Catalogue text:

These books are perfect for enthusiastic chess players who are starting out in the game, and who are seeking to understand the basic principles behind these important openings. These books are written in a user-friendly style with an abundance of notes, tips and warnings scattered throughout while key strategies, ideas and tactics for both sides are clearly illustrated. The authors of these books are very skilled and experienced chess writers, who are used to writing for players of all levels and are renowned for their ability to explain ideas in a lucid and straightforward manner.
International Master John Shaw is a three-time Scottish champion


Ideal for those wanting to understand the basics of the Ruy Lopez.

The Ruy Lopez is one of the most famous of all chess openings. It has a long and distinguished history and has been played by virtually all of the strongest Grandmasters: Fischer, Karpov, Kasparov, Kramnik, Anand - the list goes on! From very early on White activates his pieces, takes the initiative and sets about building a dominant centre. In this user-friendly book, John Shaw goes back to basics, studying the fundamental principles of the Ruy Lopez and its many variations.
Throughout the book there are an abundance of notes, tips, warnings and exercises to help the improving player, while key strategies, ideas and tactics for both sides are clearly illustrated.

- User-friendly design to help readers absorb ideas

- Concentrates on the key principles of the Ruy Lopez

- Ideal for the improving player

Review(s):

The Ruy Lopez refers to the position after 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 and is one of the oldest and most respected chess openings. The name refers to a Spanish priest thus explaining the alternative name for the Lopez which I use interchangeably throughout the book. Although there are many very different variations within the Lopez they often have a common theme - White wishes to dominate the centre. The move 3 Bb5 begins a plan to build pressure against Black's e5 pawn and its supporters. White even has a standard piece development, a Spanish autopilot, which is as follows: 0-0, Re1, c2-c3, d2-d4 and Nb1-d2-f1-g3. Of course, some of Black's sharper defences may prevent this but it is possible in many games.
It should not be difficult to convince doubters that the Lopez is an opening well worth learning. Many of the world's top players rely on the Lopez as the backbone of their repertoire, with Garry Kasparov being the latest in a long and celebrated line including Bobby Fischer and Anatoly Karpov. But the Lopez is not just a strong opening, it leads to positions which are generally highly instructive about chess. Indeed, many distinguished players have made the suggestion that if a player wishes to understand chess he should try to understand the Ruy Lopez.
A few important points should be made about the structure and objective of this book. It is divided into chapters and sections covering all the most important Lopez variations. Each section starts with a brief description of the variation under consideration before using illustrative games to provide more detail. The book is intended as an introduction to the plans and ideas of the Ruy Lopez rather than a high level theoretical manual. I would also hope, however, that the book contains enough original analysis to be of interest to players already familiar with the basic ideas in the Lopez.

John Shaw, Scotland, May 2003, Introduction