The Modernized Open Ruy Lopez

En oppdatert seriøs gjennomgang av hvordan spille Åpen Spansk (Ruy Lopez) per høsten 2021. Systemet starter som kjent med 1 e4 e5 2 Sf3 Sc6 3 Lb5 a6 4 La4 Sf6 5 0-0 Sxe4 og normalt 6 d4 b5 7 Lb3 d5 8 dxe5 Le6.

Starten på forfatterens forord:

The positions arising from the Open Spanish contain ideas so different from the usual Ruy Lopez that I sometimes wonder whether it should really be considered part of it at all. It is an open game with unbalanced structures and sharp play but compared to the Sicilian, for instance, for which the previous description would also apply, there is an important difference; there is a certain degree of stability and solidity in the Open Spanish which distinguishes it from the sharper realms of the Sicilian and puts this line in its own unique category of opening ideas.

The popularity of this line increased significantly after the famous 1978 KarpovKorchnoi match where Korchnoi played it and demonstrated many interesting ideas. Still, the line never became fully mainstream until quite recently when I noticed an increased level of attention towards it. It is a practical line as it comes at a very early stage of the opening; White can’t avoid it once they have committed to the Ruy Lopez. That is quite a large advantage of the Open Variation compared to others. For example in the the Marshall Attack, another response to the Spanish about which I have previously written a book, White has numerous ways to avoid the line entirely and so there is a whole other branch of Anti-Marshall theory which Black must study too. Here this is not the case.

Innhold:

006 Preface

Chapter 1 - Alternatives to 9.c3

Chapter 2 - 9.c3 Bc5 - Various

Chapter 3 - 9.c3 Bc5 with 11 ... Nxf2

Chapter 4 - 9.c3 Be7 10.Nbd2 Nc5 - Various

Chapter 5 - 9.c3 Be7 10.Nbd2 Nc5 with 15.b4

Chapter 6 - 9.c3 Be7 10.Nbd2 Nc5 with 15.Be3

Chapter 7 - 9.c3 Be7 10.Nbd2 0-0 - Various

Chapter 8 - 9.c3 Be7 10.Nbd2 0-0 with 15.Nxe6