An easy and safe way to respond to Ruy Lopez

Hello, could you please suggest a relatively easy, non-heavily-theoretical and safe way to respond to Ruy Lopez (I don't to study this opening at this moment of my development? It's time will arrive later). I was trying 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. 0-0 Bc5 but my results are pretty poor.

A relatively simple way is the Steinitz defence : 3.Bb5 d6. This is passive, but reasonably solid, and you don't need to know any special theory to play it.

3...Nd4 can be fun too, and might surprise a lot of players.

Maybe he meant the Schliemann, which would be a bad idea for the OP since he's looking for ''easy and safe''.

Once again Yuri showing his superior intellect LOL

C-Crusher wrote:

AdamovYuri wrote:

even better is the latvian gambit

Latvian gambit isn't a variation in the ruy lopez. The latvian gambit is a seperate opening.

There is no atheoretical way to meet the Ruy Lopez that won't get you a really shitty game. I recommend just facing it head on. It's not one of those openings you can coast by on knowing nothing.

Thank you very much for this recommendation. Actually, I felt tempted to play this straightforward response but I read that it is better to prepare it with 3... a6 first (neo-Steinitz). Does it make a difference at the level I play?

I think 3...d6 would just be simpler. 3...a6 4.Ba4 d6 won't make much of a difference in your games with the immediate 3...d6 if you want to keep it simple, and should white play 3...a6 4.Bxc6 you just have to play a different kind of position from what you would get out of 3...d6 4.Bxc6 bxc6 or accept a tempo loss.

*ahem* bullshit *ahem*

I've taken the liberty of displaying a line which gives black a heap of trouble, granted white is comfortable saccing a solid piece for a ridiculous amount of liquid compensation. In case you're wondering, for white the whole position is gas.

snuff your line is shit lol

8...c6 and 9...Qxe5 were strange moves.

I would have played ...Ne7 and after e5 ...Qe6.

Good luck playing with a piece down.

I recommend the Smyslov Variation (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 g6), especially if you're trying to avoid mainline stuff after 3...a6 and whatnot. It's perfectly sound and can be relied on as your main weapon. It's one easiest lines to play against the Ruy. Also, a really good book on alternatives to 3...a6 is The Ruy Lopez Revisited by Ivan Sokolov. It covers many of the lines mentioned here (Smyslov, Schliemann, Bird, etc.)

If you want to avoid theory you can just play this.

I love when people make biased claims without proof. Fills me with joy!

@Plutonia

I hope you thoroughly examine the lines I am showing here. They matter a LOT.

VIDEO DISCUSSION:

jengaias wrote:

And I don't see where the compensation for the sacrificed piece is.

Now we are talking!! This is indeed the line I would play for black. Looking this over earlier, I was convinced I had made a mistake. However, this may not be so! I cannot now access my computer so I will have to use my phone. Bear with me. The first move in the sequence has to apply pressure to the black position in some way. The only target as of now is black's dark squared bishop, so the move is most certainly 10. Qc5! which does lead to something. Now I sat over this position thinking It would be a miracle if white had anything. Black's position is rock solid after 10...cxb5 11.Qxb5 which is now played. The only possible way to break the black "stronghold" would be to penetrate along the dark squares and fast. Then it hit me 11...Ne7 12.b3!! Now black's best try is probably to castle and hope that white's material balance isn't enough to win. But if black is stubborn and lets white play Ba3 it can lead to an immediate loss. In short, White has compensation for the piece.

ya sorry!

No, he's just expressing his deep understanding of the game.

dude stop the not funny trolling. Your lines make no sense at all as you do just random moves instead of trying to find the best moves for black.