Ruy Lopez Question

I am trying to learn the Lopez. I open with The White Pawn to the E4. The computer moves his Black Knight to F6 as the next move. Can I still play the Lopez Opening?

it can still transpose into the spanish, but your opponent has to cooperate

@CafeMorphy Let's assume @DustyRoad plays 1. e4 Nf6 then 2. e5
How can this transpose into the Spanish?

I think it's important to get understanding in tactics, general chess strategy, checkmate patterns, and endgames before learning the openings.

yup i agree with that it helped me a lot ! @Tangelo777
i think if you want to practice more ruy lopez opening, you can use the board editor then practice with engine @DustyRoad

if he plays e5 he can't
the opening is an alekhine, but if both players really wanted (and not play the best moves) it can still be a spanish.
that's why i said the opponent has to cooperate.

and yes @DustyRoad don't bother about the opening so much, at your level just have a basic undestanding, the italian game is probably better for you. Ruy Lopez is kinda sophisticated.

If you really want to learn an opening, I suggest finding a good book on it and use Lichess' analysis board tool. In reality, your opponent can play any kind of opening he wants against 1.e4 such as the Caro-Kann (1...c6) or the French Defense(1...e6), not necessarily 1...e5.
At the same time, you should seek general understanding of the game as a whole like many before me suggested. Once you get a hang of the general motifs of each phase in the game, opening theories will make a lot more sense and you won't just blindly make a move, hoping your opponent will do something you expected.

@DustyRoad

If he plays 1.e4 Nf6 (attacks your pawn e4), answer 2.e5 (attacks his Knight f6) Nd5 3.d4 (you free your queen bishop and you control e5 and c5) and on 3...d6 (attacks your pawn e5) the simplest move for your level is 4.exd6! and then you develop your pieces to natural places, with a slight advantage. Thats all you need to know about this opening for now.

BTW, yes, this can transpose to Ruy Lopez, but to Lines where white plays Nc3 and that is not typical for the Ruy Lopez. White usually tries to play c3 and d4 to have a pawn duo d4/e4 in the center. Pawn duos are a good thing to have.

e4 e5 nf3 nc6 bb5 a6 ba4 nf6 0-0 be7 re1 b5 bb3 d6 c3 0-0 h3 after this black has 4 main variations

nb8 the breyer its my favorite
bb7 one of the most common at the top level right now
na5 the most common over the last 50 years
and the fourth and final variation is re8

basically memorize the ruy up to that point and know whites plan is going to be pretty much the same
d4 nbd2 nf1 ng3