C81 Ruy Lopez: Open, Howell Attack
C81 holds three named lines, all under the name Ruy Lopez. It leaves C80 (Ruy Lopez: Open, Main Line) with 9.Qe2. Black, to move in that position, has 48 legal moves, level for the most of the 40 Ruy Lopez codes. That final move, by the queen, opens a line for the rook on f1 and attacks the knight on e4.
| # | White | Black |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | e4 | e5 |
| 2 | Nf3 | Nc6 |
| 3 | Bb5 | a6 |
| 4 | Ba4 | Nf6 |
| 5 | O-O | Nxe4 |
| 6 | d4 | b5 |
| 7 | Bb3 | d5 |
| 8 | dxe5 | Be6 |
| 9 | Qe2 |
Lines filed under C81
All three share their first 17 plies, the whole reference line.
| Name | After the shared start | Plies | At the end |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ruy Lopez: Open, Howell Attack | (the shared start itself) | 17 | White castled |
| Ruy Lopez: Open, Howell Attack | 9...Be7 10.c4 | 19 | White castled |
| Ruy Lopez: Open, Howell Attack, Ekstrom Variation | 9...Be7 10.Rd1 O-O 11.c4 bxc4 12.Bxc4 Qd7 | 24 | both castled |
Ruy Lopez: Open, Howell Attack
- 9...Be7 The bishop leaves f8 for e7, opening a line for the rook on h8.
- 10.c4 The c-pawn advances two squares to c4, covering b5 and d5.
Ruy Lopez: Open, Howell Attack, Ekstrom Variation
- 9...Be7 The bishop leaves f8 for e7, opening a line for the rook on h8.
- 10.Rd1 The rook goes from f1 to d1.
- 10...O-O Black castles kingside, opening a line for the queen on d8, guarding the pawn on g7.
- 11.c4 The c-pawn advances two squares to c4, covering b5 and d5.
- 11...bxc4 The b-pawn takes the pawn on c4, covering b3 and d3, attacking the bishop on b3.
The road to C81
The position after 9.Qe2
White has brought out the knight on f3 and bishop on b3; Black the knight on c6, knight on e4 and bishop on e6. White has a half-open d-file; Black a half-open e-file. Black could capture with Nxe5, Nxf2.
Closest boards in other codes
| Code | Line | Differs on |
|---|---|---|
| C83 | Ruy Lopez: Open, Classical Defense | six squares: d1, c2, e2, c3, e7, f8 |
| C67 | Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Rio Gambit Accepted | 13 squares: d1, d2, e2, b3, b5, d5, e5, a6 … |
| C69 | Ruy Lopez: Exchange Variation, Normal Variation | 13 squares: d1, d2, e2, b3, e4, b5, d5, e5 … |
| D29 | Queen’s Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Alekhine System, Main Line | 13 squares: c2, e3, d4, e4, c5, d5, e5, c6 … |
| C72 | Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Modern Steinitz Defense | 14 squares: d1, d2, e2, b3, a4, e4, b5, d5 … |
| C78 | Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense | 14 squares: d1, d2, e2, b3, a4, e4, b5, d5 … |
| C79 | Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Steinitz Deferred | 14 squares: d1, d2, e2, b3, a4, e4, b5, d5 … |