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Ruy Lopez: Closed, Anti-Marshall 8.h3

Perez–Karjakin, FIDE Grand Prix Tashkent 2012 · Anand–Aronian, FIDE Candidates 2014 · 7:08 · ECO C88

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In this video

Game 1: Leinier Dominguez Perez (2726) vs Sergey Karjakin (2775)

FIDE Grand Prix Tashkent 2012, 22 November 2012 · Black won (0-1) · 40 moves

Click a move to jump the video to it. Dotted moves are the opening line the video is about.

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Key moments

  1. 8...d6The first move after the opening line0:36
  2. 29.Kh1The evaluation moves from −0.60 to −2.09, and Black stays more than two pawns ahead from here2:14
  3. 32.Bb3The evaluation moves from −2.56 to −3.822:29
  4. 36.Bg3The evaluation moves from −3.61 to −4.952:49
  5. 40...Qb1+Black wins after 40 moves3:12

Evaluation

Above the line, White is better; below it, Black. Scores are in pawns, capped at five either way.

Game 2: Viswanathan Anand (2770) vs Levon Aronian (2830)

FIDE Candidates 2014, 13 March 2014 · White won (1-0) · 47 moves

Click a move to jump the video to it. Dotted moves are the opening line the video is about.

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Key moments

  1. 8...Bb7The first move after the opening line3:48
  2. 21...Nxd7The queens come off4:48
  3. 25...bxc4The evaluation moves from +1.01 to +2.045:08
  4. 34...Nf6White stays more than two pawns ahead from here5:52
  5. 47.Kc3White wins after 47 moves6:55

Evaluation

Above the line, White is better; below it, Black. Scores are in pawns, capped at five either way.

About these games

After 8.h3 White keeps the c-pawn at home, which sidesteps the Marshall Attack, where Black answers c3 with the gambit ...d5. The move also stops ...Bg4 pinning the f3-knight. Black chooses between a quiet ...d6, leading to closed structures with a later c3 and d4, and an active ...Bb7 with ideas of ...d5 that open the centre.

Dominguez Perez–Karjakin went 8...d6 9.c3 Nb8 10.d4 Nbd7, a Breyer-style regrouping. White released the centre with 16.dxe5 dxe5 and traded a knight through h2 and g4. Black then gained queenside space with ...a5, 22...b4 and 28...a4, and swung a rook from a6 to d6 to contest the d-file. The turning point came at 29.Kh1, where the evaluation went from −0.60 to −2.09. 32.Bb3 (−2.56 to −3.82) and 36.Bg3 (−3.61 to −4.95) made it worse. The black queen broke in with 38...Qc2 and 39...Qxa2, and Black won after 40...Qb1+.

Anand–Aronian took the modern route 8...Bb7 9.d3 d5 10.exd5 Nxd5. Unlike the slow manoeuvring of Game 1, the centre opened at once. After 12.Nxe5 Nxe5 13.Rxe5 the score was −0.68. Anand retreated the rook and later played 17.d4. The exchanges 19.Ne5 Bxe5 20.dxe5 Rxe5 21.Qxd7 Nxd7 removed the queens and left White with the bishop pair. By 28.f3 the score stood at +2.69, and from 34...Nf6 White stayed more than two pawns ahead. 38.Bxe5 won material (+4.45), and White won after 47.Kc3.

Chapters

  1. 0:00Introduction and the opening line
  2. 0:10Game 1: Dominguez Perez vs Karjakin, FIDE Grand Prix Tashkent 2012
  3. 3:20Game 2: Anand vs Aronian, FIDE Candidates 2014

The opening line

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. h3

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