The Modernized Ruy Lopez, Volumes 1 and 2

Dariusz Swiercz (Thinkers Publishing, 2021). A complete White repertoire in two books. Volume 1 (520 pages) covers Black’s sidelines, from the Schliemann and Cozio to the Steinitz, then the Berlin with both 4.0-0 and 4.d3, and the Open. Volume 2 (336 pages) covers the …Bc5 systems, the Closed Ruy Lopez with 9.h3 against the Zaitsev, Chigorin and Breyer, the Anti-Marshall with 8.a4, and the modern lines with d3. The author is candid that many lines, the Berlin especially, are simply equal if Black plays correctly. He aims instead for positions that set practical problems. Together that is more than 850 pages, and he warns that some lines, such as his choice against the Moller, need memorization.

There is a 16-page sample on the product page.

Grandmaster Repertoire: The Berlin Defence

Michael Roiz (Quality Chess, 2021). A Berlin repertoire from a former world top-40 grandmaster. It goes into the Berlin Endgame against 9.Nc3, 9.Rd1+ and 9.h3, meets 4.d3 with 4…Bc5 and usually …Nd4, and covers White’s ways of avoiding the endgame and the Four Knights. Dense and theoretical, with new moves marked throughout and references to correspondence games. The preface says it is meant for players at various levels, but it reads as a book for serious tournament players.

There is a 15-page sample on the product page.

The Modernized Berlin Wall Defense

Priyadharshan Kannappan (Thinkers Publishing, 2019). Also a Berlin repertoire, but the author deliberately puts explanation ahead of long variations. It ends with an appendix of 100 games chosen to teach the Berlin Endgame, which is useful whichever Berlin book you use. If you want to understand the endgame before memorizing it, start here. If you want the deepest analysis, Roiz is the more thorough book.

There is a 16-page sample on the product page.

The Modernized Open Ruy Lopez

Milos Pavlovic (Thinkers Publishing, 2021). The Open, where Black takes on e4 at move 5. The book starts from 8…Be6 and covers White’s alternatives to 9.c3, then 9.c3 with both 9…Bc5 and 9…Be7. Pavlovic’s case for the Open is practical: once White has committed to the main-line Ruy Lopez, he cannot avoid it. At 160 pages it is compact, and organized by variation rather than through complete games.

There is a 16-page sample on the product page.

The Modernized Marshall Attack

Milos Pavlovic (Thinkers Publishing, 2020). The Marshall itself with both 12.d4 and 12.d3, and the Anti-Marshalls: 8.h3, 8.d3, 8.d4 and 8.a4. There is also an appendix on the Exchange Variation. The author is clear that the main Marshall lines need exact memorization. That is the price of the Marshall in any book.

There is a 12-page sample on the product page.

The Spanish Main Road

Evgeny Solozhenkin (Chess Stars, 2016). A complete Black repertoire built around the Zaitsev, from the Exchange Variation through White’s alternatives to the Closed main line, with 10…Nd7 included as a way to avoid the repetition White can force. The publisher says the Zaitsev asks for both double-edged middlegame play and fair endgame play. It is the oldest of the Black repertoires here.

There is a 2-page sample on the product page.

The Original Arkhangelsk: Take Control of the Ruy Lopez as Black

Tibor Karolyi (Elk and Ruby, 2025). The newest book in this guide. The Arkhangelsk starts 5…b5 6.Bb3 Bb7, and the chapters follow White’s seventh move, with 7.Re1 by far the largest. It is built on 166 complete games and several hundred fragments, and where possible Karolyi offers both an adventurous option and a more reliable one.

There is a 16-page sample on the product page.

Dangerous Weapons: The Ruy Lopez

John Cox, John Emms and Tony Kosten (Everyman Chess, 2013). Twelve chapters of offbeat Ruy Lopez lines for both colors, such as the Aronian Variation, 4…Nge7, for Black. The series itself warns that not every line is guaranteed to be sound. It is a book for a few surprises, not a repertoire.