1+ 28 Kg3 Ne3 0-1
Black threatens … Qxg2+, and if 29 Bxe3, Black checkmates with 29 … Rxe3+ 30 Kh4 Bf6+ 31 Kg4 Qxg2 mate.

Scotch Gambit
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 exd4 4 Bc4
 4 Bc4 is the Scotch Gambit. Instead of recapturing on d4, White sacrifices a pawn –
and sometimes more – for rapid development and a quick attack.

Recommended! The Scotch Gambit is a fine choice for those who enjoy gambit play with White, and I’m very
happy to recommend it. When playing Black against the gambit, you need to be careful as it’s quite easy to go wrong.

It’s important to note that we’ve already considered the most important Scotch Gambit
lines from the Italian Game move order, as it’s often reached that way. We’ll consider
Black’s main responses, including the possible transpositions:

a) 4 … Nf6
This knight move transposes to the Two Knights Defence line 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4
Nf6 4 d4 exd4 (see page 136), so if you play the Two Knights Defence as Black it’s wise
to choose 4 … Nf6 against the Scotch Gambit.

b) 4 … Bc5
 This is a good choice for Black if you play 3 … Bc5 against the Italian Game.
5 c3!
5 0-0 is met by 5 … d6!, intending to answer 6 c3 with 6 … Bg4!.
5 Ng5!?, to attack the f7-pawn, is another option. After 5 … Nh6! White has the
combination 6 Nxf7! Nxf7 7 Bxf7+ Kxf7 and now 8 Qh5+! regains the sacrificed piece.
Following 8 … g6! 9 Qxc5 d6 10 Qc4+ Be6 11 Qe2 Re8 Black’s king is slightly exposed
but, to counter this, he has a considerable lead in development.

Note: After 5 c3!, Black’s wisest choice is 5 … Nf6! which transposes directly to one of the main lines of the Italian
Game: 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Bc5 4 c3 Nf6 5 d4 exd4 – see Chapter Two for details.

Let’s consider what happens if Black instead takes the pawn on c3:
5 … dxc3

Exercise: Find a good move for White.

Answer: 6 Bxf7+!
This is a tactic we’ve seen before, so hopefully you spotted it! 6 Qd5 is also tempting,
but 6 … Qe7! defends against both threats.
6 … Kxf7 7 Qd5+!
This is the point: White regains the piece with this fork, and Black’s king is no longer
able to castle. After, for example, 7 … Ke8 8 Qxc5 cxb2 9 Bxb2 White is doing well.

c) 4 … Be7
If Black plays solidly but passively with 4 … d6, White can simply recapture the pawn
on d4 and reach an active position, e.g. 5 Nxd4 Nf6 6 Nc3 Be7 7 0-0. White could also do
the same against 4 … Be7, but there’s another option:
5 c3!? dxc3?
5 … Na5! is best – it’s essential for Black to force the bishop off the key diagonal.

Exercise: Find a strong move for White.

Answer: 6 Qd5!
Suddenly Black is in real trouble, as there’s no easy way to defend against White’s
basic Qxf7 mate threat!

Tip: In the Scotch Gambit, look out for tactical ideas involving Black’s weak spot.

6 … Nh6!
The only move.
7 Bxh6! 0-0!
 Black survives … just! Strangely, and although Black doesn’t really deserve to, he is
even able regain the lost piece. The two threats are … cxb2 and … gxh6. If White tries to
defend against both, with 8 Bc1, there’s another double threat with 8 … Nb4!, intending 9
Qd1 c2!. However, after 8 Bxg7! (or even 8 Nxc3! gxh6 9 Qh5) 8 … Kxg7 9 Nxc3, White
can be very happy with his active pieces and a weak enemy king to attack.

d) 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 exd4 4 Bc4 Bb4+

This is a tempting check for Black to make.
5 c3! dxc3 6 bxc3!
This is the best recapture. Gaining time is crucial in gambit play, and here White does
so by threatening the bishop again.
6 0-0!, offering to gambit a second pawn, might be even stronger. After 6 … cxb2 7
Bxb2 White is well ahead in development and his powerful bishops look extremely
dangerous.
Returning to the position after 6 bxc3, Black must be careful about where to retreat the
bishop.
6 … Ba5!
6 … Be7?? 7 Qd5! is another disaster for Black, who can prevent checkmate only by
giving up a knight with 7 … Nh6 8 Bxh6 0-0 9 Bf4.
6 … Bc5? allows a tactic which you should all be familiar with by now: 7 Bxf7+! Kxf7
8 Qd5+! and White regains the bishop using the fork.
7 0-0

Note: There are some similarities between the Scotch Gambit and the Evans Gambit, which we studied in Chapter
Three. White’s attacking ideas here include Ng5, Qb3, Ba3 and e4-e5.

7 … Nge7?!
Black develops the knight to e7 to avoid it being attacked by e4-e5, which would be
White’s reply to 7 … Nf6. However, 7 … Nge7 invites yet more tactical tricks from
White.
Black best response is probably 7 … d6!, which prepares to play … Nf6 without the
worry of e4-e5. After 8 Qb3! Qe7 9 Nbd2 White is lining up ideas such as e5 and Ba3, and
Black has to remain on guard against tactics. For example, 9 … Nf6? (9 … Bb6 is safer)
10 e5! Nxe5 (or 10 … dxe5 11 Ba3 Qd7 12 Ng5!) 11 Qb5+ Nc6 12 Re1 Be6 13 Qxb7
forks the rook and knight, winning a piece.
8 Ng5! Ne5
Black’s knight defends the f7-pawn and also attacks the bishop on c4.
8 … 0-0? is the natural way to defend the f7-pawn, but this is met by 9 Qh5! with a
powerful queen, bishop and knight attack that we’ve come across before.
 White threatens mate with Qxh7 and also the f-pawn. After 9 … h6 10 Nxf7 Black
must give up the rook for the knight, as 10 … Qe8?? runs into deadly double/discovered
checks: 11 Nxh6+! Kh7 12 Nf7+! Kg8 13 Qh8 mate!
Let’s return to the position after 8 … Ne5:

Exercise: Find a tactical idea for White.

Answer 9 Nxf7!
This is another combination involving Black’s weak spot. 9 Bxf7+! is equally good.
9 … Nxf7 10 Bxf7+ Kxf7 11 Qh5+!
Yet again, White regains the sacrificed piece by forking Black’s king and bishop! After 11 … Kf8 12 Qxa5, White has the advantage because of
Black’s exposed king.

Points to Remember
1) In the Scotch Game, White plays the typical d2-d4 pawn break early on and this leads to an open position.
2) As Black, remember to follow the principle ‘Develop with a threat’ with 4 … Nf6! and, if 5 Nc3, then 5 … Bb4!. In this line, both sides are able to
move freely.
3) If White exchanges knights on c6, Black usually recaptures with the b-pawn and then strikes in the centre with … d5.
4) There’s one key move to remember which isn’t a natural one: after 4 … Nf6 5 Nxc6 bxc6 6 e5!, you play 6 … Qe7! to pin the e-pawn and force 7
Qe2.
5) If you enjoy gambit play with White, the Scotch Gambit is an excellent choice.
 Chapter Eight
Other Openings
In this final chapter we’ll look at some openings which are much less popular than those we’ve already considered,
especially in games between young players, but which you may face occasionally.

Petroff Defence
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nf6

With 2 … Nf6, Black ignores the attack on the e5-pawn and instead counterattacks by
threatening the pawn on e4. This called the Petroff Defence.
3 Nxe5
White usually chooses to capture the pawn on e5.
3 Nc3 Nc6 would transpose to the Four Knights Game, and 3 d4 is another option for
White.
3 … d6!
It’s crucial for Black to attack the knight first before taking the e4-pawn. After the
‘copycat’ 3 … Nxe4?, White replies 4 Qe2! and Black is in trouble down the open e-file.
 If the black knight retreats, White wins the queen with the discovered check tactic 5
Nc6+!. Black could defend the knight with 4 … d5, but White attacks it with 5 d3! and
Black has the same problem. The best Black can do is 4 … Qe7 5 Qxe4 d6!, which regains
the lost knight because of the pin, but White will be a pawn ahead after 6 d4 dxe5 7 dxe5.
4 Nf3 Nxe4
Now it’s safe for Black to capture the pawn. If White pins the knight to the king with 5
Qe2, Black must reply 5 … Qe7!, which both protects and unpins the knight.
5 Nc3!
5 d4! is the main alternative and another good choice for White. A typical continuation
is 5 … d5 6 Bd3 Bd6 7 0-0 0-0 8 c4! (attacking the pawn which defends the knight is a
key idea) 8 … c6 9 cxd5 cxd5 10 Nc3 Nxc3 11 bxc3 and both sides can develop freely.

Exercise: Work out why 5 … Bf5 is a mistake here.

5 … Nxc3
Answer: 5 … Bf5?? is met by 6 Qe2! and this time the pin is decisive. The point is that 6 … Qe7 is answered by 7
Nd5! which attacks not just the queen but also the pawn on c7. The queen can defend the pawn only by moving off the
e-file, but after 7 … Qd8 White wins the pinned knight with 8 d3!.

Did you know? An Indian chess player named Vishy Anand once fell for this trap. This minor setback didn’t prevent
him from later becoming World Champion and a chess legend!

6 dxc3!
White recaptures with the d-pawn to free the bishop on c1.
6 … Be7 7 Be3! 0-0 8 Qd2!
 White plans to castle queenside. One of the reasons I suggest playing 5 Nc3 as White is
that there are very few 1 e4 e5 openings where the players castle on opposite sides, so this
provides an opportunity to gain experience in a different type of position.
Let’s look at a grandmaster clash involving former World Cup winner and World Championship finalist Sergey
Karjakin.

Game 28
S.Karjakin-D.Frolyanov
Moscow 2013

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 Nxe5 d6 4 Nf3 Nxe4 5 Nc3 Nxc3 6 dxc3 Be7 7 Be3 0-0

Black may also choose to castle queenside. For example, 7 … Nc6 8 Qd2 Be6 9 0-0-0
Qd7 10 b3 Bf6 11 h3 0-0-0 12 g4 h6 13 Bg2, M.Carlsen-Hou Yifan, Wijk aan Zee 2016.
8 Qd2 Nd7 9 0-0-0 Ne5
Alternatives include 9 … Re8 and 9 … c6.
10 Kb1

Note: When castling queenside, a player often makes another move with the king to
b1 (or b8 as Black) just to make it a little safer.

10 … c6
This move opens the queen’s path to the queenside, and to a5 in particular.
Notice that Karjakin was willing to give Black the opportunity to play 10 … Nxf3 11
gxf3, as then a rook could use the half-open g-file to attack the black king. A dramatic
demonstration of this would be 11 … Be6 12 Rg1 c6? (Black should play 12 … g6) 13
Bh6! Bf6? 14 Bxg7!! Bxg7 15 Qh6 and Black cannot prevent checkmate!
11 Nxe5 dxe5 12 Bd3!
Karjakin shows his aggressive intentions by avoiding the exchange of queens and
pointing the bishop towards the black king.
12 … Qa5 13 Qe2 Be6!
Sensible play by Frolyanov, who develops with a gain of time by threatening the a2-
pawn.
14 c4
 14 … Rad8
This natural move is possibly a mistake, although it takes some brilliant play by
Karjakin to demonstrate why that’s the case.
The subtle 14 … Rfe8 intends to meet 15 Bd2 with 15 … Bb4!, to prevent the plan
Karjakin implemented in the game. If 16 Bxb4 Qxb4 17 Qxe5?, Black wins material with
the discovered attack 17 … Bg4! – this is the tactical point behind 14 … Rfe8.
15 Bd2! Qc7 16 Bc3
Karjakin has redeployed his bishop to a very strong position, where it threatens Black’s
e5-pawn.
16 … Bd6
16 … f6 is met by 17 f4!, since the pawn on e5 would be pinned against the
unprotected bishop on e6.
17 g4!

Tip: When kings castle on opposite sides, look to launch a pawn attack with the aim of opening up the position
around the enemy king.

17 … b5! 18 h4! b4 19 Bd2 Bc5 20 Rde1 Bd4 21 h5!
Notice that Karjakin presses ahead on the kingside and isn’t distracted by events on the
other side of the board. He could have grabbed a pawn here with 21 Bxb4, but that would
only have helped Black’s own attack. After 21 … Bxb2! 22 Kxb2 Qb6! 23 a3 c5, Black
regains the sacrificed bishop and White’s king lacks shelter.
21 … a5 22 f4!
 White’s attack is more advanced than Black’s and this proves to be the critical factor.
22 … f5
If 22 … exf4, White opens up the kingside with decisive effect: 23 Qe4! g6 24 hxg6
hxg6 25 Bxf4 Qe7 26 Be5! (threatening Rh8 mate) 26 … Bxe5 27 Qxe5 f6 28 Qxe6+.
23 fxe5 fxg4 24 Rhf1 Rxf1 25 Rxf1
The kingside opens up and the threats are mounting. Black has to do something about
Qe4, so he hides his king in the corner.
25 … Kh8 26 Qe4 Bg8 27 Bg5! g3
A killer move. If 27 … Rd7, to remain protecting the bishop on d4, White plays 28 Rf8!
pinning the g8-bishop and threatening Qxh7 mate. Then 28 … g6 29 Bf6+ Rg7 30 h6! is
game over.
28 h6!
White could have taken the rook on d8 immediately, but Karjakin’s choice to carry on
attacking is just as good.
28 … g2 29 Qxg2 Bxe5 30 Bxd8 Qxd8 31 Qe4 Bf6 32 hxg7+ Bxg7 33 Rh1! h6

Exercise: How did Karjakin finish off the game?

Answer: 34 Rxh6+! Bxh6 35 Qe5+ 1-0
It’s forced checkmate after 35 … Bg7 36 Qh5+ Bh6 37 Qxh6+ Bh7 38 Qxh7 mate.

Philidor Defence
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 d6
 2 … d6 is a less active way to protect the e5-pawn, as it blocks in the dark-squared
bishop and doesn’t control the d4-square, so it’s much less popular than 2 … Nc6.
However, it’s a solid choice and certainly not bad. When facing 2 … d6, you could simply
play in Italian Game style with 3 Bc4, but the most attacking choice is:
3 d4!
This move puts Black under immediate pressure.
3 … exd4
Instead, 3 … Nf6 creates a counterattack against the e4-pawn. One way to meet this is
with 4 dxe5 Nxe4 5 Bc4, threatening Qd5. If 5 … dxe5 there follows 6 Qxd8+! Kxd8 7
Nxe5 threatening Nxf7+. 5 … c6! is safer, but White is still a bit better.
3 … Nc6 can be met by 4 dxe5 or, even better, 4 Bb5!.
3 … Nd7 holds the e5-pawn in the centre, but after 4 Bc4! it looks like a favourable
Italian Game for White.
 Black must be careful here, and it’s well worth familiarizing yourself with the tactical
possibilities for White:
a) 4 … Be7? 5 dxe5! Nxe5 (5 … dxe5 6 Qd5! is a disaster for Black) 6 Nxe5 dxe5 7
Qh5! g6 8 Qxe5 and White wins a key pawn.
b) 4 … Ngf6? 5 dxe5! Nxe5 (or 5 … dxe5 6 Ng5!) 6 Nxe5 dxe5 7 Bxf7+! (deflection) 7
… Kxf7 8 Qxd8 Bb4+! (a discovered attack allows Black to regain the queen) 9 Qd2!
Bxd2+ 10 Nxd2! and White ends up a pawn ahead.
c) 4 … c6! is the safest move. White can keep an advantage after, for example, 5 dxe5 dxe5 6 Ng5 Nh6 7 0-0, but at
least Black doesn’t lose anything.
4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 Be7
Black can also fianchetto the bishop with 5 … g6, and here the most attacking option is
to castle queenside with 6 Be3 Bg7 7 Qd2 0-0 8 0-0-0. White’s plan of attack on the
kingside includes Bh6, to exchange Black’s good defensive bishop, and h2-h4-h5 (perhaps
aided by f3 and g4), to open up the h-file for the rook.
6 Bc4
White could also develop this bishop to e2.
6 … 0-0 7 0-0
 This is a typical position for the Philidor Defence. White has more space and freedom
to move his pieces, but Black is pretty solid. White will continue to develop with moves
such as Re1 and Bf4.

The Opera Game

Paul Morphy is one of the greatest figures in chess history. In 1858, he travelled from
America to Europe, played virtually all the top players, beat them convincingly and was
considered the unofficial World Champion (the first official World Championship match
wasn’t held until 1886).
Morphy enjoyed music and the opera, and during his time in Paris he was invited by the Duke of Brunswick to see
opera performances. However, the Duke was a keen chess player himself, and during an opera performance Morphy was
forced to play a ‘friendly’ chess game against the Duke and the French aristocrat Count Isouard. It’s lucky for chess
lovers that he did so, because it turned out to be an amazing game and one of the most famous ever played!

Game 29
P.Morphy-Duke of Brunswick and Count Isouard
Paris 1858

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 Bg4?!
 Black deals with the threat to the e5-pawn by pinning the knight. This looks like a
reasonable idea, but Morphy’s response is a good one.
4 dxe5! Bxf3
Ideally Black would prefer to keep the pin. Unfortunately, 4 … dxe5? allows 5 Qxd8+!
(breaking the pin) 5 … Kxd8 6 Nxe5 and White wins a pawn.
5 Qxf3 dxe5 6 Bc4!
Morphy follows a key opening principle, ‘Develop with a threat’.
6 … Nf6 7 Qb3!
Another opening principle is, ‘Move the queen only when there’s a good reason to do
so’. On this occasion there’s a convincing reason – a double threat of Bxf7+ and Qxb7.
7 … Qe7!

Exercise: How does Black avoid losing the rook if White chooses 8 Qxb7 here?

Answer: No defensive move works, but Black can use counterattack: 8 … Qb4+! forces the exchange of queens and
saves the rook. Morphy could have taken the pawn on b7 and won mundanely after the queen exchange, but luckily for
us he chose not to, and his decision resulted in a spectacular game!
8 Nc3
Morphy continues to develop.
8 … c6
By moving this pawn, Black allows the queen to protect the b7-pawn.
9 Bg5!
As usual, pinning the knight is a good idea.
9 … b5?
Black advances the vulnerable pawn to gain time by attacking the bishop. Again, this
looks like a reasonable idea, until you see Morphy’s reply.
10 Nxb5!
A fantastic move! Instead of retreating the bishop, Morphy sacrifices a knight for two
pawns and gets a powerful attack.
10 … cxb5 11 Bxb5+ Nbd7
This was Black’s only way to safely block the check, but now both knights are pinned!
12 0-0-0!
 This is a triple-purpose move: White brings a rook into the attack, safeguards his king
and connects the two rooks on the back rank. The immediate threats are Bxd7+ and Rxd7,
so Black must protect the knight again.

12 … Rd8
How does White continue the attack? Do you remember the saying, ‘Invite all your
pieces to the party’? At the moment they are all participating except for the rook on h1. A
good idea for White would be 13 Rd2! followed by Rhd1, doubling the rooks and the
firepower on the open d-file. Morphy did something similar, but as he was a genius, it was
better!
13 Rxd7!
Another sacrifice, which ensures that Black has no time to set up a defence.
13 … Rxd7 14 Rd1!
One rook replaces the other, the pin on the d7-rook is unbearable, and there’s no good
defence against the multitude of threats including Bxd7+, Rxd7 and Bxf6.
14 … Qe6
Black moves the queen so at least the knight is no longer pinned. Here White could use
a ‘remove the defender’ tactic to win lots of material: 15 Bxf6! gxf6 (15 … Qxb3 is met
by 16 Bxd7 mate!) 16 Bxd7+ Qxd7 17 Rxd7 Kxd7 18 Qxf7+ and White will win easily.
Morphy, however, had something truly amazing lined up:
15 Bxd7+! Nxd7

Exercise: Can you work out how Morphy concluded the game? (Hint: The most
exciting thing you can do in chess is to sacrifice your queen and then checkmate.)

Answer: 16 Qb8+!!
Another ‘remove the defender’ tactic, this time deflecting the knight away from d7.
16 … Nxb8 17 Rd8 mate (1-0)
The final position is worthy of another diagram. White’s only two remaining attacking
pieces combine beautifully to give checkmate. This checkmating pattern has since been
named ‘the Opera mate’.

Ponziani Opening
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 c3

With 3 c3, White aims to create a pawn centre with d2-d4. We’ve seen this idea many
times before, of course, but not quite as early as this – usually White develops the bishop
first to either c4 or b5.
3 … Nf6!
This is a logical response. 3 c3 created no threat, so Black follows the principle,
‘Develop with a threat’.
4 d4!
Despite the attack on e4, White goes ahead with the planned advance. 4 d3 would
defend the e4-pawn but it’s not consistent with White’s idea behind 3 c3. Here Black
could seize the initiative in the centre with 4 … d5!.
4 … exd4!
As mentioned previously (many times!), if White plays an early d2-d4, capturing the
pawn is virtually always a good response.
4 … Nxe4! is Black’s alternative, with the main line running 5 d5 Ne7 6 Nxe5 Ng6!
with equal chances.
5 e5!
Once again we see this typical move.
If 5 cxd4? Black can – and should! – grab the e4-pawn with 5 … Nxe4!.

5 … Nd5!
This central square is the best choice for the knight.
5 … Ng4? would be a poor choice. White easily deals with the threat to the e5-pawn
with the obvious 6 cxd4!, and next move h2-h3 will force the knight to go to h6, an
undesirable square on the edge of the board.

Warning: Black must always be careful when the knight is attacked with e4-e5, as choosing the wrong square could
easily lead to trouble.

6 cxd4
White could also choose to attack the knight. For example:
a) 6 Qb3 Nb6! (the knight is safe here) 7 cxd4 d6!. This is a key pawn move. Black
attacks White’s centre pawns and prepares to gain time with … Be6.
b) 6 Bc4 Nb6! 7 Bb3 d5! 8 cxd4 Bg4. Black has a share of the centre and can develop
easily. World Champion Magnus Carlsen played this way as Black.
6 … Bb4+ 7 Bd2
If 7 Nbd2, Black will castle and follow up with … d6.
7 … Bxd2+ 8 Qxd2
8 Nbxd2 is also met by 8 … d6!.
8 … d6!

Black strikes at White’s centre and also allows the c8-bishop to develop. After, for example, 9 Nc3 Nxc3 10 Qxc3 0-
0 11 Be2 Be6, the chances are equal.

King’s Gambit
1 e4 e5 2 f4
 White’s key pawn break in 1 e4 e5 openings is d2-d4, and we’ve already seen many
examples of it throughout the book. However, there is another option for a pawn break,
and that’s f2-f4. If White plays it straightaway we get the King’s Gambit.
One of the main ideas behind f2-f4 is to lure Black’s pawn away from e5, so that White
can get two unopposed pawns in the centre with d2-d4. You can’t argue with that logic,
and in experienced hands the King’s Gambit can be an exciting opening to play. However,
I can’t recommend it to young players who are taking their first steps with 1 e4 e5. The
main problem with playing the King’s Gambit as White is that, as a direct consequence of
playing f2-f4, White’s king often becomes very exposed, and it’s not easy for young
players to overcome this problem. In fact, why even give yourself this problem when there
are plenty of suitable opening choices where your king is safe?
The King’s Gambit isn’t very popular, so you won’t face it as Black very often. When
you do face it, I recommend taking the pawn and then using anti-gambit strategy: don’t get
greedy, be willing to give the pawn back and develop your pieces as quickly as possible.
2 … exf4
In an ideal world, White would like to play 3 d4 followed by Bxf4. Unfortunately for
White, 3 d4 is met by 3 … Qh4+!.
 This check emphasizes just how much 2 f4 weakens the king. White would have to
move the king here, because 4 g3? fxg3 would leave him in serious trouble. Notice that 5
Nf3 may be answered by the temporary queen sacrifice 5 … g2+!. I say ‘temporary’
because after 6 Nxh4 gxh1Q, Black takes a rook and the queen returns to the board!
White normally chooses either 3 Nf3 (to prevent … Qh4+), or 3 Bc4. Let’s take a brief
look at both moves.

a) 1 e4 e5 2 f4 exf4 3 Nf3 d5!

There are many options here, but 3 … d5 is a reliable move which allows you to
develop very quickly.
4 exd5 Nf6!
Black’s idea is to recapture the pawn with the knight rather than the queen.
5 Bc4!
White gets ready to castle and puts the bishop on an active square. It doesn’t save the
d5-pawn, but when Black plays … Nxd5 the bishop will be attacking the knight.
Let’s consider two options which save the d-pawn:
a) 5 c4 can be met by 5 … c6!. If 6 dxc6 Nxc6 7 d4 Bb4+! 8 Nc3 0-0, Black is
developing rapidly and White’s king is still in the centre on the open e-file.
b) 5 Bb5+ c6! 6 dxc6 Nxc6 7 d4 Bd6 is another line.
 Black has returned the gambit pawn and will focus on developing as quickly as
possible. A key continuation is 8 Qe2+ Be6 9 Ng5 0-0! 10 Nxe6 fxe6 11 Bxc6 bxc6 12 0-0
Qc7! 13 Qxe6+ Kh8. It’s now Black who is a pawn down – he has become the gambiteer!
– but his pieces are far more active than White’s and tempting ideas include … Rae8, …
f3 (to uncover the queen and bishop battery) and … c5.
Let’s return to 5 Bc4:
5 … Nxd5 6 0-0
6 Bxd5 Qxd5 7 Nc3 is an alternative. Black should choose 7 … Qf5! as the queen is
well placed here. After 8 0-0 Be6! 9 d4 Nc6 Black is ready to meet 10 d5 with 10 … 0-0-
0!.
6 … Be6
This adds further protection to the knight and blocks the open e-file.

Exercise: Find a good move for Black if White plays 7 d4.

Answer: 7 d4 can be met by a discovered attack tactic: 7 … Ne3! 8 Bxe3 Bxc4!. Black wins material because he
threatens both … fxe3 and … Bxf1.

7 Bb3
White safeguards the bishop to prevent any discovered attack ideas. Another way to do
so is by 7 Qe2. A possible continuation is 7 … Be7 8 Nc3 Nc6 9 d4 0-0 10 Nxd5 Bxd5 11
Bxd5 Qxd5 12 Bxf4 Bd6. White has finally regained the pawn and the chances are level,
M.Carlsen-L.Aronian, Stavanger 2015.
7 … c5!
 7 … Be7 is also possible, but 7 … c5 gains some control in the centre and prevents White from establishing pawns
on c4 and d4. Black will continue with … Nc6, … Be7 (or … Bd6) and castling. Two possible continuations are 8 d3
Nc6 9 Nc3 Be7 10 Nxd5 Bxd5 11 Bxf4 0-0, and 8 d4 cxd4 9 Nxd4 Bc5 10 Kh1 Bxd4 11 Qxd4 0-0 12 Bxf4 Nc6. In both
examples White finally regained the pawn that was sacrificed on the second move, but Black is fully developed with
well-placed pieces.

b) 1 e4 e5 2 f4 exf4 3 Bc4!?
 This bishop move doesn’t prevent the check, but it does allow White to answer 3 …
Qh4+ with 4 Kf1 (a safer square than e2), and White’s idea is that the time gained by
attacking the queen with Nf3 will make up for being unable to castle. Although 3 … Qh4+
certainly isn’t a bad move, I suggest something else:
3 … Nf6
Just as against 3 Nf3, Black aims to break quickly in the centre with … d5.
4 Nc3 c6
Black uses the c-pawn to force through … d5.

Exercise: How should Black answer 5 e5 here?

Answer: 5 e5 can be met, yet again, by the typical counterattack 5 … d5!. Hopefully this idea will be an instinctive
reaction by now! Black is doing well after either 6 exf6 dxc4 7 fxg7 Bxg7 or 6 exd6 Bxd6.
5 Bb3
5 d4 d5 6 exd5 cxd5 7 Bb3 reaches the same position, but with this move order Black
can also play 5 … Bb4.

Note: If White tries to prevent … d5 with 5 Qf3, Black plays 5 … d5! anyway as a gambit, meeting 6 exd5 with 6 …
Bd6!. As always, rapid development is the main goal.

5 … d5 6 exd5 cxd5 7 d4
 7 … Bb4!
The bishop develops actively, creating an absolute pin on the c3-knight. 7 … Bd6! is
another option.
8 Nf3
8 Bxf4 0-0 9 Nge2 Bg4! is an example of Black utilizing his active development to
cause White problems. After 10 0-0 Bxc3! 11 bxc3 Re8! 12 Re1 Qa5 Black is on top.
Against 8 Nge2, one option is 8 … f3!? 9 gxf3 0-0. Black has returned the pawn to
weaken White’s pawn cover on the kingside.
8 … Qe7+
 Here are a couple of possible lines after the check:
a) 9 Qe2 Qxe2+ 10 Kxe2 Bxc3 11 bxc3 0-0 12 Bxf4 Nc6, Z.Eberth-L.Kovacs,
Hungarian League 1996.
b) 9 Ne5 Nc6 10 Bxf4 0-0 11 0-0 Nxd4! 12 Nxd5! (12 Qxd4? Bc5!, winning the queen,
is Black’s idea) 12 … Nxd5 13 Bxd5 Be6.
In both cases, the chances are equal.

Vienna Game
1 e4 e5 2 Nc3
 White’s idea in the Vienna Game is to play the f2-f4 pawn break. Unlike the King’s
Gambit, however, White doesn’t play it straightaway but first prepares the advance.

Note: Another option for White is 2 Bc4, aptly named the Bishop’s Opening. This is very closely related to Vienna
Game. For example, 2 … Nf6 3 d3 Bc5 4 Nc3 directly transposes to it.

2 … Nf6!

Tip: If White doesn’t create a threat with his second move, play 2 … Nf6!.

Let’s consider White’s two most popular moves here, 3 f4 and 3 Bc4.

a) 1 e4 e5 2 Nc3 Nf6 3 f4
 This is a tricky move, but Black is fine as long as you play:
3 … d5!
Again, this advance is an effective plan against f2-f4.
White’s trick is that 3 … exf4? is a bad move here. After 4 e5!, Black’s knight has only
one safe move, an undesirable retreat to g8! 4 … Qe7 doesn’t help because of 5 Qe2!.
4 fxe5
4 exd5 Nxd5! is a promising gambit for Black. After 5 fxe5 Nxc3 6 bxc3 Qh4+! 7 Ke2!
(7 g3? Qe4+ forks the king and rook) 7 … Bg4+ 8 Nf3 Nc6 Black is developing rapidly
and White’s king is poorly placed.
4 … Nxe4
 5 Nf3
5 Nxe4? dxe4 is good for Black. One look at the position and you can see it’s much
easier for Black to develop the pieces to active positions.
5 d3!? is interesting because it sets a deep trap. 5 … Qh4+ is incredibly tempting, as 6
g3 can be met by the tactic 6 … Nxg3 – if 7 hxg3, Black can take the rook in the corner.
However, all is not as it seems. After 7 Nf3! Qh5 8 Nxd5! Nxh1 9 Nxc7+ Kd8 10 Nxa8
White has the advantage in this very complicated position.
Instead of 5 … Qh4+, you should just exchange knights: 5 … Nxc3! 6 bxc3 d4! (preventing White from playing d4)
7 Nf3 Nc6 and Black develops easily.
5 … Bc5!
This threatens … Nf2. Black is happy to allow White to play d2-d4, as then the bishop
is able to pin the knight and create another threat.
6 d4
6 Qe2, the only other way to deal with the threat, can be met by 6 … Bf5 or 6 … Bf2+
7 Kd1 Nxc3+ 8 dxc3 Bb6.
6 … Bb4! 7 Bd2 c5!
 A strong move, striking at White’s pawn centre. I like Black’s position here.
8 Nxe4?! dxe4 9 Bxb4 cxb4 forces White to retreat the knight to its home square (10 Nd2 loses a pawn to 10 …
Qxd4) and after 10 Ng1 0-0 11 Bc4 Nc6 Black is doing well – this is how former World Champion Vladimir Kramnik
played as Black.
Black also has an edge after, for example, 8 a3 Bxc3 9 bxc3 Nc6 10 Bd3 Bg4 or 8 Bb5+ Nc6! 9 0-0 0-0.

b) 1 e4 e5 2 Nc3 Nf6 3 Bc4 Bc5 4 d3

White plays Bc4 and d3 first, so that the f2-f4 pawn break is supported by the bishop on
c1.
The immediate 4 f4 can be met by 4 … d5!, which looks like a promising gambit for
Black. For example:
a) 5 Nxd5 is met by Nxe4!.
b) 5 Bxd5 is answered by 5 … Bxg1! 6 Rxg1 Bg4!.
c) After 5 exd5 e4! 6 d4 exd3 7 Qxd3 0-0 Black is developing quickly and White’s king
is exposed.
4 … c6!
 Once again, our idea is to meet f2-f4 with … d5.
The safest choice for White here is probably to abandon the f4 plan in favour of 5 Nf3!
d6. This is like a Modern Italian, but with colours reversed! Black’s plan will include …
0-0, … Re8 and the typical knight manoeuvre … Nd7-f8-g6.
Let’s see what happens if White goes ahead with the f2-f4 pawn break.
5 f4!? d5! 6 exd5
6 fxe5 dxc4 7 exf6 Qxf6 is fine for Black.
6 … 0-0
The immediate 6 … Ng4 is also possible.
7 fxe5 Ng4
 This is a very interesting gambit by Black. Threats include … Nf2 and … Nxe5, and if 8 d4 Black has the trick 8 …
Nxe5! 9 dxe5 Qh4+!, followed by … Qxc4.

Danish Gambit
1 e4 e5 2 d4 exd4 3 c3

This is called the Danish Gambit. After 3 … dxc3, White could play 4 Nxc3 but many
choose to gambit a second pawn with 4 Bc4!? cxb2 5 Bxb2. White gets a big lead in
development, and the powerful bishops point menacingly towards Black’s kingside. With
accurate defence, Black should be fine. However, it does look quite scary to face,
especially for a young player, so I suggest a different approach for Black:
3 … d5!
Anti-gambit strategy: you give back the pawn immediately and focus on getting your
pieces out as quickly as possible.

Note: Black can use the same strategy after 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 exd4 4 c3 (the Göring Gambit) with 4 … d5! 5 exd5
Qxd5 6 cxd4, which transposes to what we get here. 4 … Nf6! is another option, transposing to the Ponziani Opening.

4 exd5 Qxd5 5 cxd4
After 5 Qxd4 Qxd4 6 cxd4 Nc6 7 Nf3 Bg4 Black develops rapidly and attacks White’s
isolated pawn on d4.

Note: An isolated pawn is a pawn which has no pawns of the same colour on neighbouring files. An isolated pawn is
sometimes vulnerable because it cannot be protected by other pawns.

5 … Nc6 6 Nf3 Bg4
Develop with a threat! Here the threat is … Bxf3 followed by capturing the pawn on
d4.
7 Be2 Bb4+
Black continues to develop actively.

Warning: Don’t fall for 7 … Bxf3 8 Bxf3 Qxd4?? which loses the queen after 9 Bxc6+! (removing the defender!) 9
… bxc6 10 Qxd4.

8 Nc3 Bxf3!
Initially it looks a little strange to trade bishop for knight, at least without being
provoked by h2-h3. However, Black has a concrete idea in mind:
9 Bxf3 Qc4!
 This is it! The queen on c4 prevents White from castling, at least for the moment, and
in addition Black threatens both … Bxc3+ and … Nxd4. White can defend against the
threats, and the resulting positions are roughly level, although Black tends to score well in
games. Some possible continuations:
a) 10 Bxc6+ bxc6 (10 … Qxc6 is also possible) 11 Qe2+ Qxe2+ 12 Kxe2 0-0-0 13 Be3
Ne7.
b) 10 Qb3 Qxb3 11 axb3 Nge7! 12 0-0 0-0-0 13 Be3 a6.

Earlier in the book, we went through a game played by a 10-year-old Magnus Carlsen. Let’s finish by looking at a
much more recent game involving the current World Champion. In this game, instead of playing 3 c3, Carlsen’s
opponent recaptured the pawn with the queen.

Game 30
I.Nepomniachtchi-M.Carlsen
Leuven (blitz) 2017

1 e4 e5 2 d4 exd4 3 Qxd4
This opening is called the Centre Game. It’s never been popular and it’s certainly not a
wise choice for young players because the queen comes out early and is exposed to attack.
3 … Nc6!
Of course! Black threatens the queen with a natural developing move and simply gains
time.
4 Qe3 Bb4+
4 … Nf6 is more common, and then 5 Nc3 Bb4 transposes to the game.
 5 Nc3
5 c3 is met by 5 … Ba5 and later on the bishop can attack the queen with … Bb6.
5 … Nf6 6 Bd2
White breaks the pin and prepares to castle queenside.
6 … 0-0 7 0-0-0 Re8!
An excellent move. Carlsen attacks and pins the e4-pawn to the queen.
8 Qf4!?
Nepomniachtchi escapes the pin and offers to gambit the e4-pawn.
The most popular choice for White is 8 Qg3, with similar intentions. After 8 … Nxe4 9
Nxe4 Rxe4 White hopes to gain time by attacking Black’s rook, but Black has scored well
in the games played. An example: 10 c3 Be7 11 Bd3 Bh4! 12 Qf3 Re8 13 Qh5 g6 14 Qh6
Ne5 15 Be2 d5 and Black is on top.
8 … Bxc3 9 Bxc3 Rxe4 10 Qg3
10 Bxf6 is met by 10 … Rxf4! 11 Bxd8 Nxd8.
10 … d5 11 f3 Re8 12 Ne2
Black is a pawn ahead, though the strong bishop on c3 gives White some
compensation.
12 … a5! 13 Nf4 Nb4!

Creative play by Carlsen. The threat of … Nxa2+ is awkward to meet. White doesn’t
want to exchange on b4 as this would open up the a-file for Black’s rook. 14 a3 is met
anyway by 14 … Na2+!, and finally 14 Kb1 is answered by 14 … Bf5!. Nepomniachtchi
chooses to swap off his strong bishop, but this doesn’t help either.
14 Bxf6 Qxf6 15 a3
Nepomniachtchi is hoping to force the knight to retreat, after which White seizes the
initiative with Nxd5. Carlsen, however, has no intention of going backwards!
15 … Bf5!
This is a powerful piece sacrifice. White can only accept it by opening up the a-file, and
this leads to a decisive attack on the white king.
16 axb4 axb4

Black threatens checkmate in three, with 17 … Ra1+ 18 Kd2 Qd4+! 19 Bd3 Qe3 mate.

Exercise: If White plays 17 Kb1, how can Black force checkmate in a few moves?

17 Nxd5
Answer: 17 Kb1 is met by 17 … Ra1+!! (deflection) 18 Kxa1 Bxc2! and there’s nothing that White can do to
prevent … Ra8+ and mate. 17 … Ra2!! is equally effective.
17 … Ra1+ 18 Kd2 Qxb2! 19 Qxc7 Rxd1+ 0-1
Nepomniachtchi resigned, as after 20 Kxd1 Black checkmates with 20 … Qb1+ 21 Kd2
Qe1.
 Chapter Nine
Summary of Recommendations
Throughout the book I’ve recommended openings and opening variations for both White and Black. I thought it would
be helpful to list a brief summary of the main recommendations here. For further details, you should consult the relevant
chapters.

For White

Italian Game
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Bc5 4 c3 Nf6 and now:
a) 5 d4 exd4 6 cxd4 or 6 e5
b) 5 d3 (Modern Italian)

Evans Gambit
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Bc5 4 b4

Two Knights Defence

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Nf6 and now:
a) 4 Ng5
b) 4 d3
c) 4 d4

Ruy Lopez
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 and now:
a) 3 … Nf6 4 0-0 or 4 d3
b) 3 … a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 0-0 or 5 d3

Scotch Gambit
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 exd4 4 Bc4

Petroff Defence
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 Nxe5 d6 4 Nf3 Nxe4 5 Nc3

Philidor Defence
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4

For Black

Italian Game: Giuoco Piano (for players of all levels)

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Bc5

Evans Gambit
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Bc5 4 b4 and now:
a) 4 … Bxb4 5 c3 Ba5 6 d4 d6
b) 4 … Bb6

Two Knights Defence (for more experienced players)

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Nf6 and now:
a) 4 Ng5 d5 5 exd5 Na5
b) 4 d3 Bc5
c) 4 d4 exd4 5 e5 d5 and 5 0-0 Nxe4

Ruy Lopez
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 and now:
a) 4 Bxc6 dxc6 5 0-0 Bg4
b) 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 0–0 b5 6 Bb3 Bc5

Four Knights Game

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Nc3 Nf6 and now:
a) 4 Bc4 Nxe4 or 4 … Bc5
b) 4 Bb5 Bc5

Scotch Game / Scotch Gambit

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 exd4 and now:
a) 4 Nxd4 Nf6
b) 4 Bc4 Bc5 or 4 … Nf6

Ponziani Opening
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 c3 Nf6

King’s Gambit
1 e4 e5 2 f4 exf4 and now:
a) 3 Nf3 d5
b) 3 Bc4 Nf6

Vienna Game
1 e4 e5 2 Nc3 Nf6 and now:
a) 3 f4 d5
b) 3 Bc4 Bc5

Danish Gambit / Centre Game

1 e4 e5 2 d4 exd4 and now:
a) 3 c3 d5
b) 3 Qxd4 Nc6
 Index of Complete Games
Alekhine.A-Baash.F, St. Petersburg 1912
Aryan.C-Imsrud.B, World Schools Under-13 Championship, Iasi 2012
Ashton.A-Keeling.G, British League 2002
Billon.O-Flear.G, Saint Affrique 2013
Brown.M-Adams.M, British Championship, Bournemouth 2016
Carlsen.M-Blomqvist.E, Nordic Team Championship, Norway 2001
Ferguson.M-Kovalev.V, European Club Cup, Rhodes 2013
Fischer.R-Fine.R, New York 1963
Fomin.A-Tsukanov.S, Tula 2005
Forcen Estebano.D-Akash Pc.I, Escaldes 2017
Gallego Alcaraz.A-Sartori Cardoso.S, S. American Under-20 Ch., Cochabamba 2009
Ganguly.S-Aleksandrov.A, World Blitz Championship, Dubai 2014
Gazikova.V-Wu Min, World Girls’ Under-18, Khanty-Mansiysk 2016
Gurevich.I-Nunn.J, Hastings 1992/93
Harikrishna.P-Bacrot.E, Biel 2017
Jones.G-Batsiashvili.N, Isle of Man Open, Douglas 2017
Jones.G-L’Ami.E, Wolvega 2014
Kan.I-Botvinnik.M,, Soviet Championship, Odessa 1929
Karjakin.S-Frolyanov.D, Moscow 2013
Khachiyan.M-Benjamin.J, US Championship, St. Louis 2010
Knorre.V-Chigorin.M, St. Petersburg 1874
Korneev.O-Ragger.M, Austrian Team Championship 2007
Kryvoruchko.Y-Aleksandrov.A, European Championship, Gjakova 2016
Kunal.M-Goganov.A, World Under-20 Championship, Chennai 2011
Kurmann.O-Naiditsch.A, Zurich 2014
Litwak.A-Geske.J, Olomouc 2006
Morphy.P-Duke of Brunswick and Count Isouard, Paris 1858
Nepomniachtchi.I-Carlsen.M, Leuven (blitz) 2017
Tarrasch.S-Marco.G, Dresden 1892
Zhang Zhong-Arkell.K, Internet Chess Club (blitz) 2007