The Ruy Lopez Exchange Variation

(The big pictures in this blog post are ANIMATED pictures. Click on them to view the animation. The small pictures are NON-ANIMATED)


The Ruy Lopez is named after a Spanish priest called Ruy Lopez. It is one of the most studied and popular openings ever, and is commonly played at Grandmaster Level. The Ruy Lopez begins with these moves:

(1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5)

Ruy Lopez Opening

What white is trying to do here is WIN A PAWN - his white bishop on b5 attacks black's knight that defends the pawn on e5.


Today we are going to look at one variation of the Ruy Lopez:

Ruy Lopez Exchange Variation:

(3...a6 4. Bxc6 dxc6)

It now SEEMS that white can take the pawn on e5 for FREE... but NO!

So black gets the pawn back by a QUEEN FORK. After black and white exchange queens, BLACK HAS A BETTER POSITION BECAUSE WHITE CANNOT CASTLE ANYMORE.  So DON'T take the pawn on e5 - YET anyway...

What white should do after his knight and black's bishop exchange, is to CASTLE. Then, if black is not careful, something terrible will happen to him!

Here is the position after white CASTLES. (5. O-O) What black should do now is DEFEND the pawn on e5 with something like 5...f6, 5...Qd6 or 5...Bd6. BUT... what happens if black does the obvious developing move 5...Nf6???

THIS is what happens... 

AND BAM! Black's queen is PINNED and it is officially dead! If you are black you must be extremely careful.

Now, let's see what happens if black DOESN'T try to fork white's knight and pawn again, but takes white's pawn on e4 instantly. 

This time, if black's knight on e4 moves, white will play 8. Nxc6+ - It's CHECK from the rook on e1 and the knight attacks black's queen.


Again, black's queen is dead. If however, black DEFENDS his knight on e4, white just plays 8. d3 and again, if black moves his knight, 9. Nxc6+ will win black's queen, so black will have to sacrifice his knight.

TOMORROW, we are going to look at a trap black can set in the Ruy Lopez Exchange Variation, and how he can checkmate white early in the game if white falls for it!