Jeff Schreiber has contributed two games, after many months during which I didn't get any contributions. This column is for you, the readers, to submit your games for me to annotate. Send games to me directly (my address can be found near the beginning of the newsletter), because if you send them to the Editors, Bob Dudley and Ed Barr, the games will be printed "as is" without benefit of my tender loving care. Everyone learns the first 10 moves of the Ruy Lopez in Kindergarten, along with some strange continuation from that point such as the Breyer defense, the Chigorin, the Zaitsev, etc. These lines could easily discourage you from trying either side of the Ruy, if you are not already a Grandmaster. But it's really not all that bad. Not for nothing is the Ruy Lopez classified as one of the "Open Games". In these two games Jeff demonstrates the fun side of this opening. White: Jeff Schreiber Black: Vassil Prokhov Abrams Memorial, June 10 1997, round 4 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 O-O Be7 6 Re1 b5 7 Bb3 d6 8 a4 White could instead play 8 c3 O-O 9 h3, carefully preparing 10 d4. 8 ... Bb7 The alternative 8 ... Bg4 has the merit of preventing d4 for a long time to come. Black can simply defend the threat by 8 ... Rb8, 8 ... b4, or 8 ... Bd7, if he isn't too impatient to refute White's last move. 9 c3 O-O 10 d4 exd4?! Black is starting to get flustered because he's out of book. He should save this move until he can follow up with ... d5. The sharpest defense is 10 ... Na5!? 11 Bc2 c5. Black leaves the e-pawn en prise, but White can't win it because his own back rank isn't covered: 12 dxe5 dxe5 13 Nxe5 Nxe4! Black can also defend solidly with 10 ... h6 (preparing 11 ... Re8) or 10 ... Nd7. 11 cxd4 Nb8?! This move is ugly, but Black would not solve his problems by 11 ... Na5 12 Bc2 d5 13 e5 Ne4 14 Nbd2, or 12 ... c5 13 d5. 12 Nc3? Overreacting. Simply 12 d5 or 12 Nbd2 would be fine. 12 ... b4 13 e5 bxc3? 13 ... dxe5! 14 dxe5 bxc3 15 exf6 Bxf6 would have refuted White's 12th move. 14 exf6 cxb2 Even now 14 ... Bxf6 15 bxc3 looks defensible. 15 fxe7! bxa1=Q 16 exd8=Q Rxd8 17 Bxf7+! Having sacrificed the Exchange, White makes it a whole rook. 17 ... Kh8 17 ... Kxf7 18 Ng5+ Kg8 and now 19 Qh5? Be4! saves Black, but 19 Qb3+! d5 20 Qd3 g6 21 Qh3 leads to mate. In this variation, 19 ... Kh8 leads to the famous smothered mate: 20 Nf7+ Kg8 21 Nh6+ Kh8 22 Qg8+ Rxg8 23 Nf7 mate. Also 19 ... Kg6 20 Re6+ Kf5 21 g4 is mate. 18 Ng5 Qc3 19 Nxh7 Nc6 20 Ng5 g6 21 Bxg6 Kg7 22 Ne6+ Kxg6 23 Qg4+ Kf7 24 Qg7+ Resigns After 24 ... Ke8 25 Nxc7 would be mate. White: Jeff Schreiber Black: Henry Doktorski Extra Chance Open, October 7 1997, round 5 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 O-O d6 6 h3?! It's hard to believe that this is an improvement on 6 Re1. Black would probably do well now to accept the challenge with 6 ... Nxe4; for instance, 7 d4 Bd7 8 Bxc6 Bxc6 9 dxe5 d5 with at least equality. 6 ... Be7 7 Re1 O-O 8 c3 b5? If Black wanted to play this, he should have done it before White's last move. Now White gains a whole tempo by retreating to c2 without stopping at b3. Instead, 8 ... Bd7 transposes back to a well-known variation (the "Steinitz Defense Deferred"). 9 Bc2 Bb7 10 a4 The immediate 10 d4 was also good, leaving White with an extra tempo compared with the main lines, as discussed in the last note. 10 ... Qd7 11 Qe2 Na7? 11 ... b4 looks more natural. 12 d4 exd4 13 cxd4 Rfe8 14 e5 Nd5 15 Nc3 Nxc3 16 bxc3 White owns the center and kingside. It's not easy to suggest anything constructive for Black to do. His next two moves are plausible but allow a decisive combination. 16 ... Bxf3 17 Qxf3 g6 18 Bb3 Bf8 19 e6! fxe6 20 Bxe6+ Rxe6 21 Rxe6 Qxe6 22 Qxa8 Qe1+ 23 Kh2 Qxc3 24 Bh6 Kf7 25 Qxf8+ Ke6 26 Rc1 Qxd4 27 Qe8+ Kd5 28 Qf7+ Resigns