Ruy Lopez

39. Anti-Marshall: Punishing the Stubborn Attempt 8...d5?!

If after 8.h3 Black insists on playing the Marshall with 8...d5?!, White captures 9.exd5 Nxd5 10.Nxe5 Nxe5 11.Rxe5 c6 12.d4! with a healthy extra pawn, since Black lacks the key resource ...Bg4!

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 O-O 8.h3 d5 9.exd5 Nxd5 10.Nxe5 Nxe5 11.Rxe5 c6 12.d4

Move by move

  1. 1.e4 – White takes the centre and opens the diagonals for the queen and the f1-bishop. In the Ruy Lopez this pawn will often be at the heart of the fight: Black will attack it with ...Nf6 and, in the Open Variation, will even capture it with ...Nxe4.
  2. 1...e5 – Black answers symmetrically: it contests d4 and f4, prevents e4-e5 and frees the f8-bishop. From here White will build the whole Ruy Lopez on pressure against this pawn.
  3. 2.Nf3 – Develops the knight with a direct attack on the e5 pawn, which now has to be defended. The knight also prepares kingside castling and supports a future d2-d4 push.
  4. 2...Nc6 – Defends e5 while developing a piece and controlling d4. This very knight, the only defender of e5, will be the target of White's next move.
  5. 3.Bb5 – The Ruy Lopez: the bishop attacks the c6-knight, the defender of e5. There is no immediate threat yet (Bxc6 dxc6 Nxe5 Qd4 regains the pawn), but the pressure on c6 will last throughout the opening.
  6. 3...a6 – Morphy's move: it asks the bishop to decide right away. After 4.Ba4 Black can break the pin with ...b5 whenever it likes; after 4.Bxc6 it gets the bishop pair.
  7. 4.Ba4 – The bishop retreats but keeps the pressure on c6: the threat of Bxc6 followed by Nxe5 will come back once White has castled. Black can break the diagonal with ...b5 whenever it wants.
  8. 4...Nf6 – Develops the knight attacking e4. This is the main move: it leads to the Closed Ruy Lopez with ...Be7 or to the Open Variation with ...Nxe4.
  9. 5.O-O – Castles without defending e4: if Black takes it with ...Nxe4, White regains it with Re1 or d4, exploiting the black king still in the centre.
  10. 5...Be7 – The Closed Ruy Lopez: Black does not take e4 and develops the bishop to castle. From e7 it protects the king and leaves the f6 square free for the knight.
  11. 6.Re1 – The rook defends e4. Now White really threatens Bxc6 dxc6 Nxe5, because the recovery ...Qd4 no longer works with e4 protected.
  12. 6...b5 – Black drives the bishop away from a4 and solves the threat on c6. It gains space on the queenside, but the b5 pawn will become a target for a2-a4.
  13. 7.Bb3 – The bishop retreats to the a2-g8 diagonal, from where it aims at f7 and supports a future d4 push. It is the natural square in the Closed Ruy Lopez.
  14. 7...O-O – Black castles before deciding the centre: if White plays 8.c3, Black can answer 8...d5, the Marshall Attack. That is why White has the Anti-Marshall moves available.
  15. 8.h3 – Another Anti-Marshall system: h3 prevents ...Bg4, one of the key pieces of the gambit. This way 8...d5 loses much of its strength.
  16. 8...d5 – Black tries the Marshall gambit even after h3, but now it lacks ...Bg4 and White has not spent a tempo on c3.
  17. 9.exd5 – White takes on d5 as in the classical Marshall, but with h3 in place of c3: the c2 pawn is still at home and the b1-knight can go to c3.
  18. 9...Nxd5 – The black knight recaptures on d5 and leaves the e5 pawn without defenders, as in the classical Marshall.
  19. 10.Nxe5 – Takes the e5 pawn: White has an extra pawn.
  20. 10...Nxe5 – Black exchanges the knights to draw the rook to e5.
  21. 11.Rxe5 – The rook retakes on e5: White has an extra pawn and Black tries to attack it with ...Bd6.
  22. 11...c6 – Supports the d5-knight, as in the classical Marshall.
  23. 12.d4 – Frees the c1-bishop and controls e5. White has the extra pawn and, without c3, can bring the knight to c3 against the d5-knight.

How to exploit the position

White has an extra pawn; without ...Bg4 Black has fewer ways to attack. The trap works because the Marshall requires precise timing: with h3 already played, the gambit loses strength.

Master tips

The Marshall without ...Bg4

The 8.h3 move prevents ...Bg4: Black has one weapon fewer to attack with.