The Ruy Lopez Opening
The Ruy Lopez, also known as the Spanish opening, is one of the oldest and most popular openings in the game of chess. It is named after a Spanish bishop, Rüy López de Segura, who wrote one of the first books on chess theory in 1561. The opening begins with the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5, in which the white bishop attacks the black knight on c6, often leading to complex and dynamic positions on the board. The Rüy Lopez is a versatile opening that offers a wide range of strategic and tactical possibilities for both sides. It can lead to closed or open positions, with different types of pawn structures and piece placements. The opening is particularly popular among strong players, as it requires precise knowledge of various variations, and the ability to handle positions with unbalanced material.
Here are all of the 182 possible variations of this opening -
Ruy Lopez
Ruy Lopez: Berlin’l helmet, Berlin Wall defense
Ruy Lopez: Nuernberg variation
Ruy Lopez: Pollock Defense variation
Ruy Lopez: Lucena Defense variation
Ruy Lopez: Vinogradov variation
Ruy Lopez: Brentano Defense variation
Ruy Lopez: Fianchetto (Smyslov/Barnes) Defense variation
Ruy Lopez: Cozio Defense variation
Ruy Lopez: Cozio Defense, Paulsen variation
Ruy Lopez: Bird's Defense variation
Ruy Lopez: Bird's Defense, Paulsen variation
Ruy Lopez: Old Steinitz Defense variation
Ruy Lopez: Old Steinitz Defense, Nimzowitsch Attack variation
Ruy Lopez: Old Steinitz Defense, Semi-Duras variation
Ruy Lopez: Schliemann Defense variation
Ruy Lopez: Schliemann Defense, Berger variation
Ruy Lopez: Classical (Cordel) Defense variation
Ruy Lopez: Spanish Countergambit
Ruy Lopez: Classical Defense, Zaitsev variation
Ruy Lopez: Classical Defense, 4.c3 variation
Ruy Lopez: Classical Defense, Benelux variation
Ruy Lopez: Classical Defense, Charousek variation
Ruy Lopez: Classical Defense, Boden variation
Ruy Lopez: Cordel Gambit variation
Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense variation
Ruy Lopez: Nyholm Attack variation
Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Mortimer variation
Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Mortimer Trap variation
Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Anderssen variation
Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Kaufmann variation
Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Duras variation
Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, 4.O-O variation
Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Beverwijk variation
Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, 4... d6 variation
Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Hedgehog variation
Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Tarrasch Trap variation
Ruy Lopez: Closed Berlin Defense, Bernstein variation
Ruy Lopez: Closed Berlin Defense, Showalter variation
Ruy Lopez: Closed Berlin Defense, Wolf variation
Ruy Lopez: Closed Berlin Defense, Chigorin variation
Ruy Lopez: Closed Berlin Defense, Open variation
Ruy Lopez: Closed Berlin Defense, l'Hermet variation
Ruy Lopez: Closed Berlin Defense, Showalter variation
Ruy Lopez: Closed Berlin Defense, 5...Be7 variation
Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Rio de Janeiro variation
Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Zukertort variation
Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Pillsbury variation
Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Winawer Attack variation
Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Cordel variation
Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Trifunovic variation
Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Minckwitz variation
Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Rosenthal variation
Ruy Lopez: Exchange variation
Ruy Lopez: Exchange, Alekhine variation
Ruy Lopez: Exchange, Keres variation
Ruy Lopez: Exchange, Romanovsky variation
Ruy Lopez: Exchange, 5.O-O variation
Ruy Lopez: Exchange, Alapin Gambit variation
Ruy Lopez: Exchange, Gligoric variation
Ruy Lopez: Exchange, Bronstein variation
Ruy Lopez: 4.Ba4 variation
Ruy Lopez: Fianchetto Defense Deferred variation
Ruy Lopez: Cozio Defense Deferred variation
Ruy Lopez: Bird's Defense Deferred variation
Ruy Lopez: Alapin's Defense Deferred variation
Ruy Lopez: Classical Defense Deferred variation
Ruy Lopez: Caro variation
Ruy Lopez: Graz variation
Ruy Lopez: Taimanov (Chase/Wing/Accelerated Counterthrust) variation
Ruy Lopez: Schliemann Defense Deferred variation
Ruy Lopez: Modern Steinitz Defense variation
Ruy Lopez: Noah's Ark Trap variation
Ruy Lopez: Modern Steinitz Defense, Three Knights variation
Ruy Lopez: Modern Steinitz Defense, Duras (Keres) variation
Ruy Lopez: Modern Steinitz Defense, 5.O-O variation
Ruy Lopez: Modern Steinitz Defense, Richter variation
Ruy Lopez: Modern Steinitz Defense, Alapin variation
Ruy Lopez: Modern Steinitz Defense, 5. c3 variation
Ruy Lopez: Modern Steinitz Defense, Siesta variation
Ruy Lopez: Siesta, Kopayev variation
Ruy Lopez: Modern Steinitz Defense, 5... Bd7 variation
Ruy Lopez: Modern Steinitz Defense, Rubinstein variation
Ruy Lopez: Modern Steinitz Defense, Fianchetto (Bronstein) variation
Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense variation
Ruy Lopez: Four Knights (Tarrasch) variation
Ruy Lopez: Treybal (Bayreuth, Exchange Deferred) variation
Ruy Lopez: Wormald (Alapin) Attack variation
Ruy Lopez: Wormald Attack, Gruenfeld variation
Ruy Lopez: Anderssen variation
Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Duras variation
Ruy Lopez: 5.O-O variation
Ruy Lopez: Wing Attack variation
Ruy Lopez: 6... d6 variation
Ruy Lopez: Rabinovich variation
Ruy Lopez: Archangelsk (Counterthrust) variation
Ruy Lopez: Moeller Defense variation
Ruy Lopez: Steinitz Defense Deferred (Russian Defense) variation
Ruy Lopez: Steinitz Defense Deferred, Lipnitsky variation
Ruy Lopez: Steinitz Defense Deferred, Rubinstein variation
Ruy Lopez: Steinitz Defense Deferred, Boleslavsky variation
Ruy Lopez: Open (Tarrasch) Defense variation
Ruy Lopez: Open, Tartakower variation
Ruy Lopez: Open, Knorre variation
Ruy Lopez: Open, 6.d4 variation
Ruy Lopez: Open, Riga variation
Ruy Lopez: Open, 6... b5 variation
Ruy Lopez: Open, Friess Attack variation
Ruy Lopez: Open, Richter variation
Ruy Lopez: Open, 7.Bb3 variation
Ruy Lopez: Open, Berger variation
Ruy Lopez: Open, Harksen Gambit variation
Ruy Lopez: Open, 8.dxe5 variation
Ruy Lopez: Open, Zukertort variation
Ruy Lopez: Open, 8...Be6 variation
Ruy Lopez: Open, Bernstein variation
Ruy Lopez: Open, Bernstein, Karpov Gambit variation
Ruy Lopez: Open, Howell Attack variation
Ruy Lopez: Open, Howell Attack, Ekstroem variation
Ruy Lopez: Open, Howell Attack, Adam variation
Ruy Lopez: Open, 9.c3 variation
Ruy Lopez: Open, Berlin variation
Ruy Lopez: Open, Italian variation
Ruy Lopez: Open, St. Petersburg variation
Ruy Lopez: Open, Dilworth variation
Ruy Lopez: Open, Motzko Attack variation
Ruy Lopez: Open, Motzko Attack, Nenarokov variation
Ruy Lopez: Open, Classical Defense variation
Ruy Lopez: Open, Malkin variation
Ruy Lopez: Open, 10.Re1 variation
Ruy Lopez: Open, Tarrasch Trap variation
Ruy Lopez: Open, Breslau variation
Ruy Lopez: Closed Defense variation
Ruy Lopez: Closed, Center Attack variation
Ruy Lopez: Closed, Basque Gambit (North Spanish) variation
Ruy Lopez: Exchange Doubly Deferred variation
Ruy Lopez: Worrall Attack variation
Ruy Lopez: Worrall Attack, Sharp Line variation
Ruy Lopez: Worrall Attack, Solid Line variation
Ruy Lopez: Closed, Averbach variation
Ruy Lopez: Closed, 7.Bb3 variation
Ruy Lopez: Closed, Leonhardt variation
Ruy Lopez: Closed, Balla variation
Ruy Lopez: Closed, 8.d4 variation
Ruy Lopez: Trajkovic Counter-Attack variation
Ruy Lopez: Closed, 7...O-O variation
Ruy Lopez: Closed, Anti-Marshall 8.a4 variation
Ruy Lopez: Closed, 8.c3 variation
Ruy Lopez: Marshall Counter-Attack variation
Ruy Lopez: Marshall Counter-Attack, 11...c6 variation
Ruy Lopez: Marshall, Kevitz variation
Ruy Lopez: Marshall, Main Line, 12.d4 variation
Ruy Lopez: Marshall, Main Line, 14...Qh3 variation
Ruy Lopez: Marshall, Main Line, Spassky variation
Ruy Lopez: Marshall, Herman Steiner variation
Ruy Lopez: Closed, 8... d6 variation
Ruy Lopez: Closed, Pilnik variation
Ruy Lopez: Closed, Lutikov variation
Ruy Lopez: Closed, Suetin variation
Ruy Lopez: Closed, 9.d4 variation
Ruy Lopez: Closed, Bogolyubov variation
Ruy Lopez: Closed, 9.h3 variation
Ruy Lopez: Closed, Kholmov variation
Ruy Lopez: Closed, Ragozin-Petrosian (Keres) variation
Ruy Lopez: Closed, Flohr-Zaitsev System (Lenzerheide) variation
Ruy Lopez: Closed, Smyslov Defense variation
Ruy Lopez: Closed, Breyer Defense variation
Ruy Lopez: Closed, Breyer, 10.d4 variation
Ruy Lopez: Closed, Breyer, Borisenko variation
Ruy Lopez: Closed, Breyer, Gligoric variation
Ruy Lopez: Closed, Breyer, Simagin variation
Ruy Lopez: Closed, 8... Na5 variation
Ruy Lopez: Closed, Rossolimo Defense variation
Ruy Lopez: Closed, 10... c5 variation
Ruy Lopez: Closed, Borisenko Defense variation
Ruy Lopez: Closed, Keres Defense (11... Nd7) variation
Ruy Lopez: Closed, Chigorin Defense variation
Ruy Lopez: Closed, Chigorin, Yugoslav System variation
Ruy Lopez: Closed, Chigorin, 12... Nc6 variation
Ruy Lopez: Closed, Chigorin, Rauzer Attack variation
Ruy Lopez: Closed, Chigorin, 13.cxd4 variation
Notes and Credits -
“Ruy Lopez.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 10 Apr. 2023, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruy_Lopez.
“Free Chess PDF Ebook Ruy Lopez All Variations.” Free Chess PDF EBook Ruy Lopez All Variations, https://chess-openings-for-beginners.blogspot.com/2010/11/ruy-lopez-all-variations-free-chess.html.
