Ruy Lopez

Pressure that is in no hurry

Positional play
Classical

Interactive Opening Board

9.h3

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Black

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White

9.h3

Speed:

Moves

(17 plies • 9 moves)

9.h3Tabiya

The modest h3 stops …Bg4 and gives White time for manoeuvres. From here the main discussion begins: which system will Black choose?

1–9moves
#WhiteBlack
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1.e4 The king's pawn takes the centre.

1…e5 Black mirrors the move. The e5 pawn at once becomes a target.

2.Nf3 The knight attacks e5 and heads White towards castling.

2…Nc6 The knight defends the pawn and develops.

3.Bb5 The Ruy Lopez starts here. The bishop hits the knight that guards e5. There is no direct threat, but the pressure will last the whole game.

3…a6 A question to the bishop: Black demands a decision. This is the Morphy Defence, by far the most popular reply.

4.Ba4 The bishop retreats but stays on the diagonal.

4…Nf6 The knight attacks e4, so White has to think about defending the pawn.

5.O-O White castles and even allows …Nxe4, the start of the Open Spanish. Black normally chooses another road.

5…Be7 Close the game: the bishop goes to e7 and prepares castling.

6.Re1 The rook guards e4 and frees the f3 knight from its duty.

6…b5 The pawn drives the bishop off the diagonal, but the bishop has somewhere to go.

7.Bb3 The bishop on b3 is back on the a2–g8 diagonal and eyes f7 again.

7…d6 The d6 pawn covers e5 and opens the road for the c8 bishop.

8.c3 White prepares d2-d4 and keeps c2 as a retreat for the bishop.

8…O-O Both kings are safe; the tension remains.

9.h3 The modest h3 stops …Bg4 and gives White time for manoeuvres. From here the main discussion begins: which system will Black choose?

Defining move

3.Bb5! — pressure without a threat

The move that makes the game Spanish

The bishop attacks nothing that can be captured: it aims at the knight and, through it, at the e5 pawn. White does not try to win material but creates a weakness that Black must nurse for many moves. That is why the Ruy Lopez is not an attack but a long, patient pressure.

Tabiya

The Closed Spanish tabiya

The main position of the Ruy Lopez and one of the most studied in chess. White builds a c3–d4 centre and usually reroutes a knight via d2–f1–g3. Black chooses how to live on: the knight to a5 (Chigorin), the knight to b8 (Breyer) or the bishop to b7 (Zaitsev). Each leads to a long positional fight.

The centre

A closed centre with energy in reserve

Black holds e5 with d6 and later c6 or c5. White aims for d2-d4, after which the centre either opens or locks for good.

Key squarese5d4b3

Outposts

e5The pawn it is all about
White pressures it with pieces, Black defends it with pawns. While e5 stands, Black is safe.
b3The bishop's home
From here the bishop eyes f7 and waits for the centre to open.

Thematic breaks

d4White
The d2-d4 break
Strike at e5 and either open the game or lock the centre on good terms.
What follows: If Black answers …exd4 the b3 bishop gets a powerful diagonal; if …Nb4 or …c5, a manoeuvring fight begins.
c5Black
The …c7-c5 counterstrike
Attack d4 and win space on the queenside.
What follows: While White is busy in the centre, Black gets counterplay on the wing.
d5Black
The Marshall gambit …d7-d5
Give up a pawn for a quick attack on the kingside.
What follows: White has to survive the attack and keep the extra material. Many avoid the gambit in advance with a2-a4.

White’s plan

Build the centre: c3 and d4, preceded by h3 and Nbd2-f1-g3.
Keep pressing on e5 and the kingside.
Keep a2-a4 in reserve against the Marshall.

Black’s plan

Hold e5 and wait for the right moment for …c5 or …d5.
Play on the queenside: …b5, …Na5, …c5.
Prepare an answer to d4 so that …exd4 does not create weaknesses.

History

In 1918 Frank Marshall played the gambit with 8…d5 against Capablanca, and it has borne his name ever since. Capablanca survived the attack and won. In 2000 Vladimir Kramnik chose the Berlin Defence against Kasparov, and Kasparov never managed to crack it.