Ruy Lopez Books

Peter Lékó and Viswanathan Anand are playing a rapid game match in Miskolc. The two first games were Grünfeld. The first game was drawn while in the second round Anand was able to win with the white pieces. We are, of course, waiting for some interesting games in Ruy Lopez. See the official tournament site for more information and live games.

Vassily Ivanchuk played a rapid chess match against David Navara in Prague last week. In the sixth game of the match Ivanchuk chose to play the Ruy Lopez Exchange variation and won convincingly in 49 moves. The game has been published in the Chessbase web site.

I just found out there is a nice Knol about Moller and Archangels variations of the Ruy Lopez for White. If you have no idea about the theory of Ruy Lopez, this might be the best free Internet resource on the classic lines.

Schliemann or Jaenisch gambit is not an opening for those who have a faint heart. The positions one has to defend are difficult for both players as the early middle game will be a razor sharp fight where neither side can expect a draw.

Andrew Martin analyzes Geller - Kuzmin 2002 ("The Lopez Grip, part II") with the variation 4. d3 that used to be played by patzers. Nowadays even strong grandmasters seem to play the line with white and every black player who is willing to play the Schliemann/Jaenisch must be prepared for this line.

If you are interested in playing the Ruy Lopez Exchange as a short cut to all the complicated theory of the closed and open variations, not to speak about Marshall gambit, you should probably start with the commented games on the web site of the Exeter Chess Club. Even if the games by Emanuel Lasker do not represent the hottest new theory they are very helpful for anyone trying to grasp the ideas of the Ruy Lopes Exchange.

More interesting and classic games played in the variation can be found in Chessgames.com.

Not every chess player is ready to meet the Ruy Lopez with the established main lines when playing with the black pieces. Many players have chosen to play some of the minor variations of the Spanish Opening when having to defend against the Spanish Torture. For example, I played some time almost exclusively the classical defense (with Bc5) as my main response to the Ruy Lopez.

Glenn Flear's Offbeat Spanish is a good source of information for the players seeking for alternative ways to play the black side of the Ruy Lopez. In this book, Flear studies a wide variety of ambitious and offbeat answers for many different playing styles. From the super-solid Berlin to the uncompromising Schliemann, there is enough choice here for any prospective black player facing the Spanish. On the other hand, this book is also perfect for Spanish enthusiasts looking for the best way to deal with those avoiding the main lines.

Paperback: 144 pages
Publisher: Everyman Chess; 1st edition (April 2001)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1857442423
ISBN-13: 978-1857442427
Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 0.4 inches