Open Ruy Lopez
You play Black · 19 variations
Mixed practice
The machine picks a different variation every time.
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10 positions: find the next theory move in each. No take-backs, no hints.
Main variations · 9
- Open, Breslau VariationC831. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 8. dxe5 Be6 9. c3 Be7 10. Re1 O-O 11. Nd4 Nxe511 moves
- Open, Malkin VariationC831. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 8. dxe5 Be6 9. c3 Be7 10. Nbd2 O-O 11. Qe211 moves
- Open, Classical DefenseC831. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 8. dxe5 Be6 9. Nbd2 Nc5 10. c3 Be710 moves
- Open, Tarrasch TrapC831. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 8. dxe5 Be6 9. c3 Be7 10. Re1 O-O 11. Nd4 Qd7 12. Nxe6 fxe6 13. Rxe413 moves
- Open, Howell Attack, Ekstrom VariationC811. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 8. dxe5 Be6 9. Qe2 Be7 10. Rd1 O-O 11. c4 bxc4 12. Bxc4 Qd712 moves
- Open, Howell AttackC811. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 8. dxe5 Be6 9. Qe2 Be7 10. c410 moves
- Open, Dilworth VariationC821. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 8. dxe5 Be6 9. c3 Bc5 10. Nbd2 O-O 11. Bc2 Nxf211 moves
- Open, Karpov GambitC801. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 8. dxe5 Be6 9. Nbd2 Nc5 10. c3 d4 11. Ng511 moves
- Open, Motzko Attack, Nenarokov VariationC821. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 8. dxe5 Be6 9. c3 Bc5 10. Qd3 Ne710 moves
Other variations · 10
- Open, Berger VariationC801. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 8. a4 Nxd4 9. Nxd4 exd4 10. Nc310 moves
- Open, Bernstein Variation, Luther LineC801. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 8. dxe5 Be6 9. Nbd2 Bc5 10. Qe110 moves
- Open, Berlin VariationC821. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 8. dxe5 Be6 9. c3 Nc59 moves
- Open, Zukertort VariationC801. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 8. dxe5 Ne78 moves
- Open, Harksen GambitC801. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 8. c48 moves
- Open, Friess AttackC801. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4 6. d4 b5 7. Nxe57 moves
- Open, Richter VariationC801. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4 6. d4 b5 7. d57 moves
- Open, Riga VariationC801. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4 6. d4 exd46 moves
- Open, Skipworth GambitC801. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4 6. Re1 d56 moves
- Open, Knorre VariationC801. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4 6. Nc36 moves
What is the Open Ruy Lopez?
The Open Ruy Lopez, or Open Spanish, is Black's most active answer to the main line of the Ruy Lopez: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Nxe4. Instead of the slow Closed Spanish, you take the e4 pawn at once. White regains the material and gains space with d4 and a pawn on e5, while you get free piece play with a knight on e4 and pawns on b5 and d5. It is a respected defence at every level, though less popular than the Closed lines.
Main ideas and plans
The main line goes 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Nxe4 6.d4 b5 7.Bb3 d5 8.dxe5 Be6. Against White's most common move, c3, you choose between ...Bc5 (the Italian Variation, the most active), ...Be7 (the Classical Defense, more solid) and ...Nc5 (the Berlin Variation, a flexible knight retreat). The sharpest idea is the Dilworth Variation: after Nbd2 and Bc2 you play ...Nxf2, giving two minor pieces for a rook, a pawn and an attack on the f-file. White can also play Nbd2 at once (the Bernstein Variation, including the Karpov Gambit) or Qe2 and Rd1 against d5 (the Howell Attack). Your counterplay comes from the active knight, the ...d4 push and the ...f6 break against e5.
White wants kingside space from the e5 pawn, to trade or harass the e4 knight, to plant a knight on d4 and later to press your queenside pawns. Know the Tarrasch Trap in the Classical Defense: after c3, ...Be7, Re1, ...O-O and Nd4, the natural-looking ...Qd7 loses a piece to Nxe6 and Rxe4, because the d5 pawn is pinned against your queen. The critical reply to Nd4 is ...Nxe5, the Breslau Variation. On move six White sometimes plays Re1 or Nc3 (the Knorre Variation) instead of d4, and the Riga Variation, meeting d4 with ...exd4, is an old and risky option.
Who is it for?
The Open suits players who meet 1.e4 with ...e5 and want active pieces rather than the long manoeuvring of the Closed Spanish. It demands concrete knowledge, since many positions hinge on tactics around the e4 knight and the d5 pawn. The structural downside is real: your queenside pawns can become targets and the e5 pawn gives White lasting space, so passive play is punished. Start with the main position after ...Be6 and your three answers to c3, and memorise the Tarrasch Trap.