In this lesson, I’d like to share with you the most common opening mistakes in the Ruy Lopez. This opening occurs after the opening moves: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5. Named after a Spanish priest, and also called the Spanish Opening, the Ruy Lopez is one of the most frequently played openings,

In fact, the World Championship Challenger Ian Nepomniachtchi fell into one of these traps. Since it is a very popular opening even at high level games, you must be aware of these traps.

Many players make the mistake of relying too heavily on memorized lines in the Ruy Lopez without fully understanding the underlying ideas. The worst part is that some players have only copied moves they’ve ssen others play, not knowing they were probably mistakes as well.

This can quickly backfire when the opponent deviates or sets a subtle trap. It’s crucial to grasp the strategic themes and typical plans, or else a single careless move can lead to immediate trouble—even in the early stages of the game.

Common Mistakes in the Ruy Lopez Video Lesson

Watch the video lesson to learn these so that you don’t make such mistakes and punish your opponents who do. This will help you win many games easily.

Below, you can find the traps shown in the video:

Openings are great to learn but improving in chess requires you to understand the different phases of the game. There are also other aspects to take into consideration like avoiding blunders and learning how to train effectively.

Knowing all that, I have created a course that covers all these topics and more. If this is what you’re interested in, check out Level Up Your Chess. The course has six sections covering these different topics. And, my big promise is that if you work on them, one section alone is enough to improve your game.