Skip to main content

Ruy Lopez · As White · updated October 2026

Play the Ruy Lopez like Alexander Grischuk

A Ruy Lopez repertoire built from 112 of Alexander Grischuk's public Chess.com blitz games. At every position you play the move Alexander Grischuk chose most often. Where Alexander Grischuk has fewer than 3 games, the course takes the other top-50 players' most played move, then Stockfish's. Learn a line on the board, then each position comes back in a short daily review until it sticks.

Not affiliated with or endorsed by Alexander Grischuk or Chess.com.

  • Alexander Grischuk was #21 in Chess.com blitz in October 2026 (3,249) and scored 70% against opponents averaging 2,972 in these games.
  • You play Alexander Grischuk's own move in 37 of 40 positions.
  • The whole course is free, and it is updated monthly.

Free · first 5 lines need no account

Blitz rank

#21

Chess.com

Rating

3,249

Games

112

in this opening

Score

70%

in these games

Opponents

2,972

average rating

More about Alexander Grischuk

Use arrow keys to navigate the board. Press Enter to select a piece, then use arrow keys and Enter to move. Press Escape to cancel a move.
Line 1 after 16 moves

Lines to learn

  1. Line 1 · 6% at top level

    3…a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.d3 Nd7 8.Nc3 O-O 9.Be3 c5 10.a4 b6 11.Ne2

  2. Line 2 · 6% at top level

    3…a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.d3 Qd6 8.a4

  3. Line 3 · 5% at top level

    3…a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Nxe4 6.d4

  4. Line 4 · 4% at top level

    3…a6 4.Ba4 Nge7 5.c3

  5. Line 5 · 4% at top level

    3…a6 4.Ba4 d6 5.O-O Bd7 6.c3

  6. Line 6 · 4% at top level

    3…a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.d3 Bd6 8.h3

  7. Line 7 · 4% at top level

    3…a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Bc5 6.c3 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.d4 Bb6 9.a4

  8. Line 8 · 4% at top level

    3…a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O d6 6.Bxc6+ bxc6 7.Re1 Bg4 8.h3

  9. Line 9 · 3% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.Bxc6 dxc6 6.Nbd2 Be6 7.O-O

  10. Line 10 · 3% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.Bxc6 dxc6 6.Nbd2 Nd7 7.O-O O-O 8.a4 a5 9.Nc4 Re8 10.Be3

  11. Line 11 · 3% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.Bxc6 dxc6 6.Nbd2 Qe7 7.O-O

  12. Line 12 · 3% at top level

    3…a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O b5 6.Bb3 Bc5 7.a4 Bb7 8.c3 d6 9.d4 Bb6 10.Bg5 h6 11.Bh4 g5 12.Bg3 Nxe4 13.axb5 axb5 14.Rxa8 Bxa8 15.Qd3

Ordered by how often they come up in top-level games. Learned lines join your daily review.

Alexander Grischuk's main line in the Ruy Lopez, move by move

The most common line at top level: 3…a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.d3 Nd7 8.Nc3 O-O 9.Be3 c5 10.a4 b6 11.Ne2.

  1. 3…a6 Reply · Alexander Grischuk's games A common reply here is 3…a6. At top level, this comes up about 76% of the time.
  2. 4.Ba4 Your move · Alexander Grischuk's games Alexander Grischuk played 4.Ba4 in 85 games, scoring 75%.
  3. 4…Nf6 Reply · Alexander Grischuk's games A common reply here is 4…Nf6. At top level, this comes up about 55% of the time.
  4. 5.O-O Your move · Alexander Grischuk's games Alexander Grischuk played 5.O-O in 60 games, scoring 74%.
  5. 5…Be7 Reply · Alexander Grischuk's games A common reply here is 5…Be7. At top level, this comes up about 32% of the time.
  6. 6.Bxc6 Your move · Alexander Grischuk's games Alexander Grischuk played 6.Bxc6 in 17 games, scoring 62%.
  7. 6…dxc6 Reply · Alexander Grischuk's games A common reply here is 6…dxc6.
  8. 7.d3 Your move · Alexander Grischuk's games Alexander Grischuk played 7.d3 in 17 games, scoring 62%.
  9. 7…Nd7 Reply · Alexander Grischuk's games A common reply here is 7…Nd7. At top level, this comes up about 21% of the time.
  10. 8.Nc3 Your move · Alexander Grischuk's games Alexander Grischuk played 8.Nc3 in 11 games, scoring 55%.
  11. 8…O-O Reply · Alexander Grischuk's games A common reply here is 8…O-O. At top level, this comes up about 13% of the time.
  12. 9.Be3 Your move · Alexander Grischuk's games Alexander Grischuk played 9.Be3 in 7 games, scoring 57%.
  13. 9…c5 Reply · Alexander Grischuk's games A common reply here is 9…c5. At top level, this comes up about 6% of the time.
  14. 10.a4 Your move · Alexander Grischuk's games Alexander Grischuk played 10.a4 in 3 games, scoring 67%.
  15. 10…b6 Reply · Alexander Grischuk's games A common reply here is 10…b6.
  16. 11.Ne2 Your move · Alexander Grischuk's games Alexander Grischuk played 11.Ne2 in 2 games, scoring 50%.

Questions about this course

How does Alexander Grischuk play the Ruy Lopez?
After 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5, Alexander Grischuk's most common line is 3…a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.d3 Nd7 8.Nc3 O-O 9.Be3 c5 10.a4 b6 11.Ne2. At top level it comes up about 6% of the time.
Is this Alexander Grischuk's course?
No. ChessDrills builds it automatically from Alexander Grischuk's public Chess.com blitz games.
What is this Ruy Lopez course based on?
112 of Alexander Grischuk's Chess.com blitz games in the Ruy Lopez as White, against opponents with an average rating of 2,972. Alexander Grischuk scored 70% in them.
How many lines does the course have?
12 lines covering 40 positions, ordered by how often they come up in top-level games. The first 5 lines need no account; saving your progress with an email unlocks the rest, free.
Who is Alexander Grischuk?
GM Alexander Grischuk was ranked number 21 on the Chess.com blitz leaderboard with a rating of 3,249 when this course was built.