why not blacklist the Ruy Lopez?

1.You have no idea what you are talking about.

2. If white doesnt know the theory in sicilian hes going to play something tame and get rolled.  Black is playing the sicilian because he likes the open sicilian...you don't play sicilian for closed variations..IF white goes for the passive setups then hes going to get rolled hard.

3.  you are saying black has control of the variation in ruy..I can say the same for sicilian because if white doesnt comply and does closed stuff hes not generating great winning chances.  

4.  Your saying sicilian is positional...well everything has components of positional and tactical.  It just depends on what variation occurs.

5.  Finally champion is right.  Memorizing moves with basic understanding is the way to go.  The memorized moves are generally the best or very good.  If you are trying to come up with stuff overtheboard your just gonna drain your clock.

That's the best argumentation so far

I am sure that I cannot be sure, regardless my knowledge about both openings. One of the reason is because I know the opening so it is very hard for me to imagine how it is to become "Doesn't know the theory".

For any opening that I've learnt, I went farther than just knowing the theory. I will remember all the theory to find out the hidden "ideas" behind the position. I will play hundreds of games as well, only to find the "secret". Once I found it, I will let go all the "theory" and I'll play simply by understanding of the position.

As for the Sicilian, beside the ideas, I will always remember the "patterns". But I don't think I remember the theory. The hardest line for me to get rid of the need to memorize is the following line in my Najdorf repertoire:

I think it is right for you. There are so many ideas on the net, it is not that I have never heard opinions such as yours. I just have my own ideas on how I should do it to improve better. This is why I play the game. It is a challenge.

I believe they are more tactical for you. That's why you need to remember the move sequences. I always say that the Sicilian is not suitable for beginners (I'm not saying that you are a beginner) because it is too advanced.

Your blitz rating is higher than mine, but that will be interesting to have some games with you, I will do my best, but later after work hour.

I don't play Ruy Lopez as Black, even as White I only prepare my repertoire without playing it in a game (because I play the King's Gambit), so I perfectly don't know the theory. But don't you see that this doesn't prove our stands about the issue? Here is the issue:

1) I believe that not knowing the theory is very disadvantageous for White in the Ruy Lopez

2) I believe that not knowing the theory is less disadvantageous for White in the Sicilian.

But okay, I asume that your challenge has nothing to do with this issue we have been discussing. So I will play the Black side of the Ruy Lopez. How many games you want to play? I prefer as many as possible and you wanted one so I guess it should be something in the middle. Rated or unrated up to you. My rating is too low may be you want unrated. It is 5 minute games right?

Hehehe both of you are always saying the obvious. Which point of yours that I don't understand? Let's start with what you are trying to explain, then may be later you don't mind trying to understand what is in my words.

Okay 3 minute. Bullet is too fast for me. Remember, time required to understand position is longer than time required to memorize moves. My rating clearly show how good or bad I am at my games. About 1500-1700.

How many games?

Here is a position from an opening book on the Ruy Lopez.  Question: is playing this position that much different from playing a Najdorf Sicilian?

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3
O-O 9. d4 Bg4 10. d5 Na5 11. Bc2 c6 12. h3 Bc8 13. dxc6 Qc7 14. Nbd2 Qxc6 15.
Nf1 Nc4 16. Ng3 Re8 17. a4 Be6 *

Oh yes, very much different Only the look is similar

Here White doesn't have space advantage as it usually has in the Sicilian.

And this position clearly show what I have stated, that if I play as White, I need theory to be able to play this position. For example, I can continue with Ng4 (without really know if I have better option or not), but then Black can retreat the Bishop, or even exchange it to strengthen the center. None of these 2 moves is predictable, and I don't know which one is better. There are so many "equally" good looking moves in this type of position. Only theory can tell how it will lead in the end. In Sicilian, there isn't many options. I can usually predict my opponent move in the Sicilian.

Like other highly popular openings (Sicilian Defense, English Opening, Nimzo-Indian Defense etc) there are many different lines available to Black to choose from inc. non-Morphy defenses (Bird's, Classical, Old Steinitz, Schliemann) and both open and closed variations ranging from Marshall's highly tactical counter-gambit to extremely closed variations (Breyer, Zaitsev, Tchigorin etc) rivaling the Kings Indian Defense for complexity and positional play.

You shouldn't be surprised at this opening's popularity with the players of the Black pieces it's much easier for them to learn one or a few variations, whereas White must be prepared to play against a veritable plethora of lines.

About the only other double KP opening good for White is the risky King's Gambit, a lot of the other double KP openings such as Italian Game, 2 Kts, 3 Kts, 4 Kts etc are far less dynamic and tend to be so over-analyzed by now that many of them are only good for equality as White or even less in many cases now, so the best shot at a lasting initiative after 1.e4 e5 is the good old RL.

A thorough understanding of the Spanish can go along way, I'm pretty sure that players like Aronian don't play perfect, but he has made the Marshall Gambit his main weapon against e4.  Thankfully most of my opponents don't play flawlessly and crush me on the white side of a ruy lopez.  If white just won automatically with the Ruy Lopez.  Nc6 would be dead and everyone would play a Petroff.

Many variations of the Ruy Lopez are easier to play as Black. It is White who has to play accurately to maintain his positional edge.

18.Ng5 is indeed the book move.  Many players would first think of 18.b3 to make the Black Queen Knight retreat.   The Black Queen Knight is the problem child for the Black in the Chigorin Variation.  After chasing the White bishop off the active b2-g8 diagonal, the queen knight must be able to transfer over to the Kingside in order to help defend against White's kingside play.  The major link for the queenknight is d7.  18.Ng5 is played before b3 to force the bishop to occupy d7.  Your idea of allowing the exchange on e6 is interesting, but I don't think  Black wants to have the f-file half open as his counter play is on the queenside.

 just to comment on your post i do like the idea of playing a side opening as you have described and i certainly understan that side openings have better control of the centre of the board which would control much of the game how ever im starting to gain interest in learning more of the ruy lopez and maybe the principals and theories behind the opening other than to gain control of the four centre squares.

It is well known that black has nothing to fear in Ruy Lopez.If I remember correctly it was Tartakower who first expressed that opinion and then others followed.Black has more than one ways to equalise and get a good game.

  That of course doesn't mean it's a bad opening.It's white's best try on 1.e4 e5 because it is a rich in options ,flexible and complex opening that gives axciting middle-game positions than can vary from open to closed.In some cases the positions are even more similar to King's Indian defense than in any other 1.e4 e5 opening. Some really great games have been played with Spanish opening.

Cool, But what you just said is stupid as "But a stronger player is going to crush the e4" Soo you are saying you are WORSE than your opponent?

Bro. THAT DAM MASTER PLAYED D3. THAT GAME DOESN'T DESERVE TO BE SHOWN EVER IN THE UNIVERSE

How the hell is this actually like something, According to MY book, Playing d5 is a horrible move as it will trade off the center pawn for the C pawn.