Alternative to the Ruy

3 f4?! IMO is better for Black. The other two are perfectly fine choices though.

No I do like the King's Gambit, but the f4 Vienna is different, because 3...d5! is just =/+ if Black knows a bit of theory (and not Black might be slightly better but White has practical comp like in some KG lines)

But yeah, 3 f4 is only dubious after 2...Nf6.

The good thing about 4.d4 however is it's not the Four Knights and doesn't involve moving the same piece twice.  With a symmetrical pawn structure and opposite colored bishops it really should have drawn but he didn't hurry and realized his plan. I just say go with the Ruy, but even here the Marshall Attack and Berlin Wall lead to equality.  Many GMs jumped ship to 1.d4 because of the Berlin.  In the ensuing queenless middlegame white should calculate concrete variations and play actively.  In one of Kasparov's victories over Kramnik during the WCC he even sacrificed a pawn for activity (though Kasparov lost the overall match) But alas, progress marches on and 9.Nc3,Ke8 10.h3,h5! is the new mainline.

??????

I realize that it requires calculation but I also play the Najdorf, the Cochrane Gambit, the advance Caro with h4, love the white side of the French Winawer, and love the Nf6 scotch as well as the KID/Benoni structures which are also considered tactical openings.

PS: As ironic as it may be, some of my most exciting, tactical games have come from the Ruy Lopez, even though most people think its boring

I know, just wanted to give something specific for the Two Knights, otherwise 3...Bc5! 4.c3 or 4.b4.  What I'm trying to say above is black has easy equality in any 1.e4,e5 system if he knows the theory.

  The OP of course needs something more difinitive than a vague "just play 3.Bc4 with an Italian") and the Berlin mention was a compare and contrast (true it is irrelevant to the classical two knights)

And all this time I thought e5 was boring! Boy was I wrong.. :(

+ ∞

Regarding the Berlin Defence, which is why many GMs say 1.e4 is easy equality with 1...e5.  The specific game in question is here (no it's not a world championship game it was in Astana)

Why won't GM's go for the Italian Gambit? Looks so cool.

Not enough room to outplay the opponent (or sometimes just unsoundness)

In a must win situation, it would be nice to see an Evans Gambit or Max Lange Attack..I would say Danish too but that's kinda drawish in many lines.

Often the best approach in a must-win situation is to slowly pursue a small advantage without taking risks (compare Karpov-Kasparov 1985 Game 24 and Kasparov-Karpov 1987 Game 24)

I think he's referring to 3...d5

I'm referring to the line that virtually everyone plays against the Danish nowadays.

Caro Kann is the least drawish opening for me along with the philidor.

No I meant 3...d5 not 5...d5 (although the latter is good as well imo)

I haven't looked at the Danish/Goring complex in a while, but I recall some equal ending in the 3...d5 main line

Is the Goering the half danish?

I'm not totally clear on the nomenclature of these gambit lines, but I think the Goring is 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 ed 4 c3 dc (4...d5!? transposes to 3...d5!? in the Danish) is the Goring.