Good book overral
This Book doesn't analize the exchange Ruy Lopez in deep, but explain you the main ideas in all important lines, with examples and commentaries. Good for somebody who wants to learn a new opening, or like me who wants to play the Open Spanish but I need to face some other variations and be prepared for that. It's all about ideas not for memorize,
The author mentions in page 5 that this is the kind of openings "analysed through the endgame" I'll be happy if I see a chapter that connect this opening with the endgame and give us some tips on that for future editions.
Decent Book
This was a pretty good book overall. It covers most of the mainlines (Qd6, f6, Bg4) and the sidelines (Qf6, Bd6, Ne7). The only problem is that the author only gives a few examples of dxe5 in the f6 line with Bg4 and the entire chapter is almost entirly devoted to c3 (holding onto the center) instead of dxe5, which is about 2x more popular according to the database.
An excellent resource for intermediate to advanced chess players looking to strengthen their understanding of the game
International Chess Master Krzysztof Panczyk and e-mail World Championship semi-finalist Jacek Ilczuk present Ruy Lopez Exchange, an in-depth scrutiny of the Ruy Lopez Exchange (or Spanish Exchange), an oft-used opening among Grandmasters and leisure players alike. A wealth of diagrams and sample games thoroughly explore the possibilities of this opening, how to strengthen it or counter it, as well as a discussion of its variants. Like its many companion volumes published by Everyman Chess, Ruy Lopez Exchange is an excellent resource for intermediate to advanced chess players looking to strengthen their understanding of the game.
A good recent book about the Ruy Lopez Exchange
Chess players who open with 1 e4 have to choose what to play after 1...e5. The most popular choice is 2 Nf3. Black's most popular reply is 2...Nc6. And the most popular choice for White at this point is 3 Bb5, the Ruy Lopez. Black's most popular choice now is 3...a6. Now what?
Well, I think it is just fine to retreat that White Bishop to a4. That's the most popular move. But Black has plenty of choices at this point. Maybe you'll see a deferred Steinitz variation. Or an Open Lopez. Or a Closed Ruy, such as the Chigorin, the Breyer, the Smyslov, or the Zaitsev. Or even a sideline such as the Archangelsk or the Moeller. Or maybe the well-known Marshall (unless you play an anti-Marshall).
Or maybe you won't see any of them. You can chop down that Black Knight now. With the Exchange Variation. And try heading for a pleasant endgame in which, if you win, it will seem like Black never had a chance.
This book shows all the important lines in the Exchange variation. It has 74 complete and annotated games as examples. And 21 of those games are from the years 2001 to 2004.
If you want to learn this opening for White, there are some lines you will need to know. The main ones, after 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Bxc6 dxc6 5 0-0 are:
5...Be6 6 Nxe5 Qd4 7 Nf3 Qxe4 8 Ng5
5...Qf6 6 d4 exd4 7 Bg5
5...Qe7 6 d4 exd4, where you have to decide between 7 Qxd4 and 7 Nxd4
5...Be7 where you must choose between 6 Nxe5 and 6 d3
5...Ne7 6 Nxe5 Qd4 7 Qh5
5...Bd6 6 d4 exd4 7 Qxd4
5...Bg4 6 h3 h5 7 d3 Qf6 where you must choose between 8 Be3 and 8 Nbd2
5...Qd6 6 Na3 Be6 7 Qe2 f6 8 Rd1
5...Qd6 6 Na3 b5 7 c3 c5 8 Nc2 Bb7 9 Re1
5...f6 6 d4 exd4 7 Nxd4 c5 8 Nb3 Qxd1 9 Rxd1 Bg4 10 f3
5...f6 6 d4 Bg4 7 dxe5 Qxd1 8 Rxd1 fxe5 9 Nbd2 0-0-0 10 Re1
The book also mentions moves other than 5 0-0 for White, and it even mentions 4...bxc6 for Black.
The fundamental strategic idea behind this opening for White is to get all the pieces off the board somehow and win the resulting endgame by getting a passed pawn on the Kingside. Black is generally happy to exchange the Queens. But Black will be very slow to exchange anything else, and will fight hard to keep her Bishop pair.
I'll give an example of this opening from one of my own games, one I remember quite well:
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Bxc6 dxc6 5 0-0 Bg4 6 h3 h5 7 d3 (obviously, White can't take the Bishop without losing her Knight or getting mated) 7...Qf6 8 Be3 Bxf3 9 Qxf3 Qxf3 (Black may have messed up White's pawn structure and removed the Queens, but at the cost of the Bishop pair) 10 gxf3 g6 (this is not good: Black has to try to stop White from getting in f4; in addition, the Black Knight may belong on g6) 11 f4 Bg7 12 fxe5 Bxe5 13 c3 0-0-0 14 d4 Bg7 15 Nd2 Nf6 16 f3 Bh6 17 Kf2 Bxe3+ 18 Kxe3 Rhe8 19 c4 Nh7 20 Rg1 Nf8 21 Rad1 Ne6 22 Nb3 b6 23 d5 cxd5 24 cxd5 Ng7 25 Kf4 Rd7 26 Nd4 Red8 27 Rc1 Rd6 28 Nc6 R8d7 29 Rg2 Rf6+ 30 Ke3 Ne8
See how easy that was? White has practically effortlessly obtained what ought to be a winning position. Black hasn't had a chance to do anything. Of course, any position can be compromised. And White proved it:
31 Kd4? (any reasonable move wins, and 31 e5 may be best) Rxf3 32 Ne5?? (White was already worse, but this hangs a Rook to 32...c5+). Of course, the fact that White made these awful errors will be a secret just among us.
I recommend this book.
(4 reviews)
