hi,
i am quite new in opening theory. so my questions might sound really stupid. i apologize for that.

now my questions:
1. in the evans gambit, if black plays 4...Nxb4 instead of 4...Bxb4, what should be white's answer? is that a bad move by black? why? or why not?

2. in the ruy lopez, what if black plays 4...b5 immediately after 1. e4 e5; 2. Nf3 Nc6; 3. Bb5 a6; 4. Ba4
what should the white's answer be after he plays 5. Bb3 ? i mean how should he approach the game after 4...b5 ?

Hi Murshid

 

In the Evans gambit after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 Nxb4? 5.c3 Nc6 6.d4 white gains a large lead in development and a strong pawn centre because he is attacking the bishop still on c5.

 

Compare this to 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 Bxb4 5.c3 Ba5 6.d4 - in this position white isn't attacking the bishop and so black essentially has an extra move to develop compared to the line above.

 

In the Ruy Lopez after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 b5 5.Bb3 whites plan (depending on blacks moves of course) will probably be along the lines of castling, playing Re1, c3, h3 and d4 - basically trying to claim a superior pawn centre.

 

In a way - white is also trying to create a pawn centre in the Evans gambit but of course he has to sacrifice a pawn to do so.  The Ruy Lopez isn't as sharp, but is far superior as is evidenced by the fact that most strong players play the Lopez (assuming they open 1.e4) and very few play the Evans Gambit.

I do not know much about the Evan's gambit but I think I can give some advice for the Ruy Lopez. White's idea after 5. Bb3 should be a4!? at some point (which hits on black's weak queenside pawns and allows you to save your strong bishop if black plays Na5). The a4 move should not be played immediately but maybe after white plays moves like 0-0, c3, d3, Nbd2, Re1 or somewhere in between some of those.

The a4 move in the Ruy Lopez has become very standard among the top levels. It has occured in numerous GM games in recent times and it is a logical move which makes sense and has two key ideas which I stated above.

thanks a lot, guys. further help is definitely welcome. :)