Chess Life Magazine - August 2011 Issue

In the mid-1960s, Bobby Fischer unveiled a new wrinkle in his beloved Ruy: The Exchange Variation. He showed it was not the simple drawing line it had once been thought to be. IM Andrew Martin takes a look at this line arising after 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Bxc6.

The Ruy Lopez is an incredibly popular opening at all levels of chess; this is perhaps unsurprising given that it's recognized by most experts as White's greatest chance of obtaining a lasting advantage after the moves 1. e4 e5. Also known as the Spanish Opening, the Lopez is steeped in rich tradition, having provided the battleground for countless clashes between World Champions of past and present: Kasparov, Fischer, Karpov, Topalov, Kramnik, Anand - the list is endless!

Former US Open Champion Timothy Taylor presents weapons for Black against the hugely popular Spanish Opening, with a repertoire based on the Modern Steinitz Defence. This has justifiably earned a reputation as an important alternative to the main lines, and it's easy to see its appeal. The Modern Steinitz can lead to razor-sharp positions, such as in the Siesta Variation, where one slip by either player could prove to be fatal. But a major attraction of the Modern Steinitz is its flexibility, and Black can also choose to play in a more positional manner.

There are not many top grandmasters who enjoy as great a popularity among chess fans all over the world as Alexei Shirov.

Glenn Flear studies a wide variety of ambitious and offbeat answers for those playing against the Spanish. From the super solid Berlin (as used so successfully by Vladimir Kramnik in his world championship match against Garry Kasparov) to the uncompromising Schliemann, there's enough choice here for any prospective black player facing the Spanish. On the other hand, this book is also perfect for white players looking for the best way to deal with those avoiding the main lines.

The Spanish Chess Opening, also known as the Ruy Lopez, named a Spanish clergyman who made it popular, is one of the oldest and most heavily analyzed of openings, with many variations having been analyzed up to move 20. Yet, there are still new things being discovered about it. This book covers early attempts by either side to wrest the initiative from the other by means of an early pawn sacrifice.

Really, among the open games the only opening with which White can really fight for an advantage in the long term is the Ruy Lopez. But in order to make this serious effort, he has buckle down and learn a whole series of sub-variations. That is what the professionals do, including of course Viktor Bologan, who now reveals the secrets of his own grandmaster repertoire. On his second Ruy Lopez DVD Viktor Bologan shows how things continue after 3...a6 4.Ba4. Black has some possible deviations before we reach the main lines which are dealt with in Part 3. These include the solid Steinitz Defence and the Archangelsk Variation which has again been brought up to date. In the Open Ruy Lopez quite different types of positions are reached - and White need to understand these too. And our author prefers to avoid the Marshall Attack - so he suggests the Anti-Marshall beginning with 8.h3. Video running time: 5 hrs 20 min. System requirements: Pentium-Processor at 300 Mhz or higher, 64 MB RAM, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, DVD drive, mouse, soundcard

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his volume is devoted to the main lines of one of the most popular and interesting openings in chess theory - the Ruy Lopez.