One of the oldest and richest openings in chess, the Ruy López rewards deep understanding over memorisation. Named after the 16th-century Spanish priest Ruy López de Segura, this opening begins with 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5.
The Main Line
After 3...a6 4.Ba4, Black has several options. The Morphy Defence (4...Nf6) is the most popular continuation.
Why Play It?
The Ruy López teaches fundamental concepts: piece development, center control, and the importance of pawn structure.