Introductory books on Ruy Lopez for intermediate players
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Nov 27, 2022
0
#3
Caruana's book is excellent for intermediate players, and more recent than the McDonald (which is also good but out of date in some lines). He emphasizes pracitcal lines to learn and keeps it concise, which is probably what you want. (For something more detailed, Swiercz's two-volume set is good.)
I say "Caruana's book" -- it's actually a transcription of a series of video lectures he gave, probably edited here and there. The format works well though.
tlay80 wrote:
Caruana's book is excellent for intermediate players, and more recent than the McDonald (which is also good but out of date in some lines). He emphasizes pracitcal lines to learn and keeps it concise, which is probably what you want. (For something more detailed, Swiercz's two-volume set is good.)
I say "Caruana's book" -- it's actually a transcription of a series of video lectures he gave, probably edited here and there. The format works well though.
Doesn't he recommend mostly d3 lines?
Nov 28, 2022
0
#5
No, it’s main lines. I think there might be a supplemental chapter on 5. d3 (not at home and can’t check right now), but most of the book is devoted to 5. 0-0 with 6 Re1, etc., and all the familiar lines that result from that. He does avoid the Marshall (8. a4) as well as the Berlin endgame (5. Re1), but so do most people these days. There are variations where he advocates something other than the traditional main line (e.g. an early d5 push in the Chigorin, but I gather that’s trendy now). But much of it would be familiar to people who learned the Ruy Lopez years ago.
A good combination of new and old, I’d say, and at just the right level of detail for club players, even strong ones. It’s also good in explaining strategic ideas and the basic points of each variation, which I wouldn’t necessarily expect from a top player like Caruana (who, in his own prep, probably spends more time thinking about the point of move 31 than the point of move 11.)
@1
"a book to quickly teach"
++ You cannot quickly teach Ruy Lopez, it takes many games to accumulate experience.
"would one of those two books be fine despite their age?"
++ Any book on openings is obsolete while being printed. Ruy Lopez is a popular opening and relevant games are being played with it as we speak. The best book is... a data base.
There is no one Ruy Lopez. There are many options for white as well as for black.
Black can go for the Berlin or the Marshall, but also for the Open Ruy Lopez, the Arkhangelsk, the Breyer, the Steinitz, the Delayed Steinitz, but also the Bird, the Cozio, the Smyslov, the Schliemann...
White can go for the anti-Berlin or the anti-Marshall, but also for the Exchange Variation, or the Delayed Exchange Variation.
Nov 29, 2022
0
#7
Databases don’t teach. They don’t explain *why* certain moves start to be seen. They don’t explain ideas. It’s true the OP is strong enough that there may come a point, after studying books, that they want to investigate the latest novelty on move 26. But that’s not what they’re asking for now. I’m not sure why you don’t trust the OP to know what would be a helpful format for them.
And I’m not sure what the point of your last comment is, beyond pedantry. Yes, there are many variations. Books cover them.
You seem very annoyed at a very normal question, for reasons I’m having a hard time fathoming.
Nov 29, 2022
0
#8
tlay80 wrote:
No, it’s main lines. I think there might be a supplemental chapter on 5. d3 (not at home and can’t check right now)
I just checked, and there's nothing on 5. d3. The supplemental chapter I'm thinking of is a brief chapter on answering the classical setup (7 ... d6) with 8. a4. It's brief because in most cases this will transpose to his anti-Marshall chapter (against 7 ... 0-0, he also recommends 8. a4), so it's really just a few pages on independent lines in case you want to try this in order to avoid main line theory.
pfren wrote:
Check for an old book (1993, reprinted AFAIK once circa 1995) by GM Daniel King, named "Mastering the Spanish". No real theory in it, just structures, plans and stock tactics. It is excellent for intermediate players.
Another good idea is reading what @tygxc is suggesting, and doing something different.
Why would you agree with someone who says "any book on openings is obsolete on printing"? Why would anyone in their right mind agree with that statement?
It would be like saying any book on cats is obsolete on printing - because if you were some big researcher there might be things you would need new material on cats to know. It's a farcical statement and he's been saying it for years. If he's so against verbal explanations and arguments then why is he posting and reading here?
Now don't get me wrong, I'm aware of the opening book scam industry as much as anyone is, what I am saying is just dismissing every book on openings like that is beyond ridiculous.
Obsolete doesn't mean out of date, which it wouldn't be anyway for 99.9999% of players, obsolete means pointless. What's pointless are his posts.
Dec 1, 2022
0
#10
wids88 wrote:
Ruy Lopez Move by Move. Neil McDonald 2011
Thank you, I'll look for some reviews on that one. Have you studied it, what did you think?
Dec 1, 2022
0
#11
tlay80 wrote:
Caruana's book is excellent for intermediate players, and more recent than the McDonald (which is also good but out of date in some lines). He emphasizes pracitcal lines to learn and keeps it concise, which is probably what you want. (For something more detailed, Swiercz's two-volume set is good.)
I say "Caruana's book" -- it's actually a transcription of a series of video lectures he gave, probably edited here and there. The format works well though.
Thank you for the recommendation. I actually disregarded Caruana's book after having read that it's just a transcription, by someone else, of his DVD lecture series. Have you studied the book, does it actually do well in that format? Practical and concise lines, as well as strategic ideas and the basic points, is definitely something I'm looking for.
Dec 1, 2022
0
#12
tygxc wrote:
@1
"a book to quickly teach"
++ You cannot quickly teach Ruy Lopez, it takes many games to accumulate experience.
"would one of those two books be fine despite their age?"
++ Any book on openings is obsolete while being printed. Ruy Lopez is a popular opening and relevant games are being played with it as we speak. The best book is... a data base.
There is no one Ruy Lopez. There are many options for white as well as for black.
Black can go for the Berlin or the Marshall, but also for the Open Ruy Lopez, the Arkhangelsk, the Breyer, the Steinitz, the Delayed Steinitz, but also the Bird, the Cozio, the Smyslov, the Schliemann...
White can go for the anti-Berlin or the anti-Marshall, but also for the Exchange Variation, or the Delayed Exchange Variation.
Database learning sounds like the other end of the trade-off spectrum from what I'm looking for. Do you think database-study and playing games is the best approach to learning the Ruy Lopez?
Dec 1, 2022
0
#13
pfren wrote:
Check for an old book (1993, reprinted AFAIK once circa 1995) by GM Daniel King, named "Mastering the Spanish". No real theory in it, just structures, plans and stock tactics. It is excellent for intermediate players.
Another good idea is reading what @tygxc is suggesting, and doing something different.
Thank you, for sure I would have not looked into a 30 years old book had you not recommended it. Starting out with high-level plans and structures sounds great for my purposes.
Dec 1, 2022
0
#14
timnf wrote:
tlay80 wrote:
Caruana's book is excellent for intermediate players, and more recent than the McDonald (which is also good but out of date in some lines). He emphasizes pracitcal lines to learn and keeps it concise, which is probably what you want. (For something more detailed, Swiercz's two-volume set is good.)
I say "Caruana's book" -- it's actually a transcription of a series of video lectures he gave, probably edited here and there. The format works well though.
Thank you for the recommendation. I actually disregarded Caruana's book after having read that it's just a transcription, by someone else, of his DVD lecture series. Have you studied the book, does it actually do well in that format? Practical and concise lines, as well as strategic ideas and the basic points, is definitely something I'm looking for.
Yes, I’ve been spending time with it lately and have been surprised at how well the idea worked out. I guess the original DVDs must have been exceptionally good and “book-like.”
@14
"Database learning sounds like the other end of the trade-off spectrum from what I'm looking for. " ++ It is not so much data base learning, but rather study of grandmaster games.
"Do you think database-study and playing games is the best approach to learning the Ruy Lopez?" ++ Yes. Study grandmaster games with it. Learn from the best. Play games and analyse your own lost games. Contrary to books your own games will stick in your memory.
The Ruy Lopez is heavily played, e.g. in the last World Championship matches and in the last Candidates' Tournaments. Many new ideas have emerged that cannot be covered by printed books written before.
https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=2134533
If you like old books, then I would recommend 200 Open Games - Bronstein.
Hi! I've decided to learn the Ruy Lopez as White. I'm an intermediate player (Fide Elo 2000) but have never played the Ruy Lopez, so I'm looking for a book to quickly teach me enough to start playing it in serious over-the-board games.
The only two I've found, excluding huge repertoire tomes, are "Starting Out: the Ruy Lopez" (Shaw & Palliser 2003) and "Easy Guide to the Ruy Lopez" (Emms 1999). However, 20 years seems like a long time. Are there any more recent books that could work for me? Or would one of those two books be fine despite their age?