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Ruy Lopez · As White · updated October 2026

Play the Ruy Lopez like Mykola Bortnyk

A Ruy Lopez repertoire built from 86 of Mykola Bortnyk's public Chess.com blitz games. At every position you play the move Mykola Bortnyk chose most often. Where Mykola Bortnyk 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 Mykola Bortnyk or Chess.com.

  • Mykola Bortnyk was #29 in Chess.com blitz in October 2026 (3,226) and scored 57% against opponents averaging 3,031 in these games.
  • You play Mykola Bortnyk's own move in 34 of 40 positions.
  • The whole course is free, and it is updated monthly.

Free · first 5 lines need no account

Blitz rank

#29

Chess.com

Rating

3,226

Games

86

in this opening

Score

57%

in these games

Opponents

3,031

average rating

More about Mykola Bortnyk

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 18 moves

Lines to learn

  1. Line 1 · 6% at top level

    3…a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.d3 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.a4 Bd7 9.c3 O-O 10.Re1 Na5 11.Bc2 c5 12.Nbd2

  2. Line 2 · 6% at top level

    3…Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.O-O

  3. Line 3 · 6% at top level

    3…g6 4.O-O Bg7 5.c3 a6 6.Ba4 b5 7.Bc2 d6 8.h3 Nf6 9.Re1 O-O 10.d4

  4. Line 4 · 6% at top level

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

  5. Line 5 · 6% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.Qe2 Bc5 5.c3

  6. Line 6 · 6% at top level

    3…a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.d3 b5 7.Bb3 O-O 8.a4 Bb7 9.Re1

  7. Line 7 · 5% at top level

    3…a6 4.Ba4 d6 5.Bxc6+ bxc6 6.d4 exd4 7.Qxd4 Nf6 8.Nc3

  8. Line 8 · 5% at top level

    3…a6 4.Ba4 d6 5.Bxc6+ bxc6 6.d4 exd4 7.Qxd4 c5 8.Qd3

  9. Line 9 · 5% at top level

    3…a6 4.Ba4 Bc5 5.c3

  10. Line 10 · 5% at top level

    3…a6 4.Ba4 f5 5.d4 exd4 6.e5 b5 7.Bb3 Na5 8.Qxd4 Bb7 9.Qd3 Nxb3 10.axb3

  11. Line 11 · 4% at top level

    3…a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.d3 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.a4 Bd7 9.c3 O-O 10.Re1 h6 11.Bc2

  12. Line 12 · 4% at top level

    3…a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.d3 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.a4 b4 9.a5 O-O 10.Nbd2

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

Mykola Bortnyk'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.d3 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.a4 Bd7 9.c3 O-O 10.Re1 Na5 11.Bc2 c5 12.Nbd2.

  1. 3…a6 Reply · Mykola Bortnyk's games A common reply here is 3…a6. At top level, this comes up about 67% of the time.
  2. 4.Ba4 Your move · Mykola Bortnyk's games Mykola Bortnyk played 4.Ba4 in 58 games, scoring 59%.
  3. 4…Nf6 Reply · Mykola Bortnyk's games A common reply here is 4…Nf6. At top level, this comes up about 37% of the time.
  4. 5.O-O Your move · Mykola Bortnyk's games Mykola Bortnyk played 5.O-O in 26 games, scoring 63%.
  5. 5…Be7 Reply · Mykola Bortnyk's games A common reply here is 5…Be7. At top level, this comes up about 27% of the time.
  6. 6.d3 Your move · Mykola Bortnyk's games Mykola Bortnyk played 6.d3 in 13 games, scoring 58%.
  7. 6…b5 Reply · Mykola Bortnyk's games A common reply here is 6…b5.
  8. 7.Bb3 Your move · Mykola Bortnyk's games Mykola Bortnyk played 7.Bb3 in 13 games, scoring 58%.
  9. 7…d6 Reply · Mykola Bortnyk's games A common reply here is 7…d6. At top level, this comes up about 19% of the time.
  10. 8.a4 Your move · Mykola Bortnyk's games Mykola Bortnyk played 8.a4 in 9 games, scoring 61%.
  11. 8…Bd7 Reply · Mykola Bortnyk's games A common reply here is 8…Bd7. At top level, this comes up about 13% of the time.
  12. 9.c3 Your move · Mykola Bortnyk's games Mykola Bortnyk played 9.c3 in 6 games, scoring 67%.
  13. 9…O-O Reply · Mykola Bortnyk's games A common reply here is 9…O-O. At top level, this comes up about 10% of the time.
  14. 10.Re1 Your move · Mykola Bortnyk's games Mykola Bortnyk played 10.Re1 in 5 games, scoring 60%.
  15. 10…Na5 Reply · Mykola Bortnyk's games A common reply here is 10…Na5. At top level, this comes up about 6% of the time.
  16. 11.Bc2 Your move · Mykola Bortnyk's games Mykola Bortnyk played 11.Bc2 in 3 games, scoring 67%.
  17. 11…c5 Reply · Mykola Bortnyk's games A common reply here is 11…c5.
  18. 12.Nbd2 Your move · Mykola Bortnyk's games Mykola Bortnyk played 12.Nbd2 in 3 games, scoring 67%.

Questions about this course

How does Mykola Bortnyk play the Ruy Lopez?
After 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5, Mykola Bortnyk's most common line is 3…a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.d3 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.a4 Bd7 9.c3 O-O 10.Re1 Na5 11.Bc2 c5 12.Nbd2. At top level it comes up about 6% of the time.
Is this Mykola Bortnyk's course?
No. ChessDrills builds it automatically from Mykola Bortnyk's public Chess.com blitz games.
What is this Ruy Lopez course based on?
86 of Mykola Bortnyk's Chess.com blitz games in the Ruy Lopez as White, against opponents with an average rating of 3,031. Mykola Bortnyk scored 57% 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 Mykola Bortnyk?
IM Mykola Bortnyk was ranked number 29 on the Chess.com blitz leaderboard with a rating of 3,226 when this course was built.