The Smart Ruy Lopez Part 2 Break Down the Berlin Defense by GM Jan Werle

So what’s the smart way to handle the Berlin?

The 2008 EU Champion and veteran chess instructor recommends the 4.d3 anti-Berlin setup, sidestepping the drawish endgames associated with the main lines and keeping pieces on the board for maximum winning chances.

But it’s what’s beyond 4.d3 that really blows up the Berlin Wall. You’ll cover the:

🧠 4…Bc5 main line: After a quick exchange on c6, you’ll play c3, preparing a strong central push bound to overwhelm Black’s position – taking away their Bishop pair advantage and simply saddling them with a broken pawn structure!

🧠 4…d6 main line: Your knights on b3 and f3 will work with your central pawns to put immense pressure on Black’s ‘solid’ center – breaking down the wall and paving the way for your own attack

🧠 And all sidelines and gambits: Rosenthaler Gambit (4…a6), Mortimer Defense (4…Be7)…you name it, it’s covered! GM Werle has your back with scrappy techniques to counter every sideline

Become a Natural ‘Wall Wrecker’ with Practical Exercises and Model Games

Altogether, you’ll have more than 400 trainable lines walking you through the theory of all critical variations with detailed annotation from GM Werle. Of those, more than 50 are alternative lines, allowing you to customize your strategy to your style.

But what really sets this course apart are the tactical and positional exercises. You’ll test and solidify your understanding of the theory with 40 practical exercises, practicing either common tactical motifs in the Berlin or ‘find the best positional move’ problems, making sure you really are prepared come game time.

You’ll also get a collection of model games by top pros showing how they carry out the very same ideas to win their games. Learn to wreck the wall like Hikaru Nakamura, Wesley So, Alireza Firouzja and more!

So if you’re ready to complete your Ruy Lopez repertoire with this grandmaster’s guide to Black’s toughest reply, get The Smart Ruy Lopez Part 2: Break Down the Berlin Defense today.