The Modernized Open Ruy Lopez

The positions that emerge from the Spanish opening contain ideas so different from the usual ones that I sometimes wonder if it should really be considered part of it. It is an open game with unbalanced structures and sharp play, but compared to La Siciliana for example, for which the previous description would also apply, there is an important difference; There is a certain degree of stability and solidity to the Spanish Open that distinguishes it from the sharper realms of the Sicilian and places this line in its own unique category of Opening ideas.

The popularity of this line increased significantly after the famous Karpov-Korchnoi match of 1978, where Korchnoi played and demonstrated many interesting ideas. Still, the line never became completely mainstream until very recently, when I noticed an increased level of attention towards it. It is a practical line, as it is presented at a very early stage of the opening; White cannot avoid it once he has committed to Ruy López. That is a big advantage of the open variation compared to others. For example, in the Marshall attack, another response to the Spanish that I have previously written a book about, White has numerous ways to avoid the line entirely and therefore there is another branch of Anti-Marshall theory that Black women must also study. This is not the case. While writing this book, I also noticed that many lines are simply understated from Black's perspective for no clear reason. Black is still very solid and retains the ability to counter. I'm of the opinion that this line simply awaits more analysis and attention and will inevitably become more theoretically relevant in the future, perhaps after an elite player takes it seriously, similar to Korchnoi in the past.