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The longest chess opening

EnGot12902 viewsEnglish (US)
Opening
How many moves does it take to leave the opening? 10? 15? What if I told you some lines go beyond 30 moves... and you're still just 'in book'? In this blog, we dive into the deepest rabbit holes of chess opening theory — the lines so long they feel more like scripts than games.

About the line

The Ruy López Opening: Marshall Attack, Modern, Main Line, Spassky Variation is one of the deepest opening lines in chess theory, reaching up to 18 moves or more. It was popularized by Frank James Marshall, a chess grandmaster from the United States, in the early 20th century. This aggressive opening sacrifices a pawn early for long-term initiative and attacking chances. Over time, it was refined by players like Boris Spassky, making it a favorite weapon at the highest levels of play.

The moves

1. e4 e5 - King's Pawn Game
2. Nf3 Nc6 - King's Knight Opening: Normal Variation
3. Bb5 a6 - Ruy López: Morphy Defense
4. Ba4 Nf6 - Ruy López: Morphy Defense
5. O-O Be7 - Ruy López: Closed
6. Re1 b5 - Ruy López: Closed
7. Bb3 O-O - Ruy López: Closed
8. c3 d5 - Ruy López: Marshall Attack (Marshall Gambit)
9. exd5 Nxd5 - Ruy López: Marshall Attack (Marshall Gambit)
10. Nxe5 Nxe5 - Ruy López: Marshall Attack (Marshall Gambit)
11. Rxe5 c6 - Ruy López: Marshall Attack, Modern Variation
12. d4 Bd6 - Ruy López: Marshall Attack, Main Line
13. Re1 Qh4 - Ruy López: Marshall Attack, Main Line
14. g3 Qh3 - Ruy López: Marshall Attack, Modern Main Line
15. Be3 Bg4 - Ruy López: Marshall Attack, Modern Main Line
16. Qd3 Rae8 - Ruy López: Marshall Attack, Modern Main Line
17. Nd2 Re6 - Ruy López: Marshall Attack, Modern Main Line
18. a4 Qh5 - Ruy López: Marshall Attack, Main Line, Spassky Variation

The game

The full game between Leko Peter (2749) and Kramnik Vladimir (2766)

https://lichess.org/kASHcrid

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