ecocodes
Volume C · Open games and the French Defense‹ C67C69 ›
a1b2c3d4e5f6g7h8
Reference position · Black to move

C68 Ruy Lopez: Exchange Variation

C68 holds six named lines, all under the name Ruy Lopez. It leaves C70 (Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense) with 4.Bxc6. When the reference line ends, White is three pawns up on material. Both queens have left the board by the end of Ruy Lopez: Exchange Variation, Alekhine Variation and one more of its lines.

Score sheet
#WhiteBlack
1e4e5
2Nf3Nc6
3Bb5a6
4Bxc6

The move that completes C68

The reference line of C69 plays all of these moves and continues beyond them; C68 is the position reached at 4.Bxc6.

  1. 4.Bxc6 The bishop on b5 takes the knight on c6, guarding the pawn on e4, pinning the pawn on d7 to its king.

Lines filed under C68

All six share their first seven plies, the whole reference line and then split two ways at Black’s move 4.

NameAfter the shared startPliesAt the end
Ruy Lopez: Exchange Variation(the shared start itself)7White +3
Ruy Lopez: Exchange Variation, Lutikov Variation4...bxc68
Ruy Lopez: Exchange Variation, Keres Variation4...dxc6 5.Nc39
Ruy Lopez: Exchange Variation, Romanovsky Variation4...dxc6 5.Nc3 f6 6.d311
Ruy Lopez: Exchange Variation, Alekhine Variation4...dxc6 5.d4 exd4 6.Qxd4 Qxd4 7.Nxd4 Bd614queens off
Ruy Lopez: Exchange, Alekhine Variation4...dxc6 5.d4 exd4 6.Qxd4 Qxd4 7.Nxd4 Bd714queens off

The road to C68

  1. 1.e4 … 2...Nc6four earlier stops: B00, C20, C40, C44
  2. 3.Bb5C60 Ruy Lopez
  3. 3...a6C70 Morphy Defense
  4. 4.Bxc6C68

The position after 4.Bxc6

White has brought out the knight on f3 and bishop on c6; Black has not yet moved a knight or bishop. Black could capture with bxc6, dxc6. Undefended and attacked: the bishop on c6. Black is to move and has 26 legal moves.

WhiteBlackMaterial (pawn units)3936Minor pieces developed20Moves spent on pawns12Pawns on d4, e4, d5, e511Squares attacked in the other half75not castlednot castled

Codes that branch off from C68

The reference lines of one other code leave C68 from the position after 4.Bxc6, each with its own moves.

CodeMovesReference line
C694...dxc6 5.O-ORuy Lopez: Exchange Variation, Normal Variation

Closest boards in other codes

CodeLineDiffers on
C44King’s Knight Opening: Normal Variationfour squares: f1, a6, c6, a7
C50Italian Gamefour squares: c4, a6, c6, a7
C60Ruy Lopezfour squares: b5, a6, c6, a7
C71Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Modern Steinitz Defensefour squares: a4, c6, d6, d7
C40King’s Knight Openingfive squares: f1, a6, c6, a7, b8
C61Ruy Lopez: Bird Variationfive squares: d4, b5, a6, c6, a7
C46Three Knights Openingsix squares: b1, f1, c3, a6, c6, a7

Where lines continue from here

Five named lines filed under other codes pass through the position after 4.Bxc6. All of them belong to the codes listed above.

Volume C

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Open this line in the finderAll Ruy Lopez codes