Modern Defense | Ideas, Principles and Common Variations

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The Modern is a very complex hyper-modern opening and a great weapon for black against 1.e4!

It is also known as the Robatsch Defense (after Karl Robatsch). Same as any other hyper-modern opening, the Modern Defense applies the same provocative principles. Black relinquishes central control and the key central squares to white in an attempt to take them back later on using the pieces.

To do so, black fianchettoes his kingside bishop and castles, and then goes on to use his bishop and the central pawn break c5 to strike through whites seemingly solid pawn center. White, on the other hand, follows the classical chess principles like a good school boy; white plays d4 and e4, taking up the central squares, develops his minor pieces and has no problem.

The modern is a battle of styles, and players who only play the classical defenses such as e5 or c5, can seldom feel comfortable playing such openings. To play it you have to be prepared to work with less space and less squares, and you constantly need to look for counter play. Black’s play is provocative but it’s ok, but if black fails to react and break open the center or find counter play with his pieces, he could find himself in an inferior position in a matter of moves.

The opening starts after 1.e4 g6. Black’s next few moves are going to be Bg7, d6, and a6/c6 regardless of white plays. This makes the defense easy to learn compared to the Sicilian or the French lets say. White can choose between numerous systems against it, though.

As opposed to the Pirc, which is similar to the Modern, in the Modern black delays the development of his g knight to f6, which sort of leaves white without the very strong e5, which now doesn’t come with a tempo. The downside of not developing the knight is that the king can’t castle as soon because the knight is still there. This is why the Modern is way more risky for black because the king stays in the center considerably longer.

We are going to be looking at five different systems for white and what black can do to refute them in the six videos that are to follow in the series.

The Modern (Robatsch) Defense B06

3. Nc3 Standard Line
...d6 4. Be3 a6 Tiger's Modern
3. f4 Three Pawns Attack
3. Bc4 Bishop Attack
3. c4 Averbakh System
3. Nf3 Two Knights Variation

#chess #moderndefense #chessopenings