Ruy Lopez Opening

Hey everyone, Gambit here, and today's topic is the Ruy Lopez opening. the moves are:
 
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5.

A little info about it:
 The Ruy Lopez (also known as the Spanish Opening or Spanish Game) is one of the oldest and most analyzed openings in chess history. Most of the world's top players have adopted this rich opening as part of their repertoire, and many of them play it with both colors

The Ruy Lopez starts after the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5. White finishes the development of their kingside pieces and gets ready to castle short. The critical idea behind 3.Bb5, however, is to attack Black's c6-knight. White fights for the control of the central d4 and e5-squares and indirectly threatens the black e5-pawn by attacking its only defender.

 The starting position of the Ruy Lopez.
Although the Ruy Lopez is a flexible opening that can lead to tactical skirmishes, games usually develop into a long struggle for the center that spreads to an attack on the flanks. Since Black has a hard time getting an advantage in this opening, some people refer to it as the "Spanish Torture."

Pros
-It leads to very complex and multifaceted play
-It tends to give White long-term pressure
-White develops rapidly, and castles quickly
-There are good lines for both tactical and positional players

Cons
-It's difficult to learn its extensive theory
-Black has a vast number of defenses to choose from.

Variations
The Ruy Lopez is one of the most studied openings in chess. With all its most popular moves deeply analyzed by generations of elite players, the theory behind the Spanish Game grew to enormous proportions. Below you can find a list of some of the prevalent lines of the opening:

Main Line
The Main Line of the Ruy Lopez sees White positioning their pieces to prepare for a long struggle for central control. Black starts to fend off the white light-squared bishop with 3...a6. After White castles, the game can still take many different directions.

1.e4 e52. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4 f6 5.O-O e7

Closed Variation
In the Closed Variation, Black puts their dark-squared bishop on e7, usually inside the pawn chain. After Black's fifth move, play can continue in many different ways.

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7

Berlin Defense
The Berlin Defense is one of Black's most solid responses to the Ruy Lopez. Players usually go for an early queen exchange. Black accepts doubled pawns on the c-file and forfeits castling rights for the bishop pair and a solid position.

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6

Well, this has been Gambit with Back in the Outback, and I hope you either suggest a topic, or you make sure to read my next post. Cya!