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...exd4
| Riga variation | |
|---|---|
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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) | |
| Moves: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4 6. d4 exd4 | |
| ECO code: C80 | |
| Parent: Morphy defence → Open Spanish → 6. d4 | |
6...exd4 · Riga variation
[edit | edit source]Black takes on d4 and is temporarily two pawns up, but there is a loose knight sitting on an open file leading straight to their king. This leads to a wellspring of tactics and sharp play for both sides.
7. Re1 pins the knight and threatens to win it. Black must defend it with 7...d5 or 7...f5, and though White is winning the position is very precarious and many natural continuations are blunders.
The line to navigate through the pitfalls is 7...d5 8. Nxd4 (recovers a pawn) Bd6 9. Nxc6 (the natural 9. f3?? Qh4! is a massacre) Bxh2+ 10. Kh1□ (10. Kxh2?? Qh4+ 11. Kg1 and Black has a perpetual check between ...Qf2+ and ...Qh4+) Qh4□ 11. Rxe4+□ (an exchange sacrifice. The tempting 11. Nd4+ leads nowhere, and defending f2 with 11. Be3 is insufficient.) dxe4 12. Qd8+□ Qxd8 13. Nxd8+ Kxd8 14. Kxh2.
7. Nxd4?, recapturing immediately, lets Black off the hook, allowing them to trade the knights and simply be a pawn up. 7...Nxd4 8. Qxd4⩱ and Black's knight on e4 has time to get to safety.
7. c3, the Göring-style move, is just getting silly. This is a mistake as it allows Black's knight to escape while only recovering, at best, one pawn. 7...Nc5! 8. cxd4 Nxa4 9. Qxa4, Black gave back one pawn and ran off with the other and the bishop pair. Even if 7...dxc3? 8. Nxc3? (again Re1 was better) Nxc3!∓ White has traded off a pair of knights and is still two pawns down.
Theory table
[edit | edit source]References
[edit | edit source]See also
[edit | edit source] | Wikipedia has related information at Ruy Lopez. |