Chess Opening: Ponziani Opening

[@walterpalmer2749]

Imagine creating a game that has so well stood the test of time as Chess. A simple board, yet a brilliant game.

[@sebastianshandy658]

I mean, they haven't patched the game since 1600 or something... Also they should nerf the Queen, and buff the knight...also the pawn is a bit broken

[@CyberPhiliosopher]

@@sebastianshandy658 They did update the game and mod it, but people prefer the original one. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_chess_variants

[@hdcloud9352]

They did refute a bunch of popular openings from the past, i would see that as patch and upgrades

[@dopplesoddner2899]

They should also add some expansions , the world seems very limiting.

[@Skallva]

@@hdcloud9352 Nah, that's just the meta changing

[@gyrgrls]

I remember when I once captured en Croissant, and it cost me a cappucino. Then I realized it was a Ponziani scheme.

[@mxgma989]

John Bond lmao

[@mangaelk]

Mmmmm croissant,,, ahhhhh.

[@ksportz66]

Kinda your fault.. you should always check mate

[@gavincrumley9305]

@@ksportz66 ,

[@lolafrancem1708]

@@mxgma989

[@michaelcaron5756]

what sux about being such a crappy chess player (myself and the people I play against) is that u can study the openings all you want but you won't be able to play them because your opponent is not going to respond with the necessary moves, AND, if he does it means he a bleep of a lot better chess player than me and is going to crush me as soon as i'm all out of memorized opening moves lol

[@koenpalstermans9180]

+Michael Caron memorising the moves is not all you can do with your opening study. Recognizing patterns and understanding the philosophy behind different types of openings matter just as much. Once the middle part of the game begins to takes place you're on you're own, that's true but it'll be easier to find logical squares for your pieces and to know when to push a pawn or not if you're familiar with a few openings. Studying an opening from both colours' points of view might also be helpful. I'm quite a shitty player myself, but being aware of opening traps and surprising opening moves has already helped me in the past. To avoid better opening knoledge by my opponents I prefer to play transposable openings like the Larsen's (1.b3) and Nimzowitsch defense (1. ...Nc6) or even offbeat and totally unsound openings like for exemple Colorado gambit or Englund gambit, depending on my opponent's strength of course. greetings from Belgium

[@koenpalstermans9180]

TinUser Absolutely true, therefor a strong memory is important.

[@nexodus66]

lol I know

[@thorn3041]

Don't play the game, play the board. you can start out with a plan set but you always have to be able to adjust. Don't be afraid to improvise you may surprise yourself or your opponent.

[@errorloading6716]

Well if you're sure your opponent is much better than you, there's not much you can do anyway.

[@Entropy825]

Apparently, every move in this opening is "very, very..." something. "Very, very sharp", or "very, very agressive". And from any given position, white can have a "very, very good game". Not just good, or even very good, but very VERY good. I thought this was a very very good video.

[@iVesperX]

LMFAO this took me out

[@dahchessmaster4616]

A very very astute assessment...

[@Haha-ov8oo]

Very very funny

[@ahahaha3505]

Verily.

[@pietermantel9498]

It should really be called the pawnziani opening

[@prplt]

that's what Levy calls it lol 😂

[@arrestmenot]

5:00 : 4...nxe4 7:00: 5...nb8 13:40: 5...ne7 19:00: 4...exd4 22:37: 4...d5 26:20: 3....d5

[@antonioa.jepkoko4588]

Tysm!

[@canefan17]

Your opening videos are easily the best on KZbin imo. You get right to the point whereas others spend too much time talking to themselves. Keep it up

[@headleymonorails4235]

Hey, I wanted to say thank you for all of these videos. I have been playing the same group of people for 3 or 4 years now. Having a few options on openings helps keep the games fresh. Your videos have helped improve my game immensely! Thanks again.

[@frenchfry829]

this opening gave me a lot of success with white and black. thank you

[@paddy110287]

thechesswebsite is without doubt the greatest chess website online, just donated.

[@harshsinghbindra7471]

After 10 years still the best video on ponziani

[@tiki2188]

So basically, (from this and some other reading) sounds like this is an old opening that is just not really studied much, so it's potential lies in that fact, and that it really is best against beginners who are more prone to make mistakes. If anyone wants to correct me please do, but seems this is really best when the opponent makes mistakes, though this does provide many traps to lure them into. I will be sure to keep this in mind! Even if it's best against more novice players/needs some mistakes

[@chesswebsite]

@SoraOwnsAll8745 great call. If g6, black loses more material with Qxe5+, forking the rook on h8, but you are correct he could play g6. Thanks for pointing that out. I have made a notation in the video.

[@rubinaga9]

This is the best commentator. He explains great and you can understand all about the openings.

[@tanyaflynn4908]

I ask "What would Kevin do?" every game I play. Lol. Love your videos, Kevin!

[@Hamshrocks]

Indeed the most comprehensive Ponziani opening video. Thanks

[@gonzalezofepicness]

"I want to make sure we cover both of those options" 19:21 He forgot the Nd5 variation -_-

[@bzar400]

!!!

[@dopplesoddner2899]

Yes

[@BNURbori5]

Still not complete yet

[@DarkLantern1]

At 7:09, you say to play Be3 however a strong counterattack is Bc5 and you are forced to capture because if you don't and you choose to capture the pawn on e5, black trades bishops and once you take back with the f pawn. Black has Qh4 and has a slight advantage and either way, if you don't move the knight Bc5 is keeping black in the game and Be3 is deemed a mistake by the engine and the best move for white is actually the more natural Bd3 developing and attacking the knight.

[@sushicartman01]

Wow, I just got overloaded on variations!

[@biblecorrected5501]

Hey Kevin your chess videos are the best keep at it I learnt so much from you. Your videos alone brought my chess rating up from a 800~900 player to a 1100 ~1200 player your the best

[@NisseHult101]

Really good explanation of this opening - I learned a lot!

[@Yan-rv3mh]

The nice thing about chess is that even after 10 years some stuff still holds up very well

[@cosisthebest]

Or 100s

[@nkowalski5399]

This is a great opening. I haven't seen it before. however, it is not my first choice. I prefer to use this opening for white, I don't know if it has a name or not: pd4 bf4 Nc3 Nf3 pe3 bd3 (or d4 if available) I think this provides attack possibilities, a good defense, and control of the center of the board.

[@v1991c]

i quit watching your videos for a while, not on purpose...but just found some other channels etc. But now, after watching this, i'm like "ooooh that was why i watched kevin from thechesswebsite".. because your videos and explanations are very very open-minded, clear, very pleasing to watch and therefore its easier to gather information! Keep up the good work this is one of a kind job! PS: I really would like you to do play on any chess website, against random opponents. Would be nice to watch!

[@sameer159]

amazing job kevin truly is the best pnziani vid out there i have seen so far keep up the good work! :D

[@asd36f]

I've been a correspondence player for nearly 40 years, and in the last 10 or so years I turned to the Ponziani when playing White in an attempt from getting away from the highly-analysed variations of the major king pawn openings.

[@vlyu]

A nice comprehensive overview of an opening with so many traps. Kevin is a natural teacher who keeps our attention. I wish Kevin would identify himself within the KZbin text, so we more easily find his teachings.

[@smoky281]

8:35 can u not see the pawn

[@victortodoran1828]

Move the pawn, you lose the rook in two. It goes like this. Pawn G6. Queen E5 check. bishop/queen E2. Queen h8 takes the rook.

[@coltonmckinney736]

@@victortodoran1828 thank you

[@bobbyflay2822]

Only took 9 years to get a response lol

[@maxwellclarke7320]

@@bobbyflay2822 The funny thing is, I just saw this video today, and I was gonna reply. But someone's already got it covered.

[@alexasobu7592]

@@victortodoran1828 e7*

[@consumer61]

One of the best lines for black (on the main line which gives equal chances) is: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. c3 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. e5 Nd5

At 14:33 I prefer Nxf7 forking queen and rook. So he is forced to capture with the king, losing the castle right plus next move Qf3+ forks knight. King goes back, white takes, and white is "only" a pawn up, but controls the center plus black has lost his castling right. Then if black does not make the right move, you can still continue with the bishop line seen in the video. With the queen involved.

[@beaconite4249]

webprogramozás after Qf3+ black plays Nf6 blocking the check and saving the knight.

[@noxure]

@ysilv Or even better: if he blocks with the bishop, you could simply trade the bishops. The only sane move for black is to take back with the Qxd7, after which you can fork the knight and the rook with Q-d5. Black can only put his Queen back on d8 or c8 and would lose two active pieces, falls behind 3 points in material and loses yet an other tempo after Qxe4+.

[@6th-12thscience-mathsfound6]

Thanks kevin sir

[@Creapieo]

hi there,I have 2 additions to this video. First is in the Nf6 d4 exd4 e5 variation, where black plays Nd5. This move is actually played a lot because poeple are scared of the square e4. after Nd5 I found a move that gives white a deffinite edge and that is Qb3! attacking the knight on d5. Black again has some options here, but most commonly played is Nce7 with the idea to play c6 later on. White here just captures the pawn on d4 and has a great space advantage and will probably win the game.

[@bigbo0os007]

Thanks alot m8, this is the most imba opening i ever seen, have used it alot and every time my openent end up loosing his qween :D keep it up man

[@stefannuschristian5181]

in 19.10 you said you're gonna cover 2 option one is knight to e4 and knight to d5. but you havent cover knight to d5 option

[@jordancheatham]

Stefannus Christian BUMP!

[@AdamKochmann]

@@jordancheatham exactly!

[@musan9079]

Still hasn't covered it

[@ChessdumyTV]

There are 2 more powerful options :p, Scotch game and Three/Four Knights Game.

[@jimconner9220]

"En passant" is French for "while passing". On the first move, a pawn can move one or two squares. If it passes an opponent's pawn by moving two squares then the pawn can be captured "en passant" - as he goes by. En passant is optional.

[@stefanrandjelovic672]

+thechesswebsite 23:26 Is better if White captures with the knight first and attacking the queen??? If pawn captures, then bishop captures pawn and forking king and rook. If queen goes to d7 White can support the bishop with queen to a4 and black take because queen takes rook on a8. If queen goes to d5 White can play Nb4 and Black loses the queen. Sorry for disturbing Im just a 1700 rated player and i want to learn more about chess. xD

[@risoknop]

Best move for black is to gambit his knight at F2 as a response to D5. After king takes the knight, black is only a pawn down in material but can then continue with retreating his other knight to B8 and then play pawn to C8 to challenge the overextended white pawn. Then, for example queen B8 and there is a good counterplay for black.

[@JrbWheaton]

11 years later and it’s still the best

[@Reliquancy]

At 32:03 instead of pawn to g4 for white I was looking at Qh5, Then black either has to move his king or try to block with the pawn on g6 but then white can exchange pawns and queens and black has just an isolated pawn on g6 and white has a knight that can't be easily kicked off of g5. I think that variation looks nice for white to me.

[@edogmoney57837]

8:23 pawn to g6 defends the white queens check.

[@juanbautistasoria757]

8...g6 9.Qxe5+ Qe7 10.Qxh8

[@V8SupersQirreL]

thanks a lot for your videos, helps me to find a path in that wood of openings. now i only have to find a way to make my son (13 years, german and learns oxford-english at school) understand your amarican accent

[@tomdooley3522]

Hello Put your rooks on king and queen squares Cutting the board in two Let him come to you take his material when he can no longer hold the center board against you go for the kill, hidden attacks are great for checkmate.

[@qrepegraciliano]

this channel is amazing! i'm learning a lot! thanks for make this videos man!

[@Mack-pg4vy]

I like that this opening has Lots of traps. Still my favorite opening is the Fried Liver Attack, another opening with Tons of traps.👍

[@ArturBrandys]

Great comments on different variations of this opening with full knowledge about play that we can do in this opening. You are awesome chess teacher, congratulations.

[@sjoe_87]

05:38: Why does the knight not go to A5 08:27: Nothing can protect the king? How about pushing pawn to G6? And then after queen takes E5 pawn, queen to E7 and you defend the center knight.

[@juanbautistasoria757]

But after 9...Qe7 10.Qxh8 winning the rook

[@ForumArcade]

Hey, at about 27:00, Bb5. If the pawn tries to kick the Bishop, Qa4, pinning the pawn to the Rook, and protecting the Bishop for Bxc6, again forking the Rook unless Bd7, but still gaining a pawn.

[@xoxksa]

@SirFlitwick Try d4.If he takes back with the pawn just take back with your c-pawn and you're dominating the center with tempo. If he moves the bishop to d6 then the pawn's blocking it in and you have a nice pawn chain. If he moves the bishop anywhere else then just take the free pawn on e5. No grandmasters play c5! :-)

[@ajsdoa6282]

5:30 pawn to d5, black can just ignore that and develop a bishop to c5, then after white takes black can take with with the bishop on f2. After white continues to take on b7, black can get the other bishop out on b7, great development.

[@ebogsnes]

If black captures on d4 in the Nf6 variation and then plays Ne4, then he has to be really careful about dxd6/dxf6 e.p. followed by Nxd4 then f3, since the knight cannot move because of the pin on the king.

[@xIvalicex]

@chasteen0221 Because blocking with the pawn makes him lose the rook like this: 1. ...g6 2. Qxe5+... Be7 3. Qxh8+.... that´s why blocking with the pawn is a bad move

[@xdragon2k]

@SoraOwnsAll8745 I thought the same way too. That is until I see after g6, Qxe5+. If you noticed the g7 pawn is no longer protecting the rook on h8. After this move, black has to take care of the check and lose the rook for nothing.

[@fisher00769]

at 19:13 you mention two options. I see a lot of times Qe7 pinning that pawn. Probably not the best move blocking that bishop on f8 and any time white breaks the pin it could be troublesome for black, but I just thought it was worth mentioning. Very good in depth video by the way keep up the good work.

[@Creapieo]

Second was in your own variation, the f5 variation where white takes on f5 and black plays Qf6. I personally would recommend Bd3 here, although white blocks the d pawn, but white can castle and has ideas like Bc2 and pawn d4 afterwards. I have played the ponziani many times as white and played against it every now and then but I would recommend my own line against it. 1. e4 - e5 2. Nf3 - Nc6 3. c3 - d5 4. Qa4 - Qd6 5. d4 - Bd7 and black is better

[@7781kathy]

Stockfish says the move that kills the Ponziani's traps is 5... Bc5!

[@dodapants]

thank you for getting up this video that I asked you for, it helped a lot

[@TheDannyAwesome]

And after: 3. ...f5 4. exf4 Qf6 5. d4 e4 6. Ng5 d5 , Qh5+ to either move the black king or exchange the hanging pawn?

[@nannue]

I have been using this method without knowing what it is in term of name... One of my favorite line... it's true that it's a bit weird opening but I managed to hook many players w/ high rank already but somehow It has such a backfire against other situations... Awesome Opening...

[@SwagDawg]

at 17.45 you can sacrifice the knight on f7 then proceed to move Qf3 check to fork the other knight, you will be up a pawn

[@cdeane201]

5:30 after white plays d5, you will be screwed if black plays the best move: Bc5 sacrificing its knights on c6. Why are you not going over this line?

[@chessshredder3953]

After 5. ... Bc5, the computer can hold equality for white with extremely precise play. It claims that the position is equal after 16 moves. 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. c3 Nf6 4. d4 Nxe4 5. d5 Bc5 6. dxc6 Bxf2+ 7. Ke2 Bb6 8. Qd5 Nf2 9. Rg1 O-O 10. cxb7 Bxb7 11. Qxb7 Qf6 12. Na3 e4 13. Nc4 Rab8 14. Qd5 exf3+ 15. gxf3 Rfe8+ 16. Kd2 =/∞

[@zulfiheydon6881]

cdeane201 d

[@ojhudson93]

Transposing to the damiano defence, i love it when people do e4 e5 Nf3 f6

[@jvc113]

If you've never heard of en passant, you probably didn't go to the trouble to watch a 1/2 hour video on an obscure opening like this one, lol.

[@ClarkPotter]

+jvc113 lol precisely my thought here too :D

[@HylianGirl56]

@Valendian2009 Sure, you could play Ruy Lopez or Italian Game, but the thing is, the Ponziani opening is not played a lot and he can get into a lot of traps.

[@JugularBean]

This is a really interesting opening. At move 5 after pawn d5, the best defense line from a computer is Bc5, threatening white on f2

[@thelight288]

Yeah then black gives up a piece to keep the king in the center really interesting line

[@exuviumisopods]

So thoroughly explained each possibility, excellent!

[@chesswebsite]

Glad you liked it

[@musicalmike235]

Why would anyone want to do exd5 at 28:38? At BEST, this will result in a loss of tempo as white retreats his queen to a square that is not only safe but allows for the defense of the forking square at c2 which his knight will no doubt move to on the next turn.

[@pawnpusher]

Willing to give this opening a try

[@chesswebsite]

Nice. Good luck and let me know how it goes.

[@GrimoireM]

At 16:53, why not play Qh5+? Black has to respond with g6 or Ng6 (likely the former), which leads to Nxg6 by white, forking the bishop and rook, which will likely force a recapture (again with xg6 or Nxg6, likely the former), followed by Qg4. The situation there looks aggressive enough from white to keep pressure on the g6 square with Bd3, though I can see how the loss of material and the threat of Nxf2 from black hurts.

[@JBades6310]

@thechesswebsite in the line 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.c3 Nf6 4.d4 Nxe4 5.d5 Ne7 6.Nxe5 d6 7.Bb5 c6 8.dxc6 bxc6 9.Nxc6 Qb6, I have played this position multiple times, and I have found that 10. Qe2 is better, protecting the bishop and the possible threat of mate on f2, while attacking the knight on e4, on top of discovered checks from the bishop on b5. could you analyze this move 10. Qe2 because in my opinion, this may be the better move. thank you!

[@joshdelcomyn8274]

I can attest to the deadly strength of this opening. I reached 2100 using this opening almost exclusively. You wouldn't believe how many people lose their knight before move 10

[@nadimahmad2902]

Same . I also always play this opening with white. Its so underrated . Nobody ever talks much about it.

[@garrywarne1]

Also, @16:54 I think Qh5+ works, if g6 then Nxg6 Nxg6 Bd3. I might be wrong however.

[@chandrasekharpanda6527]

Awesome explanation

[@patrickford1684]

Hi all, I played this opening against someone, and I saw a good counterattack by black. 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. c3 Nf6 4. d4 Nxe4 5. d5 Bc5 The threat here is 6....Nxf2, forking whites queen and rook while being protected by the bishop. I was wondering what you all think.

[@benl2140]

I think 6.Be3 would neutralize most of the threats.

[@quentinfontaine]

Be3 is bad, it's actually a very serious and dangerous line recommended by ntirlis in his book on e4-e5 for black. White is supposed to take the piece and after dxc6 Bxf2+ Ke2 Bb6 play Qd5 with extremely complicated play.

[@benl2140]

Sorry, why exactly is 6.Be3 bad? Sure, black can get white's king kind of exposed with 6...Nxf2 7.Bxf2 Bxf2 8.Kxf2, but after that, how exactly can black counter-attack?

[@quentinfontaine]

black would just play Bxe3 fxe3 Ne7 and have a much better version of the line where he'd play Ne7 immediately since his bishop isn't trapped on f8 and white's e3 pawn could become weak in the long run. I'd say black is clearly better after Bxe3 all in all.

[@benl2140]

Ok, thanks. Just onw more question, after 6.dxc6, why not Nxf2? I can see white gaining some advantages after 7.Qd5, but not enough to compensate for the loss of a rook.

[@TrebleWing]

25:52 this is not a good exchange. In your example you make black take with the bishop, but they can just take with pawn and come out up a piece. Bishop b5 just seems terrible as a result

[@7777Ralph]

I tried this opening and after 1. e4, e5 2. Nf3, Nc6, 3. c3, Nf6, 4. d4, exd4, 5. e5, Nd5 is popular and I believe ok for black. What is the best way for white to proceed here and what are the lines that could come about after this? I'm not complaining by any means. This was a great video and shows many traps and lines in this opening. Great Video! I just wish that line had been discussed a bit more.

[@ryanchen1318]

black can still move his/her g7 pawn to block the check in 8:28

[@joshuayarn131]

I thought so to. Are we missing something?

[@zyffe]

For me 3 ... Bc5 is a mistake because of 4. Nxe4! If 4 ... Nxe4 then 5. d4! and you will regain the piece with a total control of the centre. Enjoy =)

[@MrMarson123456]

i think i will try this one out in my club. a video i would like to see is the holloweens gambit. that is a very fun and aggressive gambit.

[@yazeed4]

thanks, I prefer to play it as black because white's moves aren't that difficult to defend it's a normal game for black nothing crazy, I loved the f5 move for black it's a very claver variation.

[@elspethcansdale5414]

At 24:23 why not play Nxc6 instead of bishop takes you would win material after bxc6 and bishop takes c6+

[@kenyudbzto]

I think it's not recommended because of Nxe5 cxd5 Qxd5 forking the knight and f7 pawn (for checkmate). Seems like the best defense then might be Nd6. But who wants that?

[@jeremycraft2445]

The Narrator: "At move 3 white has 3 options...Bb5, Bc4 & c3" The Scotch Opening: "Am I a joke to you?"

[@kabirpesh]

3. Nc3: "Am I a joke to you??" Everyone ever: "Yes, very much so"

[@impii552]

@@kabirpesh IMO, the Four Knights Game is trash except for the Halloween gambit or maybe the Scotch variation. The Spanish or Italian variations are trash.

[@SNoCappidona]

i've been playing this opening in blitz a lot lately. and thanks for the video. i wasnt familiar with the opening i just played it randomely in bullet games. thanks for the informationl

[@gigas81]

Well it definitely puts both sides in a immediate scenario to trade pieces. So the this kind of game seems to end quickly.

[@C4GeneralF]

White could play 3. d4 as well. The Scotch is one of the best openings out there. Just saying After the en passant capture on d6, I would take with the knight. That line looks pretty solid for black imo

[@hraesvelgML]

1) @24:24: Why doesn't white just play Nxc6? No one's mentioning it, so I might just be missing something. 2) @ 32:15: Why doesn't black play h6, making white retreat his knight to h3, a very bad square or give the pawn back with Ne6?

[@JFrattiniCox1177]

Also, at 21:50 when f7+, if Ke7 then Bg5 is a killer. Knight on e4 is pinned!

[@Alexander-km2jo]

The only time where I cleared up my table: When Kevin told me to get my chessboard out LOL:)

[@ranenaschemann6158]

At 8:30, the g seven pawn can just move one forward and if white takes on e five than queen e seven stops all the shenanigans

[@noxure]

Every time I see an en passant, it reminds me of a game where I gave away an obvious win and barely managed to save a draw. Had both of my bishops eying my opponent's camp, the f pawn on the 5th rank and the queen on the g-file. Convinced of my victory, I had left the board to go to the bar because I was annoyed my opponent didn't give up. When I came back he had pushed his g-pawn 2 squares to block my queen, but because I was away and tired I missed the en-passant (and the mate in 3). :(

[@J0B4]

True, but that doesn't change the outcome. The queen can sill take the pawn at e5 and check the king again.

[@jaredmcc88]

Thanks for all of the videos you do!

[@sparpie]

@duffmasterofpuppets i believe he was referring to the white player as an ambiguous "he", probably not the queen. Not positive though.

[@Znaiko]

Hi Kevin thanks for the video.I spent a lot of time on this opening recent days,analysing some variations.Definitely useful tool with a lot of traps. Some holes i should note in your video(i know u cant cover all the variations) but one interesting line i want to point out is in the main line after Nxe4 and white plays d5,black can play Bc5(threatening f2) If u guys encounter with this move - Best play goes :dxc6 Bxf2; Ke2 bxc6 and Qa4 with has 0.45 advantage.

[@theboxer5]

21:40, Before we Nxd4 is it better to push White pawn to f7 first because Black can Queen capture.

[@howwow90]

You never went over Nd5 after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. c3 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5.e5

[@ClarkPotter]

+Clark Potter From Wikipedia on the Ponziani: Other ways of declining[edit]Black can also decline with 4...Nf6, transposing to a line of the Ponziani Opening. The continuation 5.e5 Ne4 was endorsed byDangerous Weapons, 1.e4 e5 (Everyman Chess, 2008) but Tim Harding considers 5...Nd5 a better try for equality,[9] when White can continue 6.Bb5 a6 7.Ba4 Nb6 8.Bb3, 6.Qb3, 6.Bc4 or 6.cxd4. Another possibility is 4...Nge7 intending 5...d5, when the critical continuation is 5.Bc4 d5 6.exd5 Nxd5 7.0-0. According to IM John Watson Black may be able to equalise with 7...Be7.[10] However, declining with 4...d3 allows White some advantage after 5.Bxd3 d6 6.Bf4 Be7 7.h3 Nf6 8.Nbd2 Bd7 9.Qc2 according to Batsford Chess Openings 2.

[@thedrummer77]

Great video! It's about time I change my good ole Ruy Lopez opening for something more creative. Thanks a bunch.

[@johnenock7939]

You could have mentioned the ......Bc5 line after d5. dxc6 Bxf2+ etc . . . . . . .