Ruy Lopez Opening - Morphy Defense & Keres-Flohr-Zaitsev
Ruy Lopez Opening
Definition
The Ruy Lopez (also called the Spanish Opening) is reached after the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5. White develops the king’s bishop to b5, pinning the knight on c6 and indirectly attacking the e5-pawn. ECO codes: C60–C99.
How it is used in chess
- Top-level mainstay: World-championship games from Steinitz–Zukertort (1886) to Carlsen–Caruana (2018) feature it heavily because both sides retain great flexibility.
- Model of “accumulating pressure”: White castles quickly, builds a central pawn majority (often with c3 & d4) and aims for a slow but lasting squeeze rather than a quick assault.
- Opening tree hub: From move 3 onward the game can branch into open, closed, exchange, Archangelsk, Marshall, Berlin, Cozio, Schliemann and many other systems, giving the Ruy Lopez immense theoretical depth.
Strategic Themes
- Central Tension: The struggle over the d4 and e5 squares defines almost every variation.
- Minor-piece imbalance: White’s light-squared bishop is usually very strong; Black often tries to trade it or blunt it with …b5–…c4 or …d6–…Be6.
- Queenside space vs. solidity: Black often wins space with …a6 and …b5; White counters with better piece placement and potential kingside play.
Historical Significance
Named after 16th-century Spanish priest Ruy López de Segura, whose 1561 treatise recommended 3.Bb5. It became truly fashionable after Paul Morphy’s sparkling victories in the 1850s, and has been a heavyweight battleground ever since.
Illustrative Example
The famous “Closed Ruy Lopez” (Morphy Defense) position after 9…Nb8 illustrates the essence of the opening: Black has grabbed queenside space with …a6 & …b5, but now must untangle while White prepares c3–d4.
Interesting Facts
- The phrase “Spanish torture” was coined by commentator Jan Timman to describe the slow suffocation Black can face in the closed lines.
- Garry Kasparov scored 8½/10 with White in the Ruy Lopez during the 1983 candidates matches—an astonishing 85 %.
Morphy Defense (to the Ruy Lopez)
Definition
The Morphy Defense arises after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6. The immediate question to White’s bishop (…a6) was popularized by the 19-year-old prodigy Paul Morphy en route to his 1858 triumphs in Europe. ECO codes: C70–C99.
Purpose and Typical Plans
- Forcing a Decision: White must either retreat 4.Ba4 or exchange 4.Bxc6. In both cases Black gains time for queenside expansion.
- Space with …b5: After 4.Ba4, …b5 drives the bishop again and helps Black seize territory.
- Rapid Development: Standard follow-up is 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O with …Be7 or …Bc5, leading to open or closed variations.
Main Branches
- Closed Ruy Lopez: 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 (ECO C84–C99). Rich manoeuvring battle—think Karpov vs. Kasparov.
- Open Ruy Lopez: 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Nxe4 (ECO C80–C83). Sharp play where Black grabs the e4-pawn and hopes tactics justify it.
- Exchange Variation: 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.O-O (or 5.Nc3). White gives up the bishop pair to inflict pawn weakness; popularised by Bobby Fischer.
- Modern Archangelsk / Møller: 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O b5 6.Bb3 Bc5. Dynamic bishops for Black.
- Marshall Attack: 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 O-O 8.c3 d5! Invented by Frank Marshall, New York 1918.
Historical and Strategic Significance
By interposing …a6, Morphy disagreed with earlier dogma that “premature” pawn moves waste time. Modern engines confirm his judgment: 3…a6 keeps equality while offering Black active chances. The defense remains the most common response to 3.Bb5 among grandmasters.
Classic Game
Morphy vs. Duke of Brunswick & Count Isouard, Paris opera 1858 followed the Exchange line: 3…a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.O-O Bg4 and ended with Morphy’s immortal queen sacrifice. Although theory has evolved, the game’s clarity still makes it a teaching gem.
Curiosities
- The move 3…a6 was once called the “Spanish Counter-attack.” Only later, when opening nomenclature was formalised, did it take Morphy’s name.
- In blitz, Magnus Carlsen occasionally plays the cheeky sideline 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Bc5—an echo of Møller’s 19th-century ideas.
Keres–Flohr–Zaitsev System (Nimzo-Indian)
Definition
The Keres–Flohr–Zaitsev System is a family of lines in the Nimzo-Indian Defence starting with 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2. After White protects the knight on c3 with the queen, Black can reply in three distinct ways—each historically championed by a different grandmaster:
- 4…c5 (Keres Variation)
- 4…b6 (Flohr Variation)
- 4…d5 followed later by …b6 (Zaitsev Variation)
The umbrella term “Keres–Flohr–Zaitsev” therefore covers Black systems that counter 4.Qc2 with rapid queenside fianchetto or immediate pressure on d4 and c5.
Key Ideas
- Pressure on the light squares: With the bishop still on b4, …c5 or …d5 amplifies the pin on c3 while hitting d4.
- Minor-piece exchanges: Black often doubles White’s c-pawns (…Bxc3+) but delays it until the capture gains tempo or forces structural concessions.
- Queenside fianchetto: In the Flohr & Zaitsev lines, …b6–…Bb7 targets e4 and bolsters the c-5 pawn chain.
- Long-term plans: Black plays for dark-square control and queenside majority breaks (…b5); White aims for e2-e4 central expansion and kingside initiative.
Historical Background
• Paul Keres introduced 4…c5 at AVRO 1938, challenging the popular Capablanca line.
• Salo Flohr refined the fianchetto plan (4…b6) in the 1940s.
• Igor Zaitsev, a leading Soviet theoretician and later Karpov’s coach, revived 4…d5 with …b6 in the 1970s.
Illustrative Example
After 4…c5 5.dxc5 O-O 6.Nf3 Bxc5 we reach a typical Keres Variation middlegame: Black owns the dark squares and has easy development, while White enjoys the two bishops and an extra queenside pawn (usually temporary).
Notable Games
- Karpov – Kasparov, World Championship (Seville) 1987, Game 11—Zaitsev line. Karpov’s passed d-pawn eventually forced a draw by perpetual.
- Fischer – Geller, Bled 1961—Flohr Variation. Geller’s queenside squeeze neutralised Fischer’s bishops and he won in 48 moves.
Interesting Tidbits
- Modern engines rate all three replies (4…c5, 4…b6, 4…d5) at near-perfect equality, vindicating the pioneering work of Keres, Flohr and Zaitsev.
- The move order 4.Qc2 was once considered “harmlessly solid.” Today it is a fashionable surprise weapon because the Keres–Flohr–Zaitsev complex is less deeply analysed than 4.e3 or 4.f3.