Country Spain Name Ruy de | Role Chess Player Died 1580, Madrid, Spain | |
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Full name Rodrigo Lopez de Segura |
Ruy lopez de segura livre de l invention liberale et art du jeu d echecs
Rodrigo (Ruy) López de Segura (c. 1530 – c. 1580) was a Spanish priest and later bishop in Segura whose 1561 book Libro de la invención liberal y arte del juego del Axedrez was one of the first definitive books about modern chess in Europe, preceded by Pedro Damiano's 1512 book, Luis Ramírez de Lucena's 1497 book (the oldest surviving printed book on chess), or the Göttingen manuscript (authorship and exact date of the manuscript are unknown).
Contents
- Ruy lopez de segura livre de l invention liberale et art du jeu d echecs
- La historia del ajedrez 1 el ajedrez en e poca de felipe ii ruy lo pez de segura partidas magis
- Contributions to opening
- References

He was born in Zafra near Badajoz, and he studied and lived in Salamanca. In 1560 he won a match against Leonardo di Bona in Rome. In 1574–75 he lost the first known international chess tournament, which was held, at the invitation of King Philip II of Spain, at the Royal Court of Spain in El Escorial, close to Madrid, to Leonardo di Bona, a Calabrian lawyer, and to Paolo Boi, but placing ahead of 4th (and last) place finisher Alfonso Ceron.

La historia del ajedrez 1 el ajedrez en e poca de felipe ii ruy lo pez de segura partidas magis
Contributions to opening

The Ruy Lopez Opening (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5) is named after him, as is a variation in the Petroff Defence (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 Qe7).
