♘ Still in Book
Sign up Log in

Berlin Defense

Ruy López

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6

A solid defense for Black, aiming for quick piece development and a defensive structure.

Fun fact: James Mortimer, who claimed to have invented the trap now named after him, lost all three of his games with it at the 1883 London tournament. Source

Practice this line

The idea

Black develops the king's knight with 3...Nf6 and attacks e4 straight away, instead of first asking the bishop what it wants with ...a6. It is a counterattack rather than a defense of e5.

White's main answer is to castle with 4.O-O and let Black take the pawn, because 4...Nxe4 5.d4 regains it with an open position. The main line leads straight to the Berlin Endgame.

Plans for White

Castle and play d4 against 4...Nxe4. If you prefer to avoid the endgame, the quiet 4.d3 defends e4 and keeps a slow game with more pieces on the board.

Plans for Black

After 4.O-O, take on e4 and head for the endgame with ...Nd6, or keep the pieces on with alternatives such as 4...Bc5. Against 4.d3, develop with ...Bc5 or ...d6 and castle.

Watch out for

For White, the Mortimer Trap. After 4.d3, Black can play the odd-looking 4...Ne7, offering the e5 pawn. If White takes it with 5.Nxe5?, then 5...c6 attacks the bishop, and after 6.Bc4 Qa5+ the queen forks the king and the knight on e5.

For Black, the danger is passivity in the quiet 4.d3 lines. White keeps a small but lasting space advantage if Black just waits.

The Mortimer Trap

4.d3 Ne7 5.Nxe5 c6 6.Bc4 Qa5+

Lines from here