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Ruy Lopez
Features:
🔱
Flexible.
May become wildly sharp, or slow and positional.
🧠
Theory-Heavy.
Requires considerable opening preparation.
👥
Prevalent.
Opponents will have experience against common lines.
☘
Attainable.
Frequent opportunities to play this opening.
Description:
The Ruy Lopez (or Spanish Game) is an opening where White continues to pressure Black's e5 pawn by undermining its only defender: the knight on c6. Theory in the Ruy Lopez is incredibly extensive, and it remains one of the most popular openings among players of all levels.
Features:
🔱
Flexible.
May become wildly sharp, or slow and positional.
🧠
Theory-Heavy.
Requires considerable opening preparation.
👥
Prevalent.
Opponents will have experience against common lines.
☘
Attainable.
Frequent opportunities to play this opening.
Motifs:
Until White defends their own e-pawn and/or controls the d4 square, they usually cannot win Black's e-pawn with Bxc6 followed by Nxe5.
- Black then has the resource Qd4, forking White's knight and e-pawn.
A common knight maneuver is Nbd2-Nf1-Ng3 (or Ne3), gaining access to the f5 and/or d5 squares and assisting in a kingside attack.
White prepares the pawn break d4, whereas Black will prepare ...d5.
Common lines:
- 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 — Main Line
