Playing the Ruy Lopez Exchange variation

Hi all, I am having some difficulty playing against the RLE. Move order typically starts out with 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. 0-0 I usually go with either 5... Qd6 or 5...Qf6, where games are usually pretty equal. I have tried 5...f6 and 5...Bd6, but I did not really like them. Besides the exchange, I usually go into Chigorin/Classical lines My problem is that in these positions, you have to stay still and try to keep it equal. I have a personality that leans more towards attacking, and am looking for a way to create complications. I tried looking through some databases, and played against the computer, but I have not found anything creative or novel that could add some flavor to the Ruy Lopez Exchange. Does anybody have any ideas? Any crazy pawn or exchange sacs to try out?

If you like attacking, you could avoid the RLE entirely and play the Schliemann Defense

That's 3. f5

I said I go into Chigorin/Classical closed lines when I don't play RLE. I don't want to play Schliemann.

this is some AWFUL analysis i made when I was like 1400 lol but maybe you can pick up some ideas 

 

Anyway, personally I stopped playing e4 e5 because I couldn't handle the exchange variation of the Ruy Lopez

5...Ne7 is ok. It does not need to go into a draw with the exchange of queens. Nc3 might be preferred over 11.c3. 11. d4 or d3 would also need to be looked at. The line you give is ok. Checking it out 5...Ne7 can potentially lead to something interesting. 

White does not usually play 5.Nc3 or 5.d3. The main alternative is 5. Qe2.

Where did you find 5...Ne7? Were you moving pieces around or were you taking the idea from a historical game?

Well I did some stuff on 5. nc3 and d3 because that was what I was facing a lot at the 1300 range

as for 5. ne7, I was looking at the explorer, looking for a less known response to the exchange and 5. ne7 popped up and apparently has a decent win rate for black while still not being completely unknown. It's been played a few hundred times and I liked the 7. g6  8. bg7 idea as I thought the queenside pressure that the Kingside Fianchetto for black creates would compliment my Catalan repertoire (not to mention that 7. g6 attacks the queen with tempo). After 8. bg7, both 9. nf3 and 9. nd3 have been played, but I think that 9. nf3 is more natural for white, and black has a really good win rate after 9. nf3. 5. ne7 also permits black to eventually take back the pawn on e4 without the threat of re1 and the loss of a queen for black (if that makes sense)

Of course, I was terrible back then and I'm playing like an idiot so far today so take my advice with a grain of salt

Actually, here's an interesting continuation for the g6 bg7 line I gave that's been played a reasonable amount before

Of course, white can trade queens on a lot of occasions but I really like black's position after 16.  0-0-0

 

 

 5...Ne7 works out and seems like a good idea! Nobody cares about the win rate with a little over a hundred games because the sample size is too small, and I don't need to take the advice with a grain of salt. 

For reference, here are two example games:

The last game is from the 1993 Candidates final between two strong players. Bronstein has played it a few times to varying success. I like it, and will try it out in my own games.

yes, this line is interesting me now that I look at it again haha. I might have to do some more analysis later and see if there's a "refutation" but unlike most double Fianchetto systems, this particular line seems very aggressive from black. 

Only advice I can give is to try to keep an open mind.

You want..."flavor"

It reminds me of those that play the Slav and consider the exchange "boring" and "drawish".

As Black, haven't you accomplished something by doing that in the opening?

Look over your 5...Qf6 games

I find the Ruy Lopez annoying to play against. I tried it a few times when I played e4 but never fell in love with it. So I play d4 with the Queen's Gambit and I play the French to avoid those annoying Spanish players

https://www.chess.com/forum/view/chess-openings/what-is-the-idea-of-5ne7-in-ruy-lopez-exchange

it's nice to hear that the World Champion plays the line I surfaced at 1300 lol

Since you already tried out a lot of the options on move 5, you could take a look at 5...Bg4, the other popular 5th move. As for 5...Ne7, I think it's very playable, but maybe not as popular due to 8.Nf3 which is a little annoying.

 

8. Nf3 is fine to deal with. After 8...Qxe4, the two main moves for white are 9. Qa5 and 9. Nc3. Nc3 looks like it goes into a complicated endgame, and Qa5 gives white plenty of options with how to proceed the game.

Yes, it isn't winning for white or anything, it just could be annoying to deal with. But if you're comfortable playing that endgame after 9.Nc3 gxh5, then playing 5...Ne7 seems like a good choice. I do think that 9...Qf5 is the better move, which you also mentioned, and after 10.Qh4 Bg7 11.Re1 Be6 12.d3 Qg4 13.Qg5 the position is OK for black, I'm not sure if it's completely equal however.