The Ruy Lopez: Essentials (Black Repertoire)

By Theo van Stratum

The Ruy Lopez (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5), also called the Spanish Opening, is White's most respected try against 1...e5, and Black has several well-established ways to answer it. Covers the rock-solid Berlin Defence (3...Nf6) and its famous queen-trading endgame, the classical Closed Main Line (3...a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7), the sharper Open Variation that grabs the e4 pawn (5...Nxe4), and the legendary Marshall Attack, where Black sacrifices a pawn (8...d5!?) for a lasting initiative against White's king.