Try the berlin wall, 3. ... Nf6!
Defending against the Ruy Lopez
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Anything will work at your level, as long as you are comfortable with it. What kind of positions do you like? Open? Closed? How about endgames? If you let us know what type of game you are looking for it will be easier to recommend something.
the Moller Ruy Lopez
Like BigTy said, it is difficult to recommend anything specific without knowing what type of positions you prefer. But if you prefer an open game why not try Bird's 3...Nd4, while a good closed approach is Smyslov's system (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 h6).
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BaXeD wrote:
I guess my rating would be about 1000 uscf, as i am practically even with my friend who does have a uscf, and i was wondering what a good defense vs. the ruy lopez would be. I always have trouble playing against it and have tried various things. any tips?
My guess is that it would be sufficient for now to get an overview of possibilities by looking at Starting Out: Ruy Lopez by John Shaw (2003).
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627024240/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen53.pdf
Maybe later, you would want to look at a book on one of many specific possibilities:
Play 1 e4 e5! by Nigel Davies (2006)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140626201436/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen80.pdf
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627083715/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen98.pdf
The Ruy Lopez: A Guide for Black by Sverre Johnsen and Leif Johannessen (2007)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627023224/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen94.pdf
A Spanish Repertoire for Black by Mihail Marin (2007)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140626195205/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen102.pdf
The Berlin Wall by John Cox (2008)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627050257/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen115.pdf
Attacking the Spanish by Sabino Brunello (2009)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627105306/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen124.pdf
The Ruy Lopez Revisited by Ivan Sokolov (2009)
http://dev.jeremysilman.com/shop/pc/Ruy-Lopez-Revisited-The-p3765.htm
Fighting the Ruy Lopez by Milos Pavlovic (2009)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627105306/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen124.pdf
Slay the Spanish by Timothy Taylor (2011)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627040230/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen146.pdf
The Kaufman Repertoire for Black & White by Larry Kaufman (2012)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140626221508/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen162.pdf
The Berlin Defence by Igor Lysyj & Roman Ovetchkin (2012)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627104938/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen159.pdf
Grandmaster Repertoire 13 – The Open Spanish by V. Mikhalevski (2013)
http://reviews.dailychess.org/grandmaster-repertoire-13-the-open-spanish-qualitychess-by-v-mikhalevski/
Anti-Spanish. The Cozio Defence by Alexey Dreev (2014)
Bologan's Ruy Lopez for Black by Victor Bologan (2015)
http://www.chessiq.com/review-of-bologans-ruy-lopez-for-black/
Playing 1.e4 e5: A Classical Repertoire by Nikolaos Ntirlis
Feb 1, 2016
0
#12
There are other ways to play it/it doesn't really matter, but black gets quick development and the game is interesting
Feb 1, 2016
0
#13
If you play 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6, then you'll be sidestepping the Ruy Lopez for Philidor's Defense.
Morphy defence?
John Emms’ Book “First Steps: 1.e4 e5” is a good book and covers some mainlines of the Ruy Lopez.
He recommends 3...a6 for low-level players like myself playing the Black side, followed by:
A) 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.0-0 Bg4
B) 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 b5 6.Bb3 Bc5
He recommends 3...a6 for low-level players like myself playing the Black side, followed by:
A) 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.0-0 Bg4
B) 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 b5 6.Bb3 Bc5
Sep 10, 2018
0
#16
Start with a classic in the Ruy Lopez: The Steinitz Defense. The first three world champions played it often.
zBorris wrote:
If you
play 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6, then you'll be sidestepping the Ruy Lopez for Philidor's Defense.
the best game of mine in the ruy lopez
the funniest game of mine
dannyhume wrote:
John Emms’ Book “First Steps: 1.e4 e5” ...
https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/7790.pdf
I guess my rating would be about 1000 uscf, as i am practically even with my friend who does have a uscf, and i was wondering what a good defense vs. the ruy lopez would be. I always have trouble playing against it and have tried various things. any tips?