RUY LOPEZ

THE RUY LOPEZ

It is also called the Spanish Opening or Spanish Game, is a chess opening characterized by the moves:

1. e4 e5

2. Nf3 Nc6

3. Bb5

The Ruy Lopez is one of the most popular openings. It has such a vast number of variations that in the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings (ECO) all codes from C60 to C99 are assigned to them.

History

The opening is named after the 16th century Spanish priestRuy Lopez de Seura. He made a systematic study of this and other openings in the 150-page book on chess Libro del Ajedrezwritten in 1561. However, although it is named after him, this particular opening was known earlier; it is included in theGottingen manuscript, which dates from around 1490. Popular use of the Ruy Lopez opening did not develop, however, until the mid-1800s when Carl Jaenisch, a Russian theoretician, "rediscovered" its potential. The opening is still in active use as the double king's pawn opening most commonly used in master play; it has been adopted by almost all players at some point in their careers and many play it from both the white and black sides.

Basics

At the most basic level, White's third move attacks the knight which defends the e5 pawn from the attack by the f3 knight. It should be noted that White's apparent threat to win Black's e-pawn with 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.Nxe5 is illusory — Black can respond with 5...Qd4, forking the knight and e4-pawn, or 5...Qg5, forking the knight and g2-pawn, both of which win back the material with a good position. 3.Bb5 is still a good move, however: it develops a piece, prepares castling,  and sets up a potential pin against Black's king. However, since White's third move carries no immediate threat, Black can respond in a wide variety of ways. This opening has been dubbed the "Spanish Torture" because Black has to struggle a long time in order to achieve equality.

Traditionally, White's objective in playing the Ruy Lopez is for the destruction of Black's pawn structure at an early and tender stage in development. Not only does the Ruy Lopez trade double the pawn which takes the White bishop, but it is certain to draw off either the d or b pawns from their positions, either event being highly detrimental to Black's game because if the d pawn is drawn off, Black's attack on the center is handicapped and if the b pawn is drawn off, castling is prevented on that side and the c and a file pawns are left to future exposure. However, White does not always exchange light-squared bishop for queen's knight on c6, but only in the Exchange Variation (ECO C68-C69).

Main variations

• Smyslov Defence
  
• Cozio Defence
  
• Bird's Defence
  
• Steinitz Defence
  
• Schliemann Defence
  
• Classical Defence
  
• Berlin Defence
  
• Morphy Defence 
  
• Exchange Variation
  
• Norwegian Defence
  
• Steinitz Defence Deferred
  
• Schliemann Defence Deferred
  
• Arkhangelsk Defence
  
• Russian Defence
  
• Open Defence
  
• Closed Defence 
  
• Delayed Exchange Variation Deferred
  
• Centre Attack
  
• Worrall Attack
  
• Averbakh Variation
  
• Trajković Variation
  
• Marshall Attack
  
• Pilnik Variation
  
• Bogoljubow Variation
  
• Chigorin Variation
  
• Breyer Variation
  
• Zaitsev Variation
  
• Karpov Variation
  
• Kholmov Variation
  
• Smyslov Variation
  
• Uncommon Black 3rd moves

Ruy Lopez opening is very vast and it takes a lot of time to understand and master all intricacies of this opening. Only sicilian opening matches the Ruy Lopez opening in terms of number of variations.

This blog tries to provide information on every variation and two example games on that variation.