Chess Openings - The Spanish Game (Ruy Lopez)
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1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 Nc6
3. Bb5
The Spanish Game is an attack for White out of the King's Knight Opening (1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6). White goes after the black knight that defends the centre pawn with a swift bishop strike: 3. Bb5. Development of this opening is credited to Ruy Lopez de Segura, a Spanish Priest from the 16th century (hence, the alternative name of the opening: The Ruy Lopez). In one of the earliest recorded chess analyses, he wrote a famous study on the opening in 1561. The Ruy Lopez is often considered to be one of the hardest Open Game attacks for black to defend.
The move 3. Bb5 is logical in that it attacks black's only defender of the e pawn. A little bit of theory is required here to clear up a common misconception about the opening. White can't win the e pawn with the simple 4. Bxc6. The continuation would run: 4... dxc6 5. Nxe5 Qd4. The queen move forks the pawn and knight, and leaves black with a good position. That being said, the Ruy Lopez Opening is very strong for white.
How Common is the Spanish Game?
Common at All Levels
The Spanish Game is very popular at all levels of play. White plays the Ruy Lopez out of the King's Knight Opening about 60% of the time. Because of this popularity, the opening has been studied extensively, leading to the development of a massive body of theory.