a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 have been considered the main line of the Ruy Lopez, but ever since Vladimir Kramnik used it to win the chess crown from Garry Kasparov in 2000, the Berlin variation - the so-called 'Berlin Wall' - has become increasingly popular at the highest level to the point that it could now be considered the main line of the whole Ruy Lopez. e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 g6 renders this move order unattractive for white. For most of that time, the closed variations beginning 3. I first came across 'the Mortimer trap' (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.d3 Ne7) in Graham Burgesss wonderful little book, 101 Chess Opening Surprises, where it gets a very brief and optimistic mention. e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 g6 4.Bb5 while playable for white is not an optimal move order here, and although Morozovich made this line famous with a nice win vs Yakovich I think it was, the line has long since been neutralised. Since the beginning of the 20th century, the Ruy Lopez has been played by all the World Champions, most of them with Black and White (Fischer, of course, preferred his favourite Sicilian Najdorf as Black, although he was one of the foremost experts on the White side of the spanish game). Bb5 Nf6 ECO C65-C67 Parent Ruy Lopez The Berlin Defence, also called the Berlin Wall, is a chess opening that begins with the moves: e4 e5 Nf3. Aggressive openings such as the King's Gambit were popular in the early years of chess, and it wasn't until the end of the 19th century when Wilhelm Steinitz demonstrated the precepts of positional play, that the old gambits were defused and more strategic openings such as the Ruy Lopez and Queen's Gambit began to take their place. Named after the 16th century spanish priest, Ruy Lopez de Segura, it was not immediately popular. If they respond with Bc5 you can play the Evans gambit 4. The Ruy Lopez, also known as the Spanish Game, is one of the most popular openings in chess, and has long been considered the best way for White to fight for an advantage after 1.e4 e5. You can play Bc4 and if they respond with Nf6 go for the fried liver.

E4 e5 nf3 nc6 bb5 nf6