Open, Schlechter Defense

The Schlechter Defense is a branch of the Open Variation that arises when White skips the usual 8. dxe5. Instead, White plays 8. a4 to attack the b5-pawn. Black ignores the queenside and answers 8...Nxd4, taking a second pawn. Analysis of the position after 7...d5 holds that White must recover material at once or be left with nothing for it. After the capture White is two pawns down, with the black king still in the center and the d- and e-files half-open.