I love to play the open Ruy Lopez as it is full of intriguing maneuvers but here I am lost.  My computer came up with this strange move 8. ..., Bd6!? a few days ago and I am totally lost. I have been checking various opening databases to find out what white should do but none includes this move. It looks very strange as it moves the bishop twice in the very first moves. I also have let my good chess computer analyse the position and what it found was that black is better with about 0.2 pawns which should be impossible as wahite has played according to the book all along.

I would really appreciate if anyone found anything about the end position and help me find whites best move.

mvh Fredrik 

I ran the game in this site's Game Explorer.  With Black to move at 8 Explorer gives black a superior win position choosing either to castle or e4 but there are very few games in the database at this point and the majority are draws.  Your computer however comes up with a move that isn't in Explorer.  I don't play this particular path so I have never seen it.

Perhaps the computer is out of book and simply perceives this to be a stronger defence.  You don't say which computer you are using or what settings you are have.  I'd expect the latest computers to have book openings at least up to this point.

Looking at the move 8 ...Bd6 it looks to be quite sound defensively as castling, whilst the most played move, might be premature.  I'd prefer d4 but you can end up with a doubled pawn if the bishop takes the knight.  However Bd6 does lock up black's further development and gives White a chance to develop.

I'd probably play c4 at this point giving protection to both bishop and knight.  I suspect black will respond with b5 forcing your bishop away and allowing his bishop to develop

That is very odd. I have no idea how to respond to that either but have you checked chessgames.com? I don't know if that will help but it seems like they have a very large database, they might have a response to that problem. What I'm not very sure about is that how will this help the computer?

Thank you for your observations! 

This game was played between me and a computer named Novag Jade from 1992 (almost as old as I am) at about 40 moves in a hour.

My observations about the position is that now would it be ok to take the bishop which before was a trap and I have no way to take advantage of the strange bishop  two move maneuver. White now needs to protect all his pieces and it will be blacks move. All databases I have found recomends 8. ..., e4 but the computer obviously do not agree.

chuckles you are completely right when you say that 6. d4 is the main line but according to all my sources is 6. Re1 almost as strong and I like the hanging bishop trap so I use to play it. Now I am not sure, maybe I should change my preference to 6. d4 instead.

mvh Fredrik 

funny you should post about this.  when i used to play the RL as black, i would always play Bd6.  i never understood why white always played the Nd5 line when to me it looks so ugly.

 

I have always believed the 6. Re1 line to be as good as the d4 line but slightly more beautiful with a hanging bishop but now I see that this is not the case.

mvh Fredrik 

This is like prophalaxis... The computer is waiting for you to sac pieces and is overprotecting. Its already ahead a pawn with the open, right? Just like chuckles pointed out the knight is misplaced... the computer is probably trying to win a long game based on material.

Cloyescapade thank you for your hypothesis but we should take into consideration that the computer is from 1992! How could it find such a good waiting move that takes into consideration long term strategic ideas.

mvh Fredrik 

I have developed an idea during the day, what about:

9. Bxc6, dxc6 10. Nxe5, 0-0

My point is that black cannot take the d5 knight because he would loose the queen and after black's 10th move which probably is to castle can white just retreate the bishop.

I really do not want to abandon this line, I love it. 

What do you think?
mvh Fredrik

at least you get the pawn back, but black has a good initative while white must make moves to consolidate peices.

then again, how often will your opponent find Bd6?

In the line given in post #1, 8.Nd5 allows Nxa4 9.Nxe5 0-0 (or 9...Nxe5 10.Rxe5 0-0 11.Nxe7+) 10.Nxc6 dxc6 11.Nxe7+ Kh8 so White does not lose a piece. Instead 8...e4 (post#5) 9.Bxc6 dxc6 10.Nxe7 Qxe7 11.d4 was  equal in Schweber-Savon, Mar del Plata 1971.