I Don't Understand Ruy Lopez Positions

As Black I often reach the position after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bc4. As far as I know White plays this to get a position with pawns on e4 and d4. I haven't been successful in trying to play against White's strategy by playing ...d5 at some point so I came to the conclusion that I had to try and play against these pawns with the kind of c5-d6-e5 pawn structure that appears in the Ruy Lopez.

Unfortunately I don't really understand what both sides are trying to do after this pawn structure appears and I have trouble finding a plan in my games. Here is what I think is the normal way to play. If things are off I'm open to corrections:

I'm not sure how to continue here. It looks like White will play h3 and d4 next and I'm not sure how to play with that kind of position at all. I'm not really happy with something like 13...Na5 14.Bc2 Nc6 15.Bb3 either lol. 

Your move order given is actually Philidor Defense....not Ruy Lopez. Ruy Lopez is 1. e4 e5, 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 .....Blacks move next leads to various Ruy Lopez variations.

Yeah I know. I was asking about what Black should be doing in these kind of positions. I don't know if this pawn structure has another name but I always see it in the Ruy Lopez.

The pawn structure is similar also to closed versions of the Giuoco Piano and the Bishops Opening.

Judit Polgar got your starting position against Kramnik once - it's a fairly rare line that transposes from a number of different e4 e5 positions. The game is here: http://www.chess.com/games/view?id=777181#

Basically, Kramnik defended actively by blowing open the queenside, Judit grabbed the c file and began counterplay, and the whole thing exploded, both players began to attack at the same time, and it ended with a perpetual check. So this line may be sharper than it appears at first blush.

In terms of Ruy Lopez positions, yours would appear to be more akin to some older lines in the Berlin (as opposed to the Morphy with ...a6 ...b5), so you may want to go there for salvation. I dropped this FEN into the database - again, it's a rare line, but there ARE games

This game is Carlsen v. Annand in 2010 - which Annad won with black won http://www.chess.com/games/view?id=13114698

Annand - like Judit Polgar - played on the c file and fought to open the position. He simplified to a superior ending which Magnus was obliged to sacrifice a piece in order to hold - but Annand's piece power and pawn majority won in short order. So, there you go - a loud draw and a quiet win. Make of them what you will. I hope this is some help. 

Me too

Thanks these are great games. I figured these positions could lead to a lot of complications.

Yeah, I often feel like I'm guessing too.  Ruy positions are difficult, and play can happen all over the board, and for either player, although white tends to be more center and kingside while black tends to be more center and queenside.

So as white you're often considering ideas like d4 (you can capture a black pawn on e5 or c5, push to d5, or leave the tension depending on the position).  Also kingside piece play with e.g. a knight on f5 and sacrifice around the enemy king, or kingside pawn play with e.g. h3, g4, f4, (the knights dance around to move out of the way like h3 then Nh2).

Against black's a6 b5 c5 c4 space stuff white often hits with a4 and pressure on those light squares / the pawns on those light squares.  White's kingside pressure is sometimes not too dangerous either, so you often get a tense maneuvering middlegame with difficulties on both sides (and possibly in the middle too) for both players.

Although really, you shouldn't quite believe anything you read here, those are just my general thoughts.  The positions are so varied and so complicated really you'd want a GM coach to work you through all of it.

In those kinds of positions black almost always expands on the queenside with his pawns, and usually pressures white's e4 with pieces while holding strong his e5.

In the modern steinitz Ruy (a6 then d6 with Bd7) Black often has kingside expansion ideas with an eventual f5.