Monday, June 24, 2013
A trap in the Ruy Lopez, Open Variation
The following game illustrates an unusual line against the Open Variation of the Ruy Lopez, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Nxe4 6.Re1!? Objectively, it gives White no advantage. But after a couple of seemingly minor inaccuracies Black, a player of near FIDE Master strength, found herself on the wrong end of a miniature. Note that a similar line is possible as a means of avoiding the "Berlin Wall": 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.Re1. That line has a little more bite, and was recommended by Larry Kaufman in his 2004 book The Chess Advantage in Black and White.
ADDENDUM: For essentially the same trap against the Berlin Variation of the Ruy Lopez, see Collins-Spanton, Hastings 2009. But see Valenti-Lanzani, Milan 2004, where Black successfully deviated and drew.
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5 comments:
Ouch: when I was 16, I lost a simul game in this very way to the Portugese champion, IM Joaquim Durão. (Montréal 1974, during the Canadian Open)
In this very way? You mean move for move?
Move for move.
A couple months after I lost the simul game, I read Gerald Abrahams's Technique in Chess, which gave the trap, move for move. (The same book also had the exact position of a devious R&P vs. R trap I'd fallen into in a tournament game.)
Wow, so at age 16 you were already playing at near-FM level!
Yes, there it is on pages 213-14. And I think the R+P v. R ending you're referring to is on 211 (White P on e6, K on f6, R on g6; Black K on f8, R on h7; Black plays 1...Rf7+! when 2.exf7 would stalemate, but responds to 2.Ke5 with 2...Rf1?? allowing 3.Rf6+ Rxf6 4.Kf6 and wins).
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