Exchange Line Nets Point

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Asbury Park Press Asbury Park, New Jersey Sunday, February 07, 1971 - Page 67

Exchange Line Nets Point
The Exchange Variation of the Ruy Lopez, long thought to be inferior for White, was given a new lease on life a few years ago by Bobby Fischer who scored some notable successes with it after giving the line some refurbishing.
While it is seen less and less frequently now, it still pops up once in awhile, not always with happy results for Black.
During the course of the 17th annual World Student Team Tournament, held last year in Haifa and won by the United States, Andy Soltis at second board for the U.S. won with a deferred form of the variation in the match against Iceland. Here is the score of that game:

Ruy Lopez
Andy Soltis (white) Jon Halfdanarson (black)

Descriptive 1. P-K4 P-K4 2. N-KB3 N-QB3 3. B-N5 P-QR3 4. B-R4 N-B3 5. O-O B-K2 6. BxN (a) QPxB 7. N-B3 (b) N-Q2 (c) 8. P-Q4 PxP 9. QxP O-O 10. B-B4 N-B4 (d) 11. Q-K3 N-K3 12. QR-Q Q-K 13. B-N3 P-B3 (e) 14. N-KR4 (f) P-QN4 15. N-B5 B-B4 16. Q-K2 Q-B2 17. R-Q3 B-N2 (g) 18. KR-Q QR-Q 19. P-KR3 RxR 20. RxR R-K 21. Q-N4 K-R (h) 22. P-K5! (i) Q-N3 23. PxP PxP 24. N-K4 B-QB (j) 25. B-R4 N-N4 (k) 26. BxN PxB 27. R-KB3 B-Q3 28. N(4)xB PxN 29. Q-Q4ch (l) K-N 30. NxP R-Q 31. R-B6 QxP (m) 32. Q-K5 P-R3 33. Q-K7 RxN? 34. R-B8 mate

Algebraic 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Be7 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. Nc3 Nd7 8. d4 exd4 9. Qxd4 0-0 10. Bf4 Nc5 11. Qe3 Ne6 12. Rd1 Qe8 13. Bg3 f6 14. Nh4 b5 15. Nf5 Bc5 16. Qe2 Qf7 17. Rd3 Bb7 18. Rd1 Rd8 19. h3 Rxd3 20. Rxd3 Re8 21. Qg4 Kh8 22. e5! Qg6 23. exf6 gxf6 24. Ne4 Bc8 25. Bh4 Ng5 26. Bxg5 fxg5 27. Rf3 Bd6 28. Nexd6 cxd6 29. Qd4+ Kg8 30. Nxd6 Rd8 31. Rf6 Qxc2 32. Qe5 h6 33. Qe7 Rxd6? 34. Rf8#

(a) Fischer plays this on the fourth move. Here the exchange has a further element of surprise in that Black expects the normal 6 R-K or Q-K2.
(b) Euwe continued against Bogoljubov in a 1941 match game 7. P-Q3, after which there followed 7. … N-Q2; 8. P-Q4! PxP; 9. NxP O-O; 10. N-QB3 B-B3; 11. P-B4 N-N3; 12. P-K5 13. N-K4 P-QB4; 14. N-K2, and White is slightly better off.
(c) Black might have considered 7. … B-Q3 which does not block in the queen's bishop as does the text.
(d) As a result of his seventh move, Black's development lags and White has more freedom of movement.
(e) Having given up the center, Black fears the further restricting move P-K5 by White, but the antidote results in a weakening of the kingside pawn layout.
(f) With expectations of a strong kingside attack.
(g) This bishop has become a problem for Black and would be unhappy at either Q2 or QN2, but develop it must in order to link up the Black rooks);
(h) Parrying the threat of 22. N-R6ch, winning.
(i) A strong thrust, keeping up the kingside pressure and making the square K4 available to the White queen's knight.
(j) Neither would the exchange of queens help, for after 24 . . . QxQ; 25. PxQ. Black cannot defend all the points under attack;
(k) Black defends as best he can but the odds are against him.
(l) Just when Black appears to have held all points, there suddenly arises a mating net.
(m) More prudent was 31. Q-N2, keeping the queen at home for the defense of the king.