Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...e5/2. Nf3/2...Nc6/3. Bb5/3...a6/4. Ba4/4...Nf6/5. O-O/5...Nxe4/6. d4/6...b5/7. Bb3/7...d5/8. dxe5/8...Be6

Open Spanish
	a b c d e f g h 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 a b c d e f g h
	Position in Forsyth-Edwards Notation (FEN) r2qkb1r/2p2ppp/p1n1b3/1p1pP3/4n3/1B3N2/PPP2PPP/RNBQ1RK1
	Moves: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 8. dxe5 Be6
	ECO code: C80
	Parent: Spanish game → Open Spanish → 8. dxe5

8. Be6

Now that White's light-squared bishop can no longer move to d5, it is immobilised and liable to be exchanged off by a sneaky ...Na5 or ...Nc5. In the Ruy Lopez, White will typically go to some length to avoid this exchange, hence the classical move 9. c3. The modern alternative move order begins 9. Nbd2.

9. c3 is the traditional move. In the Ruy Lopez, White will typically go to some lengths to avoid trading this bishop for a knight. This prepares to answer 9...Nc5 with 10. Bc2.

Since 9...Nc5 doesn't get Black anywhere now, the main moves are 9...Be7 and 9...Bc5. After 9...Be7, as White's knight can't make it to c3, they usually play Nbd2 intending Bc2 and Nb3. 9...Be7 10. Nbd2 O-O 11. Bc2 f5 12. Nb3 and the two move orders, 9. c3 and 9. Nbd2, have converged. After 9...Bc5, this increases pressure on f2: 10. Nbd2, the St. Petersburg variation, 10...O-O 11. Bc2 Nxf2 12. Rxf2 f6. 10. Qd3, the Motzko attack, supports 11. Bd3 to relieve pressure on f2.

9. Nbd2, the Bernstein variation, has taken over in popularity in recent years. White can live without the light-square bishop in this particular line, as they have a kingside pawn majority to work with, so long as they can recapture on b3 with the knight and avoid doubling their pawns. In fact, 9...Nc5 10. c3 Nxb3 11. Nxb3 would free White's position enormously. The knight on b3 has better prospects than either a bishop on b3 or a knight on d2.

In addition, the 9. Nbd2 move order avoids the complications following 9...Bc5, as 10. Nxe4 ends the double attack on f2. After some exchanges, White's other knight can capture on e4 or e6, hitting the loose bishop.

Sidelines

9. Be3 also discourages ...Bc5, but no more effectively than Nbd2, and unlike Nbd2 it does not develop a piece to what is clearly its best square. The appeal of this order is that White gets to answer 9...Nc5 with 10. Nbd2 without impeding the development of their bishop. However, 10...d4 and the bishop must move again.

9. Qe2 is the Howell attack. First, this vacates d1 for the rook, where it will pin black's d-pawn. 9...Be7 10. Rd1 O-O 11. c4! bxc4 12. Bxc4 and the d-pawn is pinned. Secondly, it allows White to answer ...Bc5 with Be3 and trade the bishops, recapturing without doubling pawns. 12...Bc5 13. Be3 Bxe3 14. Qxe3=.

This rearrangement is on the slow side given that Black is only a couple of moves away from completing their development, and too often White's play on the d-file consists of trying to stop Black's passed d-pawn from charging down it.

9. a4 is apparently played. Compared to the Worrall attack, 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Qe2, where the idea of a4 is to provoke b4 (6...b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. a4 b4? where 9. Qc4! is ruinous, a double attack on c6 and f7), here eliciting ...b4 does not create a weakness on c4 so in that sense 9. a4 is erring a little on the pointless side. Save it for later, maybe.

Theory table

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 8. dxe5 Be6

	9	10	11	12	13	14
St. Petersburg variation	c3 Bc5	Nbd2 O-O	Bc2 Nxf2	Rxf2 f6			⩲
(transposition to Bernstein variation)	... Be7	Nbd2 O-O	Bc2 f5	Nb3 Qd7			⩲
Bernstein variation	Nbd2 Nc5	c3 Be7	Bc2 d4	Nb3 dxc3	Nxc5 Bxc5	Be4 Qd7	⩲
	... ...	... d4	Bxe6 Nxe6	cxd4 Ncxd4			=
Karpov gambit	... ...	... ...	Ng5!? O-O-O	Bxe6+ fxe6	Qxc6 Qxe5		=
	... Be7	c3 O-O	Bc2 f5	Nb3 Qd7			⩲
	... Bc5	Nxe4 dxe4	Ng5 Qxd1	Rxd1 Bxb3	axb3		⩲
	Be3 Be7	c3 O-O	Nbd2 Qd7				⩲
	Qe2 Be7	Rd1 O-O	c4 bxc4	Bxc4 Bc5	Be3 Bxe3	Qxe3 Qb8	=

Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...e5/2. Nf3/2...Nc6/3. Bb5/3...a6/4. Ba4/4...Nf6/5. O-O/5...Nxe4/6. d4/6...b5/7. Bb3/7...d5/8. dxe5/8...Be6

8. Be6

Sidelines

Theory table

References

See also