ruy lopez help

hello i recently switched from my usual white opening (KIA) to the ruy lopez, because i have read that the ruy lopez is more dynamic and aggresive for white. however, i have had very little success with it thus far. When the opponent plays a3 (most common) i first tried the exchange variation, but didnt like it much, and now play the (?) variation where the bishop goes from b5 to a4 finally to c3 on the next pawn push, and if they play the nf6 or bc5 line i just try to play. I castle early as i have seen in the games i watched with it played and tried some similar themes as in those. One big problem which has happened to me quite a bit is when my opponent targets f2 and h2 with his knight and bishop and sometimes queen. I find once the knight gets to g4, and the bishop to c5, and the queen to h4 or f6 i have alot of trouble resisting all the pressure. kicking the knight off of g4 with h3 doesnt work because of that annoying fishing pole trap. so what should i be doing here?

Also, i havent had any early attacks with this. again i know it is an aggresive opening, but with what lines? If anyone has any games with early wins with the ruy lopez it would be much appreciated. Any help at all would be much appreciated! thanks.

Here is one of the most poular lines in the ruy lopez: e4 e5 Nf3 Nc6 Bb5 a6 Ba4 Nf6 O-O Be7 Re1 b5 Bb3 d6 h3 O-O c3 Na5 Bc2 c5 d4 Qc7 Nbd2

Can you give an example or two of lines where you're facing knights on g4 and queens deep into your kingside?  These seem unusual for the Ruy, given that most lines feature a prophylactic h3 fairly early, and if black is jumping the gun on these, chances are he's leaving doors open elsewhere.  We might be able to point them out if we see some concrete variations.

And about your lament that you "haven't had any early attacks with this," well...I'm afraid you're a victim of false advertising.  The Ruy is actually notorious for its long, slow buildup.  Early attacks are something you are not going to see if you're playing anything even remotely similar to mainlines.  In fact, the Ruy often goes 30 or more moves before ANY exhchanges take place.

If you want early attacks, you'd be better off investigating the King's Gambit, or maybe the Italian complex.

thank you for the responses! i'll dig up one of the games where i had problems, and thanks for clarifying the attacks.

I want to recommend a basic book on openings like Mordern chess openings, an old book which explains move by move and why you play it. Because I do not feel you are getting these atttacks because you are playing the Lopez. You are getting these attacks because you lack the understanding and the motives of each move in the Lopez. If you get this then you will be able to see when your opponent deviates from the usual and you will be able to counter it.

Regards

Akpufni

To the OP: As was already pointed out, you shouldn't expect to get an attack early on in the Ruy Lopez. That said, you shouldn't normally be attacked early on either, unless you are facing the Marshall's. Maybe you could post a couple of games where that happens so we can see what is the problem.

this is a pretty horrid game with some very stupid moves..but ill post it anyways.

Your problems aren't Ruy Lopez ones.  They're more general than that.

What is the point of playing c3?  Hell, what was the point of playing Bb5?  To prepare d4.  And after you get it good and prepared, you have yourself a dream scenario where your opponent leaves his whole army in the way of d4.  d4 wins a piece instantly.  But you don't follow through with your threat, or recognize its tactical potential.  Instead, you drift.  *Think* about why you make certain moves...don't just make them.

Then...

Blah, blah, blah...both sides make a bunch of little errors, and ultimately you give up a mate.  This again has nothing whatsoever to do with the Ruy.  You need to notice when your back rank is weak, and doubly so when the opponent's heavy artillery has a clear path to it.  That, plus a little h3 thrown in a little earlier could have saved you worlds of trouble.

right..i didnt know why i played c3, as i put in the annotation you obviously didnt read. but thanks for your heavy analysis where you repeated a few points which i made myself. (early h3, developing the knight,)

Fischer said playing the Ruy Lopez is like milking a cow. Once you understand that you understand the Ruy Lopez.

 A) That's why I told you why you played c3, Copernicus.

B) Heavy analysis would do you about as much good as tits would do a bull moose, which is to say none.  If you had said, "maybe forcing the thematic d4 through here would have been wise?," then maybe you'd have some right to be snotty.  If you had said, "is my problem here simply that I overlooked a simple back rank mate that a child could have averted?," then maybe you'd have some right to be snotty.  If you had said, "when might have been a good time for some simple prophylaxis a la h3, so that I didn't wind up looking like the after photo from a gangbang at a Bangkok brothel?," then maybe you'd have some right to be snotty.

As it is, you maybe ought to take a little heat off the snottiness, because I did in fact just direct you to the only things you ought to be worrying about in the game listed above.

Time which I see was magnificently well spent.

5.c3 looked okay, in fact I think it's the accepted move in that position. The follow-up was a bit hectic but 9.Qc2 would have saved material. Will try to comment some more tomorrow.

Play the Ruy Lopez by Andrew Greet is an excellent book for the spanish fan. Its a little towards a sideline worrall but covers other important spanish lines.

If you like a lot of textual explanations its excellent. You have to accept his Qe2 as this covers about half the book. Worked well for me.

thanks for the concept help -- that was exactly what i was looking for.

ontomorrow: Why does Fritz 12 opening book put a question mark on ..3 Bc5. Just wondering used to play spanish all the time but have forgotten and played mostly D openings.

Any other opinions as to why ..3 Bc5 is incorrect in this opening?

3. ...Bc5 is not directly incorrect, it is the Classical variation that was played by Spassky sometimes, but it is thought that the White obtains an advantage against it. The White has a fairly obvious plan of playing c3 and d4 hitting the Bishop, or could also go for the "fork trick" with Nxe5.

you want a dynamic, aggressive opening for white? play the king's gambit.