Ruy Lopez Chess Opening Explained in 10 Minutes [TRAPS Included]

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All the world chess champions had one thing in common; they all played the Ruy Lopez chess opening (also known as the Spanish Opening or Spanish Game). It occurs after the opening moves 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5. It is one of the most popular chess openings.
In this video lesson, GM Igor Smirnov teaches you how to play the Ruy Lopez as White and the best ways to counter Black in different variations, including the Morphy Defense, Steinitz Defense, Modern Steinitz Defense, Bird Variation, and more.
You will learn the aggressive variations for White that are filled with nasty traps.
▬▬▬▬▬▬
► Chapters
00:00 Ruy Lopez Chess Opening for White
01:04 1) If Black plays 6...Bg4
02:40 2) If Black plays 6...Nf6
03:26 Fried Liver Attack in Ruy Lopez?
04:20 3) 3...d6, Steinitz Defense
05:59 4) 3...Nd4, Bird Variation
07:57 5) Morphy Defense, Mackenzie Variation
11:11 6) Black's best response (for advanced players)
13:12 Quiz: Puzzle of the day
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#IgorNation #ChessOpenings #RuyLopez #ChessTraps #OpeningTraps

[@GMIgorSmirnov]

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[@R.Akerman-oz1tf]

Question) @1:14 Ba4-b3. If Knt) c6-a5...sac Bish or B-d5? Then c7-c6 attacks Bish... I'm kinda lost here.

[@samadithvimanshaka]

For the puzzle, I think it's a queen sac. Qxh7 after Kxh7, Rh5 is checkmate.

[@christopherstokes9393]

Yep, Anastasia's Mate :) !

[@ItIsYouAreNotYour]

Nice catch! I oddly was having problems with this one. I was looking everywhere but the queen sacrificed haha.

[@Johan1991100]

Nice I didn't think of that

[@357Bullseye]

Chk mate

[@clashroyalgameplay2077]

How can knight go to h7 it's is on e7

[@GMIgorSmirnov]

► Chapters 00:00 Ruy Lopez Chess Opening for White 01:04 1) If Black plays 6...Bg4 02:40 2) If Black plays 6...Nf6 03:26 Fried Liver Attack in Ruy Lopez? 04:20 3) 3...d6, Steinitz Defense 05:59 4) 3...Nd4, Bird Variation 07:57 5) Morphy Defense, Mackenzie Variation 11:11 6) Black's best response (for advanced players) 13:12 Quiz: Puzzle of the day

[@pat57132]

13:19 To complete White’s attack, you sacrifice your queen by capturing the pawn on h7. Then, after the king takes your queen, you deliver a beautiful checkmate-known as Anastasia’s Mate-by swinging your rook over to h5.

[@mahaveerhirawat7323]

noice

[@CastlesKingSide]

Puzzle solution: 1.Q:h7 K:h7 2.Rh5

[@contextinvideos]

just recently got into chess, and for some reason the ruy lopez opening infuriates me to my core every time i see that bishop threaten my knight. it feels like i play the exact same opening every single bullet game and its gotten me so desensitized to other openings that if my enemy plays something else my brain malfunctions for a good 5 seconds. i have even started premoving the entire ruy lopez opening up to taking the bishop when they take my knight 400 elo rating just to clarify

[@Sam-w1y]

I don't recommend bullet for new players tho

[@HonestMan07]

Can someone wish me a happy birthday? Today is my special day, but the loneliness is overwhelming. There's no one to share this day with, no one to surprise me with a cake. A deep sadness has settled in my heart. I'm not sure why I'm writing this here, maybe just to share my feelings and find a bit of comfort, as they say talking about our troubles can help.

[@peterbago4574]

Happy birthday. Also please know all days are just the same. I will turn 43 in 4 days. I will celebrate with family, I have people around but to be honest it doesn't mean a thing. It is just a day. Good things happen to some people. Bad things happen to some other. Actually know what? Life starts 9 month earlier that's when you're created. So please worry not about this day it is not something special and of special meaning.

[@GMIgorSmirnov]

Happy Birthday! 🎂 I know it might not feel like it right now, but life has a way of surprising us with its ups and downs.

[@HonestMan07]

@@GMIgorSmirnov Oh my god! I literally didn't expect my idol GM Egor to wish me for my birthday... What else do I need... Thank you so so much Egor.... I will remember it forever...

[@Tetfima]

I'm 4 months late but happy birthday I hope you enjoy this year and age you seem just from this comment alone that you're a great person and someone I'd love to know! 🔥🩵

[@sj001]

Im 5 months late but happy birth Year 😅

[@user-uk9er5vw4c]

awesome video, there's a lot to digest but it looks fun

[@itsiqbalgaming]

A variety of fun ideas covered in this video. Thank you for an entertaining video Igor!

[@breakermike6887]

I'm always amazed when I'm trying to practice an opening That absolutely nothing that was explained to me ever comes into play ever

[@somakarpati9847]

You could do a dutch defense video, its relatively rare and unique so most opponents would be unprepared

[@jasonuerkvitz3756]

Anastasia's mate. Qxh7+, Kxh7, Rh5# Thanks for this lesson, Coach. This makes this game a bit more clear between Morphy and Andersen I was looking at recently: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d4 Nxd4 5. Nxd4 exd4 6. e5 c6 7. O-O cxb5 8. Bg5 Be7 9. exf6 Bxf6 10. Bxf6 Qxf6 11. Re1+ Kf8 12. c3 d5 13. cxd4 Be6 14. Nc3 a6 15. Re5 Rd8 16. Qb3 Qe7 17. Rae1 g5 18. R1e3 Rg8 19. Qd1 Qf6 20. Rxe6 *

[@minhdao-nn7ho]

Very informative Igor. Thank you

[@DavidEmerling79]

At 8:16, when white plays 5.d4 for this "more aggressive approach," it is *white* who can stumble into a trap after 5...exd4, 6.Nxd4?. This is the famous Noah's Ark Trap. 6...Nxd4 Qxd4, 7.c5 Q-moves, 8. c4 and white's bishop is trapped. It's worth mentioning that *white* can also stumble in the early stages of the Ruy Lopez.

[@sugarpoyon2077]

Thank you for pointing at this, I didn't saw the resemblance with the Noah's Ark

[@robertfakename9530]

Thanks for leaving a puzzle for us at the end. A nice one too.

[@ankitjain-bo5rh]

1.Qxh7+ Kxh7 (forced move). 2.Rh5# ( Knight covers escape on g6 or g8, and nothing can stop the rook or block the check.

[@twentyrothmans7308]

Qxh7+ Kxh7 Rh5 ++ Thank you, as always, Igor!

[@Gongo70]

Great video! At 08:18 you previously recommended Qe2, the Wormald attack, but in this video you mention d4, the Mackenzie variation. Which of these lines do you recommend to your viewers?

[@LeviSiccard]

The puzzle is basically Anastasia's checkmate. Very nice variation! Thanks Igor! for expanding my Ruy Lopez repertoire and making it a real torture!🙂

[@ZacD]

Thanks for this video, this is exactly what I wanted, now let's see who remembers them !

[@GMIgorSmirnov]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@SuperRoss33]

Wow thank you for sharing

[@lynnsky2137]

Questions 1. If there is Ruy lopez opening then why there isn't Jennifer lopez opening? 2. If there is fried liver attack , then why there isn't heart attack ? 3. If there is bird's variation , then why there isn't animal variation ? 🤔🤔🤔

[@Kanekikun007]

And he sacrifices his queeeeeeen

[@camdowg]

Thank you for saying it the correct way

[@neoetude]

Thank you for this great video! This is really helpful! :D

[@GMIgorSmirnov]

Glad it was helpful!

[@andreyvstaroselskiy]

13:18 you sack the queen on h7 and slide the rook on h5 for mate! Beautiful!

[@davidbatchelder85]

what I have found, black moves the knight to d4 right away hitting the knight and the bishop. Disrupting all aspects of the formation. What should one do in this case

[@lars-christianheinz6902]

Thanks. Anastasia's mate. So brutal and beautiful.

[@gm2407]

1.Qxh7+ kxh7 (only move). 2.Rh5# ( the knight prevents escape on g6 or g8, the king is to far from the rook to take and nothing can take the rook or block the check.

[@AGUNGKAYA]

king to g7?

[@gm2407]

​@@AGUNGKAYA The g7 square is occupied by the black pawn, so the black king can't take it.

[@AGUNGKAYA]

@@gm2407 i see . But the more I setup or plan to force mate, it mostly fail. I just checkmate by accident 😅

[@gm2407]

@@AGUNGKAYA Can't force what isn't there. Just set problems that are difficult to solve. Once they fall into forced mate you need to see it though. The more threats someone has to consider the harder it is to defend them all

[@gosilankrishnan8025]

At 04:16 , what if the black king goes to e6 to defend the knight? How to respond to that?

[@odio_stationofficial3420]

nice question

[@Daniel-qx1nm]

Nc3 to add pressure. Note that the king is in the middle of the board and can’t castle.

[@icetroll734]

Queen sacrifice, very nice

[@bloodmoney88]

Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you very much.

[@nimascolari1508]

The issue I always have is when black moves the bishop to e7. The exchange leaves white in a tough situation and difficult to recover from.

[@davidbatchelder85]

never mind, you answered it wonderful

[@peterbago4574]

You say some funny stuff, but usually not in the first ten seconds. So I vote this the best intro you have done in these videos. 😅

[@RedBarnAcademy]

5:55 You have to move the bishop into battery with the Queen after the King moves out of check, otherwise you can lose your knight. Would've been better if he just went 2 more moves on that one to show how it works, but he probably assumes you're going to look over the whole board.

[@akashnarayanraozol9871]

13:12 1. Qxh7+ Kxh7 is forced then Rh5#

[@tonyjames1980]

Thank you for sharing this

[@EmileMondou-fp6tt]

I dont know this academy, but I want to know it!

[@katis999]

Thank you very much

[@OlegCapovani]

Amazing, thanks Igor

[@dashingwithvon7870]

Queen sac at the end for the checkmate in two 🤟🏾

[@ElloJayMusic]

13:15 sacrifice Queen. (checks king) 5h7h King takes white queen. 8h7h Move rook to 5e5h (check mate)

[@boddu]

For the puzzle is it qxh7 after kxh7, rh5 that is checkmate🎉

[@vladislavshevchenko634]

With due respect, Igor, fried liver attack with the knight sacrifice line is objectively better for black if black finds or knows all the Stockfisch moves, they are just a piece up for example I personally go for traxler now, but I used to play into fried liver, knight sacrifice as black.

[@user-qc9cd5iz3l]

07:01 isnt queen h5 better? Please reply fast I am going to play with my friend and I have betted my lunch money

[@CombatzX]

7:51 what if king goes e7?

[@beaconite4249]

If he goes to e7 then white can play Qe5+ and force the king to f7. Then he plays Qe5+ and picks off the rook in the corner anyway. Just one move later.

[@cupihealth]

sacrifice the queen in last one

[@sumeetkushwaha6488]

In 5:52 how it is winning position?

[@RedBarnAcademy]

Agreed, he skipped how to "exchange queens". Not seeing it. The king can take the knight after moving out of check.

[@lmangoi3074]

Anastasia's Mate aka Magnus's fav mate

[@advitmahipati1728]

1. Qxh7+ Kxh7 2. Rh5#

[@alex16cole]

Very good

[@ohyeahohyeah1071]

While facing this opening as black, after e4 e5; Nf6 Nc3; Bb5, I usually play Bc5 because most of my opponents take the knight. If they take, I recapture with the d pawn, and if they then take my e pawn, I play Qd4, threatening mate in 1. Unless someone finds Nd3, which makes their position worse, they either get mated or lose a knight

[@MohitKumar-jf8lz]

At 2.07 what if blsck captures our knight with his knight?

[@johnalexwallwall]

The puzzle at the end, took me a sec but its a queen sac, then move the rook over in its place. Check mate 😊

[@AGUNGKAYA]

thinking fast, I'll go rook to E4. Because in situation where underpressure we never think like this 😂 . Fight with time

[@jakit0556]

qh7 rh5 beautiful sac but i immediately wouldve went for the fork due to the pin

[@blackice6505]

Thanks🙏🙏🙏🙏❤️❤️❤️

[@sahitinalam8875]

At 4:16 wt if black king move to e6

[@davidbatchelder85]

sacrifice the queen, Qh7 check, king takes h7 Rh5 #

[@user-dy1vf7lu3i]

Guys for the last puzzle. What if black didn’t play d6? What if he played g6? Then what

[@TauraPramuditya]

sac the queen, and rh5

[@krestwoodb]

Not sure if it was luck or what but first game I tried this and in 12 moves I was up 22 points lol. Granted I am 500 elo LOL edit: now i have won 10 games in a row lmao. This opening is OP.

[@paulmacariola10]

Qh7+ kxh7 Then Rh5+# it is correct coach. it is last part of your vedio

[@sonipolakian4256]

Nice video

[@Carouso]

This all depends on your Opponent making the moves You want them to make.....🤷

[@pastorofmuppets4552]

All chess traps do.

[@wasanthadharmasena840]

Greate video Igo😊

[@user-ji8vd2bo1t]

Sacrifice the king and kings take our queen ruk mate

[@stevensutton2252]

The Spanish Inquisition

[@abdulkhader6245]

Queen to h7 (We sacrifice "the QUEEN") black King had to take them the Rook end his career with rook to h5 (Forced checkmate)

[@lenigaussgauss2428]

Sac the Queen on h7

[@alextonyt636]

queen h7 and then rook h5 easy checkmate

[@sayantabhattacharjee9808]

Anastasia's Mate....after forced capture Qxh7

[@kramareva7446]

Qxh7, Rh5...😃😃

[@terencetembo8382]

For the puzzle its qxh7+ king takes queen is forced and rook g5 is a beautiful check mate 😂

[@cr4zyj4m1e87]

H5***

[@AGUNGKAYA]

Hmm I see . But nice thing like this is rarely happened in real life 😅

[@KyeHortonNinjaWindowCleaning]

Queen h7 then cm with rook 😁

[@desmyt67]

I'm sorry gm smirnov but I only play 1. b3 :P I won a tournament (not official one) by playing it with white eheh

[@hemakanthadesilva2087]

anastasia mate

[@juline190782]

Queen sacrifice!

[@prplt]

I just play f5 the jaenish gambit 😂

[@sangareswaran.m7315]

Sacrifice the queeeeeeeeen. Hi I'm a Gotham sub

[@sadiqliyev923]

K e 6 ?

[@ashoksafaya5397]

I first learnt from the book of Mr Spasky, recovering the pawn captured by black Knight after placing the castled rook in the same file could not see in this video besides one mate trap sacrificing queen when knight pinned by black bishop.

[@_a1g7_]

if rook goes to e4

[@romelliilagus4314]

In 10:33, what if black plays O-O

[@cr4zyj4m1e87]

Queen takes the hanging bishop on C5

[@Georgewalsh100]

Master class

[@zarnshow6922]

Your board was flipped?

[@lyingcat9022]

Your best girl Anastasia joins the party ;)

[@redlech5162]

they play me Ke4 in the 3rd move :(

[@walterbrownstone8017]

Ruy Lopez is the greatest!

[@user-cm4og2zb6x]

Sankyo

[@mahadev4256]

🔥🔥🔥

[@user-zv5vw8lk9n]

Sácalo en español 😦

[@ExtraditionLawFirm]

👍

[@reydonz]

why they call it Ruy Lopez opening?

[@kirtimangopanayak8851]

I think it's named after a Spanish priest. That's why they also call it Spanish Opening

[@boddu]

Happy birthday

[@chakre11]

Best

[@benjaminropercurzon6913]

Why is the king and queen in the wrong position at the start ? Shouldn’t the queen be on the right side of the king

[@universpro7741]

Spanish glory🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸

[@ItIsYouAreNotYour]

Are there any traps against Ruy Lopez? My buddy always takes the c6 knight immediately and then does a3 and h3 and he's pretty locked down. I know those last 2 moves aren't the "best moves" but it's still a pain in the butt.

[@pastorofmuppets4552]

There’s the Noah’s Ark Trap, but it involves the bishop not taking the knight. It comes from the Modern Steinitz variation.