why is ruy lopez considered the strongest

When the titled players say that the Spanish is the most complex opening, they aren't just talking about tactics, they are also talking about strategies. Even +2800 rated players can be led astray and make strategic errors in the Spanish. It says a tremendous amount about the Spanish that until 2000, the Berlin was considered to be just great for White. It took a world champion at the height of his powers to demonstrate Black's defensive resources. And even now, 15 years later, that variation alone is one of the most popular for both sides.

The Spanish has been studied as long as the modern game of chess has been around, and it's still offering huge challenges. There is no other opening that compares to the Queen of Openings in terms of its longevity and strategic complexity. 

Every single world champion has played the Spanish, as white or Black, and most have played both sides in serious competition. Few other openings have such a pedigree, and none beginning with 1.e4.

I am sorry , that post of mine was directed at fiveofswords , the B class OTB know-it-all .   I should have been clearer .  Silly me ...  

Well, he's talking about an opening, not a variant.

Just a side note...the Ponziani is busted.  In engine vs. engine play, black will win or draw playing the Fraser Defense.  See:  BFG vs. Ponziani Power (votechess) for a good example, both teams used engines until at least move 30 or so...

This game was a key point of discussion in the now moribund 100+ page votechess league cheating scandal thread.

You are still with a provisional rating OTB so what do you know?  You have practically no OTB experience .  Yet you insist on arguing with chess players who are stronger than you and more experienced in chess . You have never even played any titled players in otb tourney chess and you argue here with IMs and other titled players ?!  Do you really think tinkering around with your engine(s) and playing online gives you that right ?  Why bother studying chess at all when you dont play OTB tourney chess ?!  It makes no sense .  

He played the Scotch 22 times in his career and the Ruy over 100 times .  It appears he loved the Ruy more .  

I am not claiming the Ruy is the best but I dont believe there is anything better than the Ruy after 1 e4  e5  available to white . Are you claiming some opening is better ?  

I don't want to interfere in to your fight and I don't care to prove anything for my self, just to ask something and maybe clear this mess about Ruy Lopez. I know that Bb5 puts immediate pressure on e5, I know that black has resources to counter this first fight for the center but I have heard and understand that the power of the opening is whites further expectation to play for the big center ( d4 ) and poses the square with out give black compensation for it. Of course there are besides strategies around this and tactical issues but isn't this what make the opening powerful for white? After 1.e4 e5 what other opening idea gives the same opportunity besides Ruy Lopez?

I am playing a game right now as black against a anti-Marshall d4 line. What other game can give so strong d4 brake in the 8th move for white? Even if it considered inferior compare to h3 and a4.

Wow!  You really are clueless!

Many weaker players, like Class B players that run their mouth on here and rarely play over the board, are clueless about what to do when their opponent goes out of book because if you look at what the peewees post on here, it's all about memorization.  Openings is not about memorizing.  It's about understanding.  If you understand, you will start to appreciate it when your opponent plays something offbeat.

I played in the NY International, and in round 2, I played Black, and faced 1.d4 f5 2.c4 Nf6 3.Nc3 e6, and now White proceeds to play 4.e4?!

A B player would start squirming in his seat because all he understands is what to do the first 15 moves of the Stonewall Dutch.  You go outside his comfort zone, he breaks.

Then you take Experts, Masters, GMs, etc, and we don't memorize, we understand what we are playing.  I faced 4.e4, and was just gushing with joy that White, a 2001 player, played such an inferior move, and proceeded to destroy him so bad that he ended up resigning after my 30th move, which is a pretty quick win by Black standards, given that Black goes second.

So say whatever you want about your "intellect bullsh*t".  Intellect means nothing in this case.  You could have the best intellect in the world, but if you don't know what the problem is with 4.e4?!, you'll die quickly on the chess board!

And just to prove that post 53 isn't BS, compare post 43 to this:

lol fiveofswords you really know nothing about otb chess earlier you said, "Why would gms get weaker players out of book they're already stronger" the obvious reason being any player can memorize lines of theory up too an easily drawn position so too avoid such a situation the play an out of book move.

Wow... This is so harsh and unjustified!

P.S. Garrus. What are you talking about? Does the word "best" not translate well into Italian or something? You're being completely retarded.

P.P.S. I agree with everybody that is calling FOS out on that statement about GMs going out of book. What a stupid thing to say.

Best play after 1.e4 e5 is 2. Ke2!! of course. You'll ruin your opponent homework and tedious line memorizations ;).

Some big news for you: statistics do not play chess.

Anyway, I claim the Ruy Lopez is a bad opening: You must understand it to play it well... memorizing will not help at all.

So if I understand correctly, a 1700 OTB player, who has played 20 games is arguing with a 2200+ National Master who has played 100 times more... (2 400 games ! That's like 10 000 hrs of OTB chess).

If the class B player understands so much, you have to wonder why he doesn't want to prove his point in competitions ? As for him claiming he is stronger than Reb, well, what's the word above 'ridiculous' in English ?

However, I agree that Reb shouldn't lose his time arguing with this person. He is kind enough to share his knowledge. Some will be wise enough to hear him, some won't.

Anyways given that the trend in Ruy lopez's at top level is to play d3 lines, isn't the difference with d3 Italien lines pretty subtle. Sometimes they might even transpose. Personally find what white is trying to acheive in these lines very hard to understand.

For me what might be objectively best is an academic question, because I haven't the skill set to play these lines, or the Berlin endgames either. So play the scotch or when risk the Ruy Lopez the exchange variation because even if objectively drawish, understand what white is trying to acheive.

Considering chess is a draw with best play, and theory extends further and further, I would assume 'best' is what gives you better practical winning chances at your level. It may very well be Ruy Lopez at GM level and Vienna or Ponziani at class level.

Everybody is entitled his opinion here, but a NM probably knows a little more on this matter than most of us...

FiveofSwords wrote: "and why would they want to get weaker players out of book...what would they have to fear being the better player with the best opening. again your inferior intellect exposes itselt [...]"

Getting a weaker player out of book means forcing him to find his own moves instead of letting him play preparation/theory. Your posting demonstrates nothing but ignorance, GMs do that all the time. This is common knowledge of anyone who frequently sees the inside of a tournament hall. In my last 4 games against GMs, two went for obscure openings and one improvised rare move in a well-known position from the Slav.

Garrus, just on case you are not trolling: no grandmaster plays always the same opening, for practical reasons. Kasparov and his team found new paths in the Scotch due to a hard analyzing work, and considered it could be a useful weapon against Karpov. He even played once the Petrov, wich he didn't like, against Karpov just for see what would be his answer.