Ruy Lopez Books

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

As most of you probably know, the Berlin defense became wildly popular only after Vladimir Kramnik used it to beat Garry Kasparov in the match for the world championship in 2000. Even Kasparov was not able to break the Berlin wall, and this was an excellent reason for many of the top players to adopt the defense. Of course, many club players followed them in their search for the perfect defense against Ruy Lopez.

If you are interested in defending a queenless middle game with black, you should certainly download and print Karsten Müller's free ebook (pdf) on the aforementioned match. Play throught the games and even you might like to try to defend the black side of the Ruy Lopez.

The venerable Ruy Lopez is one of the most interesting of chess openings. In this diverse and instructive DVD, International Master Andrew Martin explains how the opening works, with the help of mostly recent, complete master games, although there are some classics too!

The most important ideas are highlighted and you will get many repertoire suggestions all presented in the light, easy, relaxed style for which this author is noted.

1. Intro 19:12 min.; 2. Sustained Pressure 12:54 min.; 3. Simplicity 08:36 min.; 4. Solidity 9:50 min.; 5. The Lopez Grip 12:58 min.; 6. Black tries to smash the Ruy Lopez 10:40 min.; 7. Intro to Theory and Berlin 11:38 min.; 8. Berlin 1 5:14 min.; 9. Berlin 2 6:15 min.; 10. Schliemann 16:55 min.; 11. Bird 9:19 min.; 12. Cozio 12:19 min.; 13. The Smyslov Variation 14:55 min.; 14. The Classical Variation 10:50 min.; 15. Berlin Classical 6:28 min.; 16. Chase Variation 8:57 min.; 17. Steinitz Deferred 9:28 min.; 18. Main Line 1 9:06 min.; 19. Main Line 2 7:09 min.; 20. Main Line 3 9:49 min.; 21. Conclusion 0:48 min. Running time: 3 hours 33 min.

M-Tel Masters will be played in Sofia 12th-23rd May 2009. It will be interesting to see whether the players (Topalov, Carlsen, Ivanchuk, Shirov, Wang, and Dominguez) will get play some interesting Ruy Lopez novelties. Follow the live games on the official web site!