Ruy Lopez sideline

@MrPushwood said in #10:

The Giuoco Piano Deferred

Well said, it means it's not very good for White: Black often wants to move his a pawn any way. Now Black gets the move for free.

@Edo_Cribbio said in #8:

It's just bad because it's like an Italian but giving black the extra move a6 for absolutely no reason. you just lost a tempo. I think it's not a coincidence that basically no really good grandmaster has ever played it before. That is why you play Ba4
I feel like its worth noting that there is some small merit to this move, if and when black plays b5, it can immediately transpose to a normal spanish, otherwise there may be ideas of Ng5 and going for that attack before you would ever be able to in a mainline spanish. Definitely not arguing that it's theoretically as good as the mainline or exchange (which is my preference), but again i think it deserves some resources and a proper name

I've been playing that opening of late... I got tired of playing Bishop to e4. Lichess calls the opening the Ruy Lopez Morphy Def. Norwegian Variation. - :]

• https://lichess.org/study/Qj0JTS7d/8SS6cbdY#7
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@Skittle-Head said in #13:

I've been playing that opening of late... I got tired of playing rook to e4. Lichess calls the opening the Ruy Lopez Morphy Def. Norwegian Variation. - :]
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I think thats just bc the placement of blacks knight and it transposes

I've always known this to be called the Columbus variation - no one can agree if it's Spanish or Italian. Can't remember where I heard that, maybe in Graham Burgess's Mammoth Book of Chess.

Funnily enough, I'm somewhat familiar with this because I play the oddball Mengarini's opening 1.e4 e5 2.a3. Then if play continues logically - 2.. Nf6 3.Nc3 Bc5, we reach exactly the position you describe, but colours reversed. Here 4.f4 is a very interesting and dangerous move.

What does all this mean? Just that after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bc4 white should reckon with 4..f5 , an improved version of the Rousseau Gambit. Then best for white is the modest 5.d3 and continue playing normal chess with a slight advantage.

I would say that if you find it's interesting, then ignore the naysayers, learn all you can about it and make it your own. Then you'll have your own pet surprise weapon. For sure subtleties and traps will lie therein.

@chenny123

So another thought occurred to me, related to the above, that you'll find some relevant resources if you search 'Mengarini Opening' or 'Mengarini Vienna'. Obviously then reverse the colours.

Feel free to DM me too if you want more details or to chat about such arcana.

So OP's idea is to play the Italian but give black a free move with a6. If you ask me that's not a very good idea but what do I know.

After sleeping on it, I decided the naysayers are probably right after all, because ..a6 is a useful move for black in the Italian TBH.

When I faced 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bc4 as black I feel like all my Christmasses have come at once, allowing me to play super-rousseau as black .