Ruy Lopez Alternative

The Ruy Lopez was one of the first openings I learned and I have always played it as white after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6, but I need a change.  I have grown to like it less and less; I would now prefer see the Sicilian defense rather than the Morphy defense, and so I am looking for a new response to ...e5.  I was wondering if the Italian game is that much different from the Ruy, or if the positions end up being mostly similar.  I was also intersted in what people thought about the Scotch Game.  I know GM Dzindzichashvili recommends it in his vidoes, but I am a little worried by the percentages in Games Explorer, which has White winning 36% and black winning 31% of the time after 3...exd4, compared to the statistically stronger Ruy.  I am also a little wary of gambits since I am stronger at wining games by gaining a material advantage and trading into a winning endgame compared to checkmating an opponent with aggresive offensive tactics.  Is the Scotch gambit a true gambit, or is it more like the Queens Gambit where white is assured to win back his lost pawn?

the ruy and the italian is totally different main difference is black isn't allowed the d5 push in the ruy but can accomplish it quite easily in the italian.

in the italian the initiative is lost and the game is boring with slow play.

in the ruy white keeps the initiative but has to play strategically the best move to do so which is why the top players hardly ever play the italian if they do they play the evans or the 2 knights game

i too had the same problem i got bugged of 2. ... e5 and now i'm bugged of 2.c5 so i tried every main opening and their sidelines but now i'm fine to play the 2. ... e5 im not scared of italian as equality is easy and the evans is sumthing i don't have too much exp in.

 i don't know about the scotch 

I occasionally play both the Italian and the Scotch. The Italian is much like the Ruy with many more attacking possibilities. This is because it gives the bishop the diagonal instead of a pin. I like the Scotch because it allows me to either center my queen or give black double pawns, it also simplifies the center that much more.

Don't listen to charan, nothing is wrong with the Italian-- and this is coming from someone who plays a lot of unsound openings.

P.S. The winning statistics don't matter much unless you're also a grandmaster.

Vienna!

Earlier today:

ouch... yeah Vienna rulz.

It is pretty sure that white get a good position after 3. ...-Nc6. Things are far from clear after 3. ... - d5

italian gives black an easy game to play and black can get equality in many lines and advantage easily if white doesn't play sharply don't worry i've played the italian, giucco piano, pianissimo, the gambits involved in them and the evans a lot.

really evans is the best try

I'm a Ruy fan myself, but both the Italian and Scotch games are perfectly fine for White.  I don't feel either generates the same kinds of positions as the Lopez.

What's all this hokey nonsense about the Italian not being so good and "easy to equalize" against? The closed lines (with an early d3) often play like a Lopez. Then there is the whole Two-Knights complex! I tried studying the Lopez to make a change to a more "solid" opening a couple years ago. It seemed like a slow, dreary opening that Black has a lot of interesting counterideas for attaining equality or at least derailing your big scheme for a dominating position.

I love the scotch and ends up with a loud middle game to a peaceful endgame. 

I would vote for scotch but i also like the italian and spent much time on the giuoco piano

thats what gives off u may have studied the opening but have u ever sat alone looked at the arising positions and thought of a strategy for white it is difficult but u can learn from gm games and with good play your better off.

i'm not saying the italian or 2 knights or early d3 lines are bad, im saying they are different from the ruy playing Bc4 immediately gives black a target: the freeing move d5 with tempo all the better.

if you start to read about even basic concepts of ruy the first few lines always include:

The move 3.Bb5 works as a prophylactic move that squashes your opponents chances.

sumthing like that.

in ruy lopez positions black hardly ever achieves d5 without conceding a weakness, an isolated, weak A pawn for example. Unless we are discussing the open variation in which black does get a pawn to d5 but concedes the c5 square and a backward c pawn.

one of the common lines of the ruy is:

There are some more variations but these are the common ones White can also choose to play d3 after 3.Bc4 Nf6 for a transposition into the d3 lines.

The games produced by the italian are far more combinative than the ones from the closed ruy but white can go more wrong in the italian than the ruy in combinations and tactics but in the ruy a strategic mistake(which believe me is very easy to make) could lead to a favourable endgame or a decisive attack.

point: Ruy is the safer option for the patient player against stronger opposition

Rather than throw the whole Lopez thing out try tweaking it a bit.

If you like a slow build up and endings try the Lopez Exchange variation, it is not an easy ride for black.

You could look at lines like the Worral Attack.

Chopping and changing openings is a sure way to go backwards in Chess.  

Scotch! Watch some Kasparov games. 

Oh, and the Scotch Gambit is usually a disaster for Black unless he transposes to the 2-Kts Defense by 4...Nf6, which is what happens beyond amateur level.

it guarantees a very very small advantage that is a positional one not the type which is easily convertible into victory

+ you have to know the strategy accurately to be able to get that edge 

that small edge leads to a draw with perfect play

Play the Italian game. Pray for the two knights defence to win a pawn with Ng5. 

If 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 

Then play the Evans gambit, 4.b4, it leads to fun aggressive play.

 I always say, find an opening system you LIKE to play and play it.  This whole issue gets overdone. If you like playing an opening and it is good as well, you've got it made. If you want a slight advantage out of the opening and into the middlegame, go Lopez.

I quite like the scotch game. I think it is a strong weapon as many players do not know how to respond to it.

I like Italian. Leads to some really sharp game. You may want to look into ponziani too.

yeah ponziani is an opening worth considering

there are sum nice videos about it and it's traps on youtube