Open Ruy Lopez, Flear Glenn - download book

   The Open variation of the Ruy Lopez (or Spanish) starts with the moves 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Nxe4

   What is the big attraction of the variation for Black?

   The Open attracts players of all styles: Korchnoi is a prolific analyst and practitioner of the Open and by nature a provocative, counter-attacking player. Timman is more of a aggressive tactical player who is attracted to the more critical lines (and like the other great Dutchman before him, Max Euwe, he is happy and willing to play the Open with either colour), whereas Yusupov is a more cautious positional player.

   Some lines of the Open involve long, forcing tactical variations; others careful manoeuvring. In the DUworth variation Black even takes the gamble of giving up two active minor pieces for a modest rook and pawn in order to wrest the initiative from White's grasp. Overall in the following pages we shall see a rich family of variations with something for everyone.

   In some opening books, the author tries to hype their choice of opening by pointing out 'surprise value', 'attacking chances', 'easy for the opponent to go wrong' or whatever. None of these claims hold much water if the opening is not fundamentally sound and robust against best play.

   A statistical analysis of a large database shows that the Open scores an average percentage (44%) with an average length of 38 moves per game. Fair enough, but this is hardly a persuasive argument! It is more significant that whereas manv active lines in the Ruy Lopez come and go with fashion or the latest novelty, the Open remains, year in, year out, a popular option among the top players, providing interesting games, active play and winning chances, while at the same time being positionally rock-solid.

Author: Flear Glenn
Title: "Open Ruy Lopez"
Released: 2000
Format: djvu
Quality: good
Number of pages: 161
Size: 4 Mb