Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...e5/2. Nf3/2...Nc6/3. Bb5/3...d5

This suspicious move offers White their choice of central pawns. This exotic gambit is generally bad for Black, but there are a few of traps White must avoid.

Black's main source of counterplay in this gambit is hoping to make an attack on White's kingside, where, if White leaves their knight in the centre before they have castled, Black tries to fork it and g2.

By moving their d-pawn, Black has pinned their knight and so allowed 4. Nxe5. Though Black may think they can trade e-pawns this way, the continuation 4...dxe4? 5. Nxc6 bxc6 6. Bxc6++- is strictly worse for Black.

One idea is for Black is 4...Bd7!?, which unpins the knight. Then the unwary continuation 5. exd5? blunders 5...Nxe5 6. Bxd7+ Qxd7 and Black is up a knight for two pawns. But, if White trades their knight for Black's bishop or knight first, then they can pick up the d-pawn safely.

The trickiest continuation is 4...Qg5, forking the knight and the g2 pawn. Then the natural looking move 5. Nxc6? fails to 5...Qxg2 6. Rf1 Qxe4+. White then trades queens, 7. Qe2 Qxe2+ 8. Kxe2, and the Black can recover the knight with the manoeuvre 7...a6 (to drive the bishop to a square where Nd4 does not defend it) 8. Ba4 Bd7 (pinning knight to bishop) 9. Nc3 (e.g.) bxc6!. Black is up a pawn. Instead, White must retreat the knight, 5. Nf3, so as to meet 5...Qxg2? with 6. Rg1.

In other line, 4. exd4, White chooses to take the d-pawn. This has the added threat of increasing pressure on Black's knight. Black can take back with the queen, which allows White to gain tempo, 4...Qxd5 5. Nc3 Qc5 6. O-O±.

Or they can play 4...a6 first to kick the bishop. Either way White trades here is roughly the same, but Black has some traps at the end:

• 5. Bxc6+ bxc6 6. dxc6 and White is up a pawn. Black has a trap with 6...e4 where 7. Ne5? allows the 7...Qg5 fork trick again. 7. Qe2□
• 5. dxc6 axb5 6. Nxe5 bxc6 and White is up a pawn. If White goes for the second pawn however, 7. Nxc6 allows 7...Qd5 to fork the knight and g2.

After the usual Spanish move 5. Ba4, however, Black has nothing better than to take the pawn and move their queen twice.

For explanation of theory tables, see theory table and for notation, see algebraic notation.

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 d5

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Wikipedia has related information at Ruy Lopez

• Nunn's Chess Openings. 1999. John Nunn (Editor), Graham Burgess, John Emms, Joe Gallagher. ISBN 1-8574-4221-0.

• Kasparov, Garry, & Keene, Raymond 1989 Batsford chess openings 2. ISBN 0-8050-3409-9.

• Youtube: CRUSH the Ruy Lopez with This Brand New Crazy Gambit! - FM William Graif