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Ruy Lopez · As White · updated October 2026

Play the Ruy Lopez like S.L. Narayanan

A Ruy Lopez repertoire built from 46 of S.L. Narayanan's public Chess.com blitz games. At every position you play the move S.L. Narayanan chose most often. Where S.L. Narayanan 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 S.L. Narayanan or Chess.com.

  • S.L. Narayanan was #46 in Chess.com blitz in October 2026 (3,201) and scored 64% against opponents averaging 3,019 in these games.
  • You play S.L. Narayanan's own move in 11 of 40 positions.
  • The whole course is free, and it is updated monthly.

Free · first 5 lines need no account

Blitz rank

#46

Chess.com

Rating

3,201

Games

46

in this opening

Score

64%

in these games

Opponents

3,019

average rating

More about S.L. Narayanan

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 10 moves

Lines to learn

  1. Line 1 · 27% at top level

    3…a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 O-O 8.a3

  2. Line 2 · 8% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.O-O Nxe4 5.Re1 Nd6 6.Nxe5 Be7 7.Bf1 Nxe5 8.Rxe5 O-O 9.d4 Bf6 10.Re2 b6 11.Re1 Bb7 12.Bf4 Ne4 13.c3 Bg5 14.Qc1 Bh4 15.g3 Bf6 16.Bg2

  3. Line 3 · 6% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.O-O Nxe4 5.Re1 Nd6 6.Nxe5 Be7 7.Bf1 Nf5 8.Nf3 O-O 9.d4 d5 10.c3 Bd6 11.Bd3 Nce7 12.Nbd2

  4. Line 4 · 6% at top level

    3…a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O b5 6.Bb3 Bc5 7.c3 d6 8.d4 Bb6 9.Be3 O-O 10.Nbd2 Re8 11.h3 exd4 12.cxd4 Na5 13.Bc2 Bb7 14.Qb1 Nc4 15.Nxc4 bxc4 16.Nd2

  5. Line 5 · 5% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.O-O Nxe4 5.Re1 Nd6 6.Nxe5 Be7 7.Bf1 Nf5 8.Nf3 d5 9.d4 O-O 10.c3

  6. Line 6 · 4% at top level

    3…Bc5 4.c3

  7. Line 7 · 4% at top level

    3…f5 4.d3 fxe4 5.dxe4

  8. Line 8 · 4% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.O-O Nxe4 5.Re1 Nd6 6.Nxe5 Be7 7.Bf1 Nxe5 8.Rxe5 O-O 9.d4 Ne8 10.Nc3 Bf6 11.Re1

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

S.L. Narayanan'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.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 O-O 8.a3.

  1. 3…a6 Reply · S.L. Narayanan's games A common reply here is 3…a6. At top level, this comes up about 46% of the time.
  2. 4.Ba4 Your move · S.L. Narayanan's games S.L. Narayanan played 4.Ba4 in 19 games, scoring 61%.
  3. 4…Nf6 Reply · S.L. Narayanan's games A common reply here is 4…Nf6. At top level, this comes up about 38% of the time.
  4. 5.O-O Your move · S.L. Narayanan's games S.L. Narayanan played 5.O-O in 10 games, scoring 75%.
  5. 5…Be7 Reply · S.L. Narayanan's games A common reply here is 5…Be7. At top level, this comes up about 27% of the time.
  6. 6.Re1 Your move · S.L. Narayanan's games S.L. Narayanan played 6.Re1 in 3 games, scoring 50%.
  7. 6…b5 Reply · S.L. Narayanan's games A common reply here is 6…b5.
  8. 7.Bb3 Your move · S.L. Narayanan's games S.L. Narayanan played 7.Bb3 in 3 games, scoring 50%.
  9. 7…O-O Reply · S.L. Narayanan's games A common reply here is 7…O-O.
  10. 8.a3 Your move · S.L. Narayanan's games S.L. Narayanan played 8.a3 in 1 game, scoring 100%.

Questions about this course

How does S.L. Narayanan play the Ruy Lopez?
After 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5, S.L. Narayanan's most common line is 3…a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 O-O 8.a3. At top level it comes up about 27% of the time.
Is this S.L. Narayanan's course?
No. ChessDrills builds it automatically from S.L. Narayanan's public Chess.com blitz games.
What is this Ruy Lopez course based on?
46 of S.L. Narayanan's Chess.com blitz games in the Ruy Lopez as White, against opponents with an average rating of 3,019. S.L. Narayanan scored 64% in them.
How many lines does the course have?
8 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 S.L. Narayanan?
GM S.L. Narayanan was ranked number 46 on the Chess.com blitz leaderboard with a rating of 3,201 when this course was built.