Ruy Lopez

2. Modern Exchange Variation with 5.d4

By playing 5.d4 at once, White does not wait to castle and opens the game immediately, bringing the queen to d4 and developing the minor pieces to natural squares.

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.d4 exd4 6.Qxd4 Qxd4 7.Nxd4 Bd7 8.Be3 O-O-O 9.Nc3 Bb4 10.Ne2

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.Bxc6 – The Exchange Variation: White gives up the bishop to ruin Black's structure. After ...dxc6 Black has doubled c-pawns and White a healthy 4 vs 3 majority on the kingside, excellent for the endgame.
  8. 4...dxc6 – Recaptures towards the outside, but it opens the d-file and the diagonal of the c8-bishop: Black develops quickly and compensates for the structure with the bishop pair.
  9. 5.d4 – An immediate break without castling: White heads straight for the queen exchange with Qxd4, because the endgame with the 4 vs 3 majority is its goal.
  10. 5...exd4 – Natural capture: holding e5 with ...f6 or ...Bg4 is possible, but now Black accepts the opening of the centre, counting on its lead in development and the bishop pair.
  11. 6.Qxd4 – The queen recaptures on d4 offering the exchange. If Black avoids it, the white queen stays centralised; if Black accepts, we reach the endgame White wants.
  12. 6...Qxd4 – Black exchanges queens: avoiding it would cost tempi, because the white queen on d4 controls many squares. Now the game is an early endgame.
  13. 7.Nxd4 – The knight recaptures and settles in the centre. From d4 it controls e6, c6 and f5, but it will be a target for the black rook on the d-file.
  14. 7...Bd7 – Develops the bishop and frees c8 for queenside castling, so the rook will arrive on d8 against the d4-knight.
  15. 8.Be3 – Develops the bishop, defending the d4-knight in advance, before the black rook arrives on the d-file.
  16. 8...O-O-O – Queenside castling: the king goes to c8, behind the doubled pawns that protect it well, and the rook on d8 immediately attacks the d4-knight.
  17. 9.Nc3 – Develops the knight and defends e4. White has not castled yet and will decide later where to put the king.
  18. 9...Bb4 – The bishop pins the c3-knight to the e1-king: it threatens ...Bxc3+ to double White's pawns and weakens the defence of e4, which Black can attack with ...Nf6 and ...Re8.
  19. 10.Ne2 – The knight leaves d4 and returns to e2: now c3 is protected by a piece, so ...Bxc3+ is recaptured with the knight without doubled pawns. In return White gives up the d4 square.

How to exploit the position

Balanced early endgame: Black has the bishop pair and a few tempi of development, White the better structure with a 4 vs 3 majority on the kingside.

Master tips

Simplify without conceding counterplay

After 5.d4 exd4 6.Qxd4 Qxd4 7.Nxd4, Black has no time to organise the bishop pair.

Model games