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Openings Database

Ruy Lopez

A classical opening that pressures the knight defending e5 and builds long-term central pressure.

C60 ECO Advanced Side: White
Reference line

Position after the reference line

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5

Key ideas

  1. Increase pressure on e5 by pinning or exchanging the knight at the right moment.
  2. Castle, play Re1 and c3, then prepare d4.
  3. Preserve the bishop when its long-term role matters more than immediate structural damage.

Typical plan

Build pressure patiently, complete development, and open the center only after the king is safe.

Watch for

Capturing the knight does not automatically win e5; calculate ...a6, ...Nf6, and Black's tactical resources.

Opening names, ECO codes, and reference lines are aligned with the curated Lichess chess-openings dataset. Plans are concise instructional guidance, not game-result statistics.