![e4 e5 nf3 nc6 bb5 nf6 e4 e5 nf3 nc6 bb5 nf6](https://media10.houseofstaunton.com/media/catalog/product/cache/35ece35ec071d185e0970020aa695e66/b/0/b0073qt-600.jpg)
Nf3 is 10 times more popular than everything else combined, and in turn the reply 2. a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 have been considered the main line of the Ruy Lopez, but ever since Vladimir Kramnik used it to win the chess crown from Garry Kasparov in 2000, the Berlin variation - the so-called "Berlin Wall" - has become increasingly popular at the highest level to the point that it could now be considered the main line of the whole Ruy Lopez. Nc6 is the natural move, combining defence of the pawn with control of the d4 square and avoiding committing another pawn for now. For most of that time, the closed variations beginning 3. Since the beginning of the 20th century, the Ruy Lopez has been played by all the World Champions, most of them with Black and White (Fischer, of course, preferred his favourite Sicilian Najdorf as Black, although he was one of the foremost experts on the White side of the spanish game).
![e4 e5 nf3 nc6 bb5 nf6 e4 e5 nf3 nc6 bb5 nf6](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51J-lN8APQL._AC_.jpg)
Aggressive openings such as the King's Gambit were popular in the early years of chess, and it wasn't until the end of the 19th century when Wilhelm Steinitz demonstrated the precepts of positional play, that the old gambits were defused and more strategic openings such as the Ruy Lopez and Queen's Gambit began to take their place. Named after the 16th century spanish priest, Ruy Lopez de Segura, it was not immediately popular.
![e4 e5 nf3 nc6 bb5 nf6 e4 e5 nf3 nc6 bb5 nf6](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/brWWE6YR2Hw/hqdefault.jpg)
The Ruy Lopez, also known as the Spanish Game, is one of the most popular openings in chess, and has long been considered the best way for White to fight for an advantage after 1.e4 e5.