Ruy Lopez (with 3 ... a6)

The Ruy Lopez arises after 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5

Timman - Short, El Escorial (7) C68  1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Bxc6 dxc6 5 O-O Qd6  [Before this game, this move was regarded as a sound and active defence. Faced with this position in Game 9 of this match, Short selected 5 ... Ne7, which invited immediate complications: 6 Nxe5 (else Black is very comfortable after 6 ... Ng6) Qd4 7 Qh5 (White gets nowhere with 7 Nf3 Qxe4 8 Re1 Qg6 9 Ne5 Qf5, Ligterink - Velimirovic, Amsterdam 1976) g6. DIAGRAM From this position, Timman - Nikolic, _____________, continued 8 Nf3 Qxe4 9 Qa5 Qf4 10 d3 with good prospects for White, but Timman was evidently afraid of Geller's untested ECO suggestion 9 ... Bg4!, although WHite may stand better after 10 Re1 Qf5 11 Qxc7. So Timman played the "main line" 8 Qg5 Bg7 9 Nd3 (This strange knight placement controls the b4 square in anticipation of 9 ... Qxe4? 10 Re1, but allows Black counterplay against White's stunted development.) f5 10 e5 c5 (Not 10 ... Bxe5? 11 Nxe5 Qxe5 12 d4 with a very strong attack.) 11 b3 h6 (Snapping upr the rook is rarely a good option in this line - after 11 Qxa1 12 Nc3 b6 13 Bb2 Qxf1+ 14 Kxf1 h6 15 Qg3 Bb7 16 e6 White was doing very well in Dieks - Van Scheltinga, Wijk an Zee II 1974.) 12 Qg3 (The sharpest line. Black has sufficient compensation after 12 Qe3 f4 13 Qxd4 cxd4.) f4 13 Qf3 Bf5 14 Qxb7 (Black was also fine after 14 Bb2 Qd5 15 Nxf4 Qxf3 in Vladimirov - Ivanov, USSR 1975) Be4 and Short went on to win a nice attacking game - 15 Qxc7 Bxd3 16 cxd3 Bxe5 17 Qb7 Rb8 18 Qxa6 f3 19 Nc3 fxg2 20 Re1 O-O 21 Qe6+ Rf7 22 Nd1 Qxa1 23 Qxe5 Qxe5 24 Rxe5 Nc6 25 Rxc5 Nb4 26 Ba3 Nxd3 27 Rc6 Ra8 28 Rd6 Rxa3 29 Rxd3 Rxa2 30 Ne3 Kg7 31 Kxg2 Ra5 32 Rd4 Rb5 33 b4 Rbb7 34 Rc4 Rfc7 35 Rg4 Rd7 36 h4 h5 37 Rg5 Rxb4 38 d4 Rf7 39 Rd5 Rb2 0 - 1]  6 Na3  [The decisive game of the 1991 U.S. Championship, the 3rd match game between Joel Benjamin and Gata Kamsky, continued 6 d3 Ne7 7 Be3 Ng6 8 Nbd2 c5 (More cautious is 8 ... Be7.) 9 Nc4 Qe6 10 Ng5, and Kamsky missed the necessary 10 ... Qg4! Instead, after 10 ... Qf6 11 Qh5, Benjamin obtained a strong attack which he later misplayed.] Be6 [A long time ago a game between John Fedorowicz and myself continued 6 ... b5 7 c4 (Fine for Black is 7 d4 exd4 8 Qxd4 Qxd4 9 Nxd4 c5; perhaps the best try for an advantage is 7 d3 Ne7 8 Be3 Ng6 9 c4, etc.) Bg4 8 d4!? (The position is equal after 8 h3 Bxf3 9 Qxf3 Nf6, Pinter - Portisch, Budapest 1975.) O-O-O 9 d5 f5! 10 h3 h5! 11 exf5 e4 12 cxb5 cxd5 with a complete mess - a good example of the so-called New Jersey School of Chess.] 7 Qe2! [This principled move completely revamps the 6 Na3 system. White prepares both Na3-c4 and to embarass the Black queen with Rf1-d1 and d2-d4. Instead, 7 Ng5 Bd7 8 Nc4 Qg6 9 d3 f6 accomplishes nothing, as does 7 d4 exd4 8 Qxd4 O-O-O.]  f6?!  [It was better to give back the prized bishop pair with 7 ... O-O-O 8 Nc4 Bxc4 9 Qxc4 f6, obtaining a position where Black's control of space compensates for the passivity of his minor pieces.]  8 Rd1  DIAGRAM [The threat of 9 d4 is highly unpleasant, and 8 ... c5 9 c3 does not improve matters. Short resorts to a strategem from his Sicilian-bashing systems.] g5 9 d4 g4 10 Ne1 O-O-O  [Nothing was to be gained by 10 ... exd4 11 c3 c5 12 Nec2.] 11 Be3 h5  [Seemingly cavalier, but Black was already in deep water. On 11 ... Ne7, White keeps on rolling with 12 c4. And 11 ... Bh6 tends to lead the White queen on a direct path to a7 via e3.] 12 d5! [A pawn juggernaut is more convincing than piece play with 12 dxe5.]  cxd5 13 exd5 Bf7 14 c4 Qd7  DIAGRAM 15 d6! [Giving Black no time to mobilize. However, Black's best practical chance is to grab the pawn and see which method White chooses. After 15 ... cxd6 16 Bb6 Re8 17 c5 d5 18 c6 bxc6 or 18 Rac1 Kb8 the game is not over. But 18 b4 is pretty strong. Short attempts to sidestep the roller and gets hammered. Note that 15 ... Qa4 is simply met by 16 dxc7, so the queen stays close.] Qc6 16 c5 Nh6  [White would not be distracted from the task at hand by 16 ... Bh6 17 b4 Bxe3 18 fxe3.] 17 b4 Qa4 18 Nc4 Rd7 [This move is designed to stop 19 dxc7, which now loses to 19 ... Bxc4. 18 ... Qb5 or 18 ... Qxb4 both fail to 19 dxc7 Rxd1 Qxd1.] DIAGRAM 19 Na5! [By threatening 20 c6, White forces Black to incarcerate his own queen. 19 ... Qb5 20 Qb2 is no defense.] c6 20 Nd3 Nf5 21 a3 Kb8 22 Nb2 Qb5 23 Qe1  [All of the preparations are complete.] Nxe3 24 fxe3 Bh6 25 Kh1  [Why permit the minor irritation of 25 a4 Bxe3+?] h4 26 a4 Qxa5 27 bxa5 g3 28 h3 Bg5 29 Nd3 Ka8 30 Rab1 Re8 31  Rb6 Bd5 32 e4 1 - 0