Chess strategy 10 to 25 moves, when players develop their armies and set up the stage for the coming battle; middlegame, the developed phase of the game; and endgame, when most of the pieces are gone and kings start to take an active part in the struggle. A chess opening is the group of initial moves of a game (the "opening moves"). Recognized sequences of opening moves are referred to as "openings" and have been given names such as the Ruy Lopez or Sicilian Defence. They are catalogued in reference works such as the "Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings". It is recommended for
Ruy Lopez move carries no immediate threat, Black can respond in a wide variety of ways. Traditionally, White's objective in playing the Ruy Lopez is to spoil Black's pawn structure; either way Black recaptures following the exchange on c6 will have negative features for him, though he thereby gains the . However, in modern practice, White does not always exchange bishop for knight on c6, preferring the retreat 4. Ba4 if chased by 3...a6. The theory of the Ruy Lopez is the most extensively developed of all open games, with some lines having been analysed well beyond move thirty. At nearly every