Open Game Deep Lines
The deep-line archive of Volume C: named sub-variations of the Ruy Lopez, Italian, French, Scotch, King's Gambit and the romantic gambits — the lines that decide real games once both players know the first ten moves.
Open Game Deep Lines is one of the most compelling entries in the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings — and a line that repays every hour you sink into it.
After 3.Bb5 the position resolves into a tense centre: the central pawns still face each other, and the timing and manner of the coming exchange shapes the whole middlegame.
The moves
After 3. Bb5 — Open Game Deep Lines main line
Position breakdown
A factual read of the position after the main line — the files, the centre, the pawn structure and king safety that decide how the middlegame is played. These are computed from the actual board, not generic advice.
Files
Centre control
Tense centre
The d4/d5/e4/e5 squares — who occupies the centre decides how open the game becomes.
Pawn skeleton
Pawns only — the structure that explains every open file and majority at a glance.
Material level
Queenside pawns 3–3
Kingside pawns 3–3
Development
Knight & light-squared bishop active
Knight active
King safety
White king e1
Uncastled — take care
Black king e8
Uncastled — take care
Computed from the final position of the main line above — 5 plies, black to move.
Strategic ideas
Ideas for White
Master the move-order subtleties: these lines transpose or diverge by a single tempo, and knowing which is which is preparation itself.
Ideas for Black
Pick one defence per main system and drill it deep — open games reward specialists over generalists.
Main variations (37)
Ruy, Berlin Open 6.dxe5
C65The Rio structure: doubled pawns for Black, open lines for White.
Ruy, Open 7.Bb3 Main
C80The main Open Ruy tabiya: material balance with sharp middlegames.
Ruy, Open 9.c3 Classical
C83The Classical Open Ruy: ...Bc5 develops with tempo and the fight begins.
Ruy, Marshall 13.Nd2
C89The Marshall's queen raid: ...Qh4-h3 against the exposed white king.
Ruy, Anti-Marshall 8.a4
C88The a4 clamp: defusing the Marshall at a small strategic cost.
Ruy, Closed 10.Nbd2 Main
C97The Nbd2 build-up: full coordination before the central clash.
Ruy, Breyer 10.Nbd2
C94The Breyer with Nbd2: solid manoeuvring with d4-d5 pressure.
Ruy, Zaitsev 10.Nbd2Zaitsev 9...Bb7 10.d4 Re8
C92The Zaitsev's ...Re8: the eternal pin-fight along the e-file.
Ruy, Exchange 6.d4 Main
C68The clean Exchange structure: knight retreats and the slow squeeze.
Ruy, Schliemann 4.d3
C63The d3 setup against the Schliemann: solid, flexible, engine-approved.
Italian, Pianissimo 8.a4 Setup
C50The a4/Ba7 structure: the modern Pianissimo battleground.
Italian, 8.Re1 Setup
C50The Ba4 retreat: dodging the ...Na5 hits while keeping options.
Italian, 8.Nbd2 Setup
C50The Nbd2 regrouping: heading for the f1-g3 leap.
Giuoco Piano, 9.d5 Moller
C54The Møller's central thrust: d5 closes the centre and the attack rages.
Italian, Hungarian d4
C50The central strike against the Hungarian: immediate tension.
Two Knights, 4.d3 Bc5 Setup
C55The solid Two Knights setup: c3/d3 development at maximum safety.
Two Knights, 4.Ng5 h6
C57The ...h6 question: challenging the knight immediately.
Scotch, 4...Bc5 5.Nb3
C45The Nb3 retreat: dodging the Bxf2dodging the pin tricks.
Scotch, 4...Qh4 5.Nb5
C45The Nb5 counter: hitting c7 while the queen sits loose on h4.
French, Winawer 7.Qg4 O-O
C18The ...O-O defence: castling into the storm with ...Nbc6 counterplay.
French, Tarrasch 3...c5 4.exd5
C07The Open Tarrasch: symmetrical structure with free piece play.
French, Classical 7.Qd2
C11The Qd2 defence: covering b2 and d4 against the queen hits.
French, Winawer 7.Qg4 cxd4
C16The immediate strike: ...cxd4 opens the position for the bishop hunt.
French, Exchange 4.Bg5
C01The Bg5 pin: pressuring the knight in the symmetrical structure.
King's Gambit, Modern 5.Bb5+4...Nf6 5.Bc4 Setup
C36The Bc4 development: pressuring f7 in the Modern KGA.
King's Gambit, Kieseritzky 7.exd56.Bc4 d5 7.exd5 Setup
C39The central strike: opening the position for the bishop battery.
Vienna, Gambit 6.d4 Setup
C29The d4 build-up: full development before the kingside attack.
Petrov, Classical 7.c4
C42The c4 space grab: the modern treatment of the Petrov.
Philidor, Lion 7.Qe2 Setup
C41The Lion's ...c6: the trap-laden solid setup.
Danish, 6.Nf3 Setup
C21The Qb3 hit: attacking b7 and f7 simultaneously.
Latvian, 3.Nxe5 Qf6 4.d4 Setup
C40The d4 support: the classical Latvian battleground.
Ponziani, 3...Nf6 4.d4 Setup
C44The central strike: the Ponziani's main idea arrives.
Four Knights, 4.Bb5 Bb4 5.O-O
C48The castling-first approach in the Double Spanish.
Scotch Four Knights, 5...Bb4 Main
C47The structure trade and the Bd3/O-O squeeze.
Ruy, Arkhangelsk 7...Bb7 Setup
C78The Re1 build-up against the Archangel's long-diagonal pressure.
Ruy, Berlin 4.Qe2
C65The Qe2 setup: defending e4 while dodging Berlin theory.
Italian, Blackburne Shilling
C50The Blackburne trap: 4.Nxe5? falls to ...Qg5! — the classic beginner killer.
Plans & pawn structures
- 1The central tension is the key decision: releasing it too early hands the opponent a free tempo and a target, so keep it until a capture wins a file, a diagonal or a clear structural edge.
- 2Develop with a purpose: connect the pieces to a concrete plan (a break, a target square, an outpost) instead of making automatic moves.
- 3Trade correctly: before every exchange ask which piece benefits from the resulting square colours and pawn structure.
Typical middlegame structures
The main line leads to a tense centre: the central pawns still face each other, and the timing and manner of the coming exchange shapes the whole middlegame. No files have opened yet, so this is a manoeuvring struggle: improve your pieces and prepare the pawn break that will open the position on your terms.
Traps & tactical motifs
Every sharp opening has its traps — study the forcing lines around the centre and the f7/f2 squares before playing this in rated games.
Watch the typical motifs: pins against the pinned piece, knight forks after the natural captures, and queen sorties to a2/g2-style squares.
How to Play Against the Open Game Deep Lines
- As Black, resolve the central tension on your terms: force the exchange that gives you the better structure rather than letting the opponent choose the moment.
Study plan & who it's for
Expect to invest a weekend or two into the main lines. In return you get a fighting system that scales all the way to master level for White players.
Play through the main line above until the piece setup feels natural.
Learn the two or three critical pawn breaks for both sides.
Drill one variation at a time — always connecting moves to plans.