It saves you time if your only goal is to put the bishop on that diagonal, but if that's your only goal, you'd be playing a very short-sighted Ruy.
It also saves your opponent a bunch of time too since he doesn't have to play a6 and other Ruy moves.
It's just a different opening.
The queenside pawns often become a target later on for white's a2-a4 break. Just because black has space there, doesn't necessarily mean he won't have problems. The Bishop on b3 is better placed than on c4 because if black gets d5 in, than it won't gain a tempo on the bishop. For this reason, as well as others, it is much easier for white to get pawns on e4 and d4 than it is in other king pawn openings like the italian.
Black does win games in all openings you know.
If you think it's always good to play a3 and b4 (and a6 and b5), you're wrong. In fact part of the idea behind the ruy lopez is to put enough pressure on e5 (because of the pin) to compell ...a6 and ...b5. It's more likely in the position for those pawns to be targets via an a4 move. Maybe in the future if the center is closed they will be good, but it's far from clear if that will ever happen. How is it really gaining tmepo if you're giving something your opponent wants, like a target? And as it turns out, white can eventually play d4 without making a big concession, and that's just not how it works with 3 Bc4.
If you think it's always good to play a3 and b4 (and a6 and b5), you're wrong. In fact part of the idea behind the ruy lopez is to put enough pressure on e5 (because of the pin) to compell ...a6 and ...b5. It's more likely in the position for those pawns to be targets via an a4 move. Maybe in the future if the center is closed they will be good, but it's far from clear if that will ever happen. How is it really gaining tmepo if you're giving something your opponent wants, like a target? And as it turns out, white can eventually play d4 without making a big concession, and that's just not how it works with 3 Bc4.
Partially, but it's not as though black is constantly gasping for air in the Ruy Lopez (assuming a real variation is played).
The queenside pawns can be a blessing.
I'm just saying the pawns being there overall favor white. But yes the queenside pawns CAN be a blessing, but they're certainly not in the current position. Black's position appears quite solid, but it seems that it's harder for him to make an active plan than it is white, so I never enjoyed playing the black side. In fact that's what made me abandon ...e5.
I'm just saying the pawns being there overall favor white. But yes the queenside pawns CAN be a blessing, but they're certainly not in the current position. Black's position appears quite solid, but it seems that it's harder for him to make an active plan than it is white, so I never enjoyed playing the black side. In fact that's what made me abandon ...e5.
I play e5. But you certainly seem to be at whites mercy with that choice.
I'm not saying don't play ...e5, because it's perfectly good, but I can see why they call it spanish torture as when I used to play ...e5 (granted, this was against people stronger than me) I just felt like a dog being tortured. And not only that, but I have to be ready for any of white's tricks in any double king pawn opening. Not for a person who doesn't like ultra sharp positions or where it's hard to find plans! But that was a long time ago.
I'm not saying don't play ...e5, because it's perfectly good, but I can see why they call it spanish torture as when I used to play ...e5 (granted, this was against people stronger than me) I just felt like a dog being tortured. And not only that, but I have to be ready for any of white's tricks in any double king pawn opening. Not for a person who doesn't like ultra sharp positions or where it's hard to find plans! But that was a long time ago.
No I agree with you. I'm taking up The Alekhines defense ASAP.
Everyone says that the Ruy Lopez is so popular because it is so rich in theory... but for whom?
Everybody says that the bishop becomes so powerful on b3 controlling that diagonal, and they are right. But he chases our bishop there, and gets queenside space, and develops all at the same time. So why not put the bishop there in the first place?
Here we just put the bishop on that diagonal in the first place. Saves us a lot of time. What do you think?