Ruy Lopez — Arkhangelsk
Black develops the bishop to b7 early (...b5 + ...Bb7), fighting for the center along the long diagonal.
Ruy López — Marshall Attack
Entering the feared territory of the Marshall Gambit: Black offers a pawn on d5 for dynamic activity.
Ruy López — Open Defense
Black captures the e4 pawn with 5...Nxe4, accepting an open game with active pieces.
Ruy Lopez — Bird's Defense
Black plays the eccentric 3...Nd4, immediately attacking the knight on f3.
Ruy Lopez — Delayed Exchange
White trades the bishop on c6 only after 5...Be7, called the Delayed Exchange.
Ruy Lopez — Exchange Variation
White trades bishop for knight, doubling Black's pawns and seeking a favorable endgame.
Ruy Lopez — Steinitz Defense (Classical)
Black defends e5 with 3...d6 — solid but passive, characteristic of Steinitz's style.
Ruy Lopez — Chigorin Variation
Chigorin System: Black plays ...Na5, attacking the bishop on b3 and preparing ...c5 on the queenside.
Spanish Opening - Main Line
Play the first moves of the Ruy Lopez.
Ruy Lopez — Schliemann Defense (Jaenisch)
A bold gambit: Black plays 3...f5 seeking immediate complications.
Ruy Lopez — Zaitsev Variation
Zaitsev System: Black plays ...Bb7 and ...Re8, preparing complete development before reacting in the center.
Ruy Lopez — Breyer Variation
Breyer System: Black retreats the knight to b8 in order to reposition it on d7, reinforcing e5.
Ruy Lopez — Berlin Defense
Against the solid Berlin Defense (3...Nf6), White maintains the central tension with natural development.
Ruy Lopez — Closed Main Line (Morphy)
Historic main line of the Spanish: after the Morphy Defense (3...a6), White retreats the bishop to a4 and continues with classical development.
Ruy Lopez — Anti-Marshall with 8.a4
Before completing development with c3, White plays a4 attacking Black's queenside structure.
Ruy Lopez — Steinitz Deferred
Black first provokes Ba4 with ...a6 and then plays ...d6 — an improved version of the classical Steinitz.
Ruy Lopez — Cozio Defense
Black develops the knight to e7 instead of f6, keeping maximum flexibility.
Ruy Lopez — Smyslov (9...h6)
Black plays the useful 9...h6, creating an escape square and preparing ...Re8 or ...Nb8.
Ruy Lopez — Classical Defense
Black plays 3...Bc5, imitating the Italian within the Spanish structure.
Ruy Lopez — Møller (Modern Arkhangelsk)
An Arkhangelsk variation where Black plays 6...Bc5 instead of ...Bb7 — called the Møller or Modern Arkhangelsk.
Ruy Lopez — Worrall Attack
White plays 5.Qe2 instead of O-O, keeping the option of queenside castling and preparing Rd1.
Ruy Lopez - Morphy Defense
The most popular defense against the Spanish.
Ruy Lopez - Berlin Defense
The unbreakable Berlin Wall used by Kramnik.
Ruy Lopez - Exchange Variation
Trade the bishop for the knight to get an advantageous pawn structure.
Ruy Lopez - Marshall Attack
The dangerous Marshall counterattack with d5!
Ruy Lopez - Open Variation
Black plays Nxe4 immediately.
Ruy Lopez - Anti-Marshall (8.a4)
How to avoid the Marshall Attack.
Closed Ruy Lopez
The classical closed system of the Spanish.
Ruy Lopez - Steinitz Deferred
A solid defense with d6 before developing.