Chess opening · ECO C68
Ruy Lopez: Exchange Variation
White trades the b5 bishop for the c6 knight right after 3...a6. Black recaptures, usually with the d-pawn, and is left with doubled c-pawns plus the bishop pair. White's long-term idea is simple: swap the d-pawn for Black's e-pawn, trade pieces, and reach an ending where four kingside pawns face three while Black's queenside extra pawn is hard to turn into a passed pawn.
- Rank by weighted share
- #107 of 159
- Material
- White +3
Key moves
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Bxc6
- 4. Bxc6The bishop takes on c6 instead of retreating. White hands over the bishop pair on purpose, betting that the doubled c-pawns will matter more than the bishops once enough pieces leave the board.
Why 5.Nxe5 does not win a pawn
With the c6 knight gone, e5 looks loose. After 4...dxc6, though, taking it at once runs into 5.Nxe5 Qd4. The queen hits the knight on e5 and the pawn on e4 at the same time, and after 6.Nf3 Qxe4+ the material is level again with check.
That is why White normally castles first. Once the king is safe and a rook can come to e1, the e5 pawn becomes a real target, and Black has to spend a move on it, often with ...f6.
The four against three ending
After d4 and exd4, White owns e, f, g and h pawns against Black's f, g and h. On the other wing Black has four pawns to three, but two of them stand on the c-file, so they cannot create a passed pawn without help.
Black's answer is activity. The d-file is already half-open for the queen and rooks, the c8 bishop has a clear diagonal, and the two bishops grow stronger the longer the position stays open. Black wants to keep pieces on and make the pawn count irrelevant.
Straight to a queenless middlegame
4... dxc6 5. O-O f6 6. d4 exd4 7. Nxd4 c5 8. Nb3 Qxd1 9. Rxd1
The queens come off by move nine. White has the clean kingside majority and a rook on the open d-file, while Black keeps the two bishops and space on the queenside. The f6 pawn covers e5 and g5, keeping White's pieces off those squares.
Top replies by rating
| Rating | Top | Second | Third |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 1200 | dxc6 79% | bxc6 21% | – |
| 1200–1399 | dxc6 74% | bxc6 26% | – |
| 1400–1599 | dxc6 85% | bxc6 15% | – |
| 1600–1799 | dxc6 91% | bxc6 9% | – |
| 1800–1999 | dxc6 97% | bxc6 3% | – |
Questions
Why does Black usually take back with the d-pawn?
Recapturing with the d-pawn half-opens the d-file and frees the c8 bishop at once, so Black develops fast. Taking with the b-pawn keeps more pawns in the center but leaves Black slower to bring the pieces out.
Related openings
Try it on the board. The first coached game and three analyses are free.