Ruy Lopez
The oldest and deepest of the open games. Nearly every world champion has played the Spanish with both colours.
| First moves | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 |
|---|---|
| ECO codes | C60-C99 |
| Also known as | The Spanish Opening / Spanish Game |
| Character | Strategic, slow-building, deeply mapped |
| Best for | Players who want a lifetime opening with 1.e4 |
Open any line on the analysis board, or play it out against a bot from where it ends.
Related openings
Italian Game
The classical way to open a chess game: develop, aim at f7, castle. The best first opening for most players.
Sicilian Defense
The most analysed answer to 1.e4, and the most popular one at master level. Black declines a symmetrical fight and plays for a win from move one.
French Defense
A solid, strategically rich answer to 1.e4 built around one pawn break: ...c5 against White's centre.
What 3.Bb5 actually threatens
The bishop attacks the knight that defends e5 - but the immediate 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.Nxe5 does not win a pawn, because 5...Qd4 forks the knight and e4. This is the first thing to know about the Spanish: the threat is positional, not tactical. White is building long-term pressure on e5 and gaining time.
After 3...a6 4.Ba4, Black has kicked the bishop but weakened b5 and spent a tempo. That small concession runs through the whole opening.
The main branches
- Closed Spanish - after 5...Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 O-O 9.h3, White's signature plan is the knight tour Nb1-d2-f1-g3 (or e3), regrouping behind the pawn chain before playing on the kingside. Black expands with ...Na5 and ...c5 on the queenside.
- Berlin Defence (3...Nf6) - 4.O-O Nxe4 5.d4 Nd6 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.dxe5 Nf5 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8 reaches the famous Berlin endgame: queens off by move eight, Black's king on d8 and doubled c-pawns against White's kingside majority. Solid enough that Kramnik used it to take the title from Kasparov.
- Exchange Variation (4.Bxc6) - White gives up the bishop pair to give Black doubled pawns and a 4-3 kingside majority, then plays for the endgame. A practical, low-theory choice.
- Marshall Attack - Black sacrifices a pawn with 8...d5 for a long-lasting attack. Sound, but it means memorising a lot; most White players sidestep it with an Anti-Marshall like 8.a4 or 8.h3.
Learning the Spanish without drowning
The Ruy Lopez has more theory than any other 1.e4 opening, but you do not need it to start. Learn the first six moves, the reason for 3.Bb5, and one plan for the middlegame (the Nd2-f1-g3 regrouping for White; ...Na5 and ...c5 for Black). Everything else can be picked up game by game.
Use the analysis board to replay a classic Spanish - Karpov's games are the standard reference - stopping at each branch to check the explorer for what is played today.
Frequently asked questions
Why is it called the Ruy Lopez?
After Ruy Lopez de Segura, a 16th-century Spanish priest who analysed 3.Bb5 in a 1561 book on chess. It is also simply called the Spanish Opening.
Is the Ruy Lopez good for beginners?
The first moves are natural and instructive - develop, attack a defender, castle - so it teaches good habits. The deep theory only matters once your opponents know it too. The Italian Game is a slightly gentler start with the same open-game principles.
What is the Berlin Wall?
The endgame after 3...Nf6 4.O-O Nxe4 5.d4 Nd6 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.dxe5 Nf5 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8. Black has the bishop pair and a very solid position but a displaced king and damaged pawns; it is extremely hard for White to break down, hence the nickname.