why is ruy lopez considered the strongest

Just make a start from a strategy book, like say this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Spanish-Method-Batsford-Library/dp/0805032789

While it's expensive to buy new (and rather hard to find) it can also be downloaded much cheaper via Scribd.

It's really very good stuff to start from.

Okay, I guess I'm less skeptical now. 

Pfren doesn't say it's the best for competitive results but for learning more about chess general. I guess it's because the variety of pawn structures, types of position (closed, open, in tension...), and because all pieces remain on the board.

+10, Yes, the Ruy Lopez is like the keys to the Executive Wash Room of Chess !  

Initially, I played the Scotch Gambit, QGA, and Petroff.  And bought entirely too many openings books for the white-side.

Then I "got a life," switched to simpler openings, and faster time controls.  Great fun, but there's always more to study, and learn.

Never Looked Back...

The berlin endgame is not inferior for black

If you want to simplify your repertoire, you can play Spanish lines with an early d3. That's one of Carlsen's favorite ways of getting out of theory as quickly as possible. 

Of course, the GMs usually play d3 with an idea of returning to thematic Spanish strategies, just in slightly different permutations. In other words, they are using their greater understanding of the Spanish in order to catch their opponents out. It's proven quite effective in recent years.

Btw, in the U2000 crowd, playing the Berlin is definitely dangerous to one's health. White has a clear edge in games between Class players when Class players try to mimick GMs without understanding the ideas behind the moves. (And yeah, I'm talking about U2000 using OTB ratings.)

To play the Berlin well you must be strong in endings , you know class players that are strong in endings ?  

I am done talking to bishop g5 because he really is a fool that has no idea what he is talking about.

In all honestly, All 3 of them are right

FOS, Reb, Thrillerfan are all correct.

They are just not being objective in there agruements. It is because they have a some what bias toward each other.

They have agrued with each other on multiple threads trying to prove each other wrong etc.

However, If you look at there original agruements all 3 of them are correct.

FOS agruement was the Ruy Lopez is equally as good as other lines.

Reb agruement was he thought the Ruy Lopez was the best way to continue.

Thrillerfan said exactly same thing and he even further said 3.Bb5 was better move than 3.Bc4, 3.d4,  etc.

If you actually think about it for a min objectively you will come to find they are all right.

I will show you how with 2 diagrams.

The position is equal =

The position is equal =

After you look at the 2 diagrams now relook at what they said. All 3 are right.

FOS agruement was the Ruy Lopez is equally as good as other lines.

From the above examples you can conclude FOS is right black can get an equal position from the Ruy Lopez just as well as getting equal position from the Scotch. So the Ruy Lopez is equally as good as other lines which also are equal as well with best play.

Reb agruement was he thought Ruy Lopez was the best to continue.

Thrillerfan said exactly same thing and he even further said 3.Bb5 was better move than 3.Bc4, 3.d4,  etc.

From the above example you can conclude Reb and TF are also right.

The reason they are right is because even though the lines do become equal with best play. The Ruy Lopez makes it harder for black to equalize which means white carrys the advantage longer with 3.Bb5 than it does with 3.d4.

It took black 8-9 moves in the Ruy Lopez to get equal.

It took black 4-5 moves in the Scotch to get equal.

Since the 3.Bb5 (Ruy Lopez) carrys the advantage longer it would be considered the better move to play. Simply because you want to try and carry the advantage as long as possible.

It just goes to show all 3 of them are right.

However, Bg5 is not right about anything and I have blocked him.

Well I don't have my engine with me right now.

However, The position does become equal around there. Give or take a few moves.

All the above I showed was just from memory I can keep going if you want.

They follow up with 8.c3 0-0  9.h3

If its the chigorin they go 9...Na5 10. Bc2 c5  11. d4 Qc7

I had a similar experience.  I can see where both sides are coming from.  People who have spent decades going to tournaments, learning chess from books, playing crappy computer programs are now attacking a chess player who can do it all from home.  No need to go to a chess club anymore, it can all be done online.  It is not surpising that the old guard takes pride in the fact that they did it, they played the tournaments, they sat accross a chess board for hours and hours with strangers just to get a good game.  Now someone comes along who through the magic of the internet can play chess well and express his ideas about certain openings and the old guard attacks him on the basis that he hasn't put the time in OTB in.  The fact is that in todays digital super highway wifi cell phone smart toaster era that you don't need to play OTB to understand chess and you can have perfectly valid ideas about opens without spending thousands of hours traveling to and from and playing in OTB tournaments.

if you don't like the spanish play 1g3 1d4 or 1c4 i don't play 1e4

against e4 play sicilian najdorf or kan

against d4 play d5 and play the orthodox, tarrasch or semi-slav

that's my repertoire

@RogerOT and TheLastManOnEarth

No No don't get to worked up.

They always like to agrue with each other at times.

Nothing wrong with disagreeing with people.

If you make the forum out to be like some personal attack chess.com staff will close the thread and frankly its not a personal attack its a disagreement nothing esle.

Reading to much into it will close the forum and all the information given on the forum will disappear. Which really helps no one.

I think you are being sarcastic.  Being "old school" and playing a lot of OTB chess means you are good at playing OTB and there is nothing wrong with that I think it is great and they know a lot about chess! Getting a high rating on chess.com like 2200 is no small thing and shouldn't be disregarded.  Just because a player hasn't put up with all the BS of playing OTB does not mean they don't understand how the pieces move.  Should we disregard the long history of correspondence chess as meaningless and their opinions on openings as garabage because it's not OTB?  No!  Even now advanced computer assisted chess being played on ICCF is far ahead of anything the OTB grandmasters are playing!

I would disagree. After 9.h3 Black must make a critical decision and only then does the game really start. 

@TheLastManOnEarth

Just because you stay at home and read books on how to operate on people does not mean you have the right to go into a hospital with out a degree to do surgerys.

You have to earn the right to have an opinion by having credentials.

The fact they are challenging FOS on his credientials is completely valid.

Just like a doctor would challenge some weirdo who comes into a surgery room planning to operate.

Yes after 9.h3 black does have a decision on which variation he wishes to play.

However, The position is and should be even.

Chess is NOT surgery!  It's a board game.  The pieces move online the same as they do OTB your comparison is silly.